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Data Engineer Level I

Department for Work and PensionsBirmingham, Staffordshire🇬🇧United KingdomPosted 1 Sept 2026

Why This Role Stands Out

This hybrid Data Engineer role offers a unique opportunity to leverage your SQL and ETL skills within a government department that impacts millions of lives daily, with significant career growth and development. You'll thrive here if you're eager to build innovative data solutions and contribute to a mission-driven organization. Apply now to make a tangible difference and advance your career.

Quick Overview

Salary
£38.8k/yr
Seniority
Mid Senior
Employment type
Full Time
Work mode
Hybrid
Location
Birmingham, Staffordshire, United Kingdom
SQLETLAgileGitPower BI

Job Description

Job summary

Please notethis role requires you to pass Security Check clearance. For further information, please see 'Selection process details'.

Are you a Data Engineer with experience in SQL-based data transformation, ETL pipeline development, and building user-facing dashboards and reports?

At DWP Digital, we design and build services that make a real difference to people's lives. As part of the UK's largest government department, we support over 22 million people each day, from helping them find work to supporting them through some of life's most difficult moments. Our work is central to delivering the Government's "Get Britain Working" vision. Few organisations in the world offer the same opportunity to use technology and design thinking at this scale, with real impact.

Debt Solutions is responsible for DWP's Debt Management, Compensation Recovery and Management Information systems. Thousands of agents and citizens use these systems to recover approximately 3 billion of debt per annum while protecting the most vulnerable in our society.

Step into a role at the cutting edge of data transformation. This is your chance to help shape the future of MI and data services as we modernise long-standing processes and build innovative solutions on our new, cloud powered MI and data platform.

Job description

As a Data Engineer, you will be responsible for development and maintenance activities for the delivery of data products and services that meet customer needs to agreed timescales. You will work within the overall product development lifecycle, learning and applying agreed data architecture and data engineering principles and standards to ensure systems are fit for purpose.

You will design, build, and operate repeatable ETL data pipelines within distributed processing and cloud environments, implementing data flows that connect operational systems to analytics and business intelligence platforms. Working with senior team members, you will integrate a variety of source data, apply data modelling techniques, and contribute to metadata management and technical documentation to ensure data assets are well understood and properly governed.

You will apply your knowledge of SQL and related tooling to deliver production-ready code and data transformation processes that meet organisational standards. You will use Git and related version control tools to manage and collaborate on code effectively across the team. A key part of this role involves developing user-facing dashboards and analytical reports, working with senior colleagues to ensure these meet customer requirements and are kept up to date.

You will work as part of a multidisciplinary agile team, collaborating with data analysts, data scientists, and other technical and non-technical colleagues to understand requirements and deliver high-quality data products. You will support the growth of the team by sharing knowledge and experience, and contribute to a culture of continuous improvement across the data engineering community.

Occasional line management of apprentices or placement students may be required.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
  • Design, build, and operate simple, repeatable ETL data pipelines within distributed processing environments and cloud platforms.
  • Implement data flows to connect operational systems, supporting analytics and business intelligence and management information systems, working with senior team members.
  • Review business requirements to ensure they are clear and robust, and transform requirements into reusable, production-ready code and effective data models.
  • Undertake data analysis for data profiling, quality assurance, and problem resolution, communicating findings clearly to colleagues of different specialisms.
  • Conduct proof of concept and discovery work to provide information, advice, and recommended courses of action within your own work area.
  • Integrate a variety of source data, using judgement and guidance to determine the appropriate approach, and contribute to metadata management and documentation.
  • Support the growth of the team by keeping abreast of market and industry trends and sharing knowledge and experience with colleagues.
As a Data Engineer it would be beneficial to have experience in the following areas, however this is not essential to the role.
  • Experience of data profiling and source system analysis, applying a range of profiling techniques, and communicating findings clearly to support data use across the team.
  • Familiarity with Power BI for dashboard development and MI/BI reporting, including experience of Power BI development practices.
Person specification

See selection process for further details.

If you would like to learn more about the role, please contact

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
  • Programming And Build (Data Engineering) (WORKING).
Benefits

Alongside your salary of 38,772, Department for Work and Pensions contributes 11,232 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

We also have a broad benefits package built around your work-life balance which includes:
  • Working patterns to support work/life balance such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
  • Generous annual leave at least 23 days on entry, increasing up to 30 days over time (prorata for part time employees), plus 9 days public and privilege leave.
  • Support for financial wellbeing, including interest-free season ticket loans for travel, a cycle to work scheme and an employee discount scheme.
  • Health and wellbeing support including our Employee Assistance Programme for specialist advice and counselling and the opportunity to join HASSRA a first-class programme of competitions, activities and benefits for its members (subscription payable monthly).
  • Family friendly policies including enhanced maternity and shared parental leave pay after 1 years continuous service.
  • Funded learning and development to support progress in your role and career. This includes industry recognised qualifications and accreditations, coaching, mentoring and talent development programmes.
  • An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join professional and interpersonal networks including Womens Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more.
Hybrid Working

This role may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in their DWP office and part of the week from home. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your office will be your contractual place of work.

If a hybrid working arrangement is suitable for the role and for you, you will normally be required to spend a minimum of 60% of your contracted working hours from your DWP office.

If you have a disability, caring responsibilities, or other circumstances that may affect your ability to meet the minimum office attendance requirement, please discuss this with us using the contact details in this advert.

Salary Information

New entrants to the Civil Service will join on band minimum.

Existing Civil Servants who secure a new role on lateral transfer willmaintaintheir current substantive salary.

Existing Civil Servants who gain promotion will move to the bottom of the grade pay scale or receive a 10% increase applied to their current substantive salary, whichever is greater.

Any temporary allowances that you are currently in receipt of will not form part of the calculation todetermineyour pay. Any allowances that are in payment will cease when you move into your new role.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window) , and will assess your Experience and Technical skills.

Stage 1: Application

Your application will consist of four parts:

1. A Personal Details application form.

2. Employment history - this should contain your work experience and any skills, qualifications and accomplishments relevant to the jobs you have completed.

3. Personal statement - up to 750 words. This statement should be used to provide examples of how you meet the essential criteria below:
  • Programming And Build (Data Engineering) (WORKING) Ability to design and operate basic ETL pipelines and data transformation processes to an agreed standard.
  • Data Integration Design (WORKING) Ability to support the delivery of basic data solutions in accordance with agreed organisational standards.
  • Data Development Process (WORKING) Ability to create and implement simple, repeatable and reusable data or code products . click apply for full job details

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