Senior Data Engineer

Salary Band 10, £50,154 – £54,696 (Please note it is Northumbria Police policy to appoint at the beginning of the band)

Location: Agile, Forth Banks Police Station and homeworking

Hours/Contract: 37 hours per week, permanent

The role

Here at Northumbria Police, we think our region is amazing! It takes a great deal of people from different backgrounds, with diverse skills and experience to serve our force area effectively, think you have what it takes to help us make a difference? This could be the perfect time for you to join us in our Digital Policing Team as a Senior Data Engineer.

The Senior Data Engineer plays a critical role in enabling data-driven decision-making across the Force, designing and developing robust, scalable data structures and models that underpin operational and strategic insight. The postholder will ensure that data is captured, transformed and presented in a way that is accurate, accessible and meaningful, supporting a wide range of analytical and reporting needs. By creating high-quality, well-governed data solutions, this role directly contributes to improving performance, efficiency and service delivery.

Working at the heart of data and technology, the Senior Data Engineer will also be responsible for maintaining and optimising data systems to ensure reliability, security and performance. They will collaborate closely with analysts, stakeholders and technical teams to understand requirements and deliver solutions that add tangible value. Through continuous improvement and innovation, the role will help shape how data is used across the organisation, ensuring it is leveraged effectively to support policing priorities and better outcomes for communities.

What you’ll do

• Translate business requirements into well-structured conceptual, logical and physical data models, ensuring appropriate version control processes are in place to support both current and future organisational needs.
• Design and deliver robust data integration solutions, including Extract, Transform and Load (ETL) processes, and develop reusable metadata to support consistency and efficiency.
• Develop, maintain and optimise ETL pipelines to support data interoperability, including the troubleshooting and improvement of existing processes such as stored procedures, functions, packages and emerging ETL technologies.
• Provide expert guidance and support across projects and initiatives to ensure data is used effectively, securely and sustainably, meeting the evolving needs of the organisation.
• Identify and drive opportunities for innovation, leveraging current and emerging data capabilities to enhance performance, insight and value.
• Promote and improve data quality, governance and integrity by implementing and adhering to best practice frameworks, standards, policies and tools.

What you’ll bring

• Strong data engineering expertise – Proven experience in SQL, ETL processes, data integration, and working within data warehouse environments.
• Advanced data modelling & database knowledge – Experience designing relational/multi-dimensional models and working with technologies such as Oracle and SQL Server.
• Modern data technologies & frameworks – Knowledge of NoSQL, APIs, JSON, Python, cloud platforms, and data lakes, alongside ETL best practices and interoperability frameworks.
• Data governance & quality management – Experience across data quality, metadata, master/reference data management, lifecycle management, and regulatory compliance.
• Problem-solving & delivery capability – Strong planning, estimation, troubleshooting, and ability to translate technical concepts into business solutions.
• Communication & leadership skills – Ability to engage stakeholders, explain complex issues clearly, and support/mentor others while fostering collaboration.

Just so you know

Our application form will help us understand how your work, education and life experience has prepared you for the role of a Senior Data Engineer with #TeamNP. To help support your application research what makes us tick here at Northumbria, the role you’re applying for and the values and behaviours that contribute.

The recruitment process will consist of the initial application form followed by an interview. Just so you know, you can save your application and come back to it any time prior to the closing date on the advert.

We are proud members of the Business Disability Forum, working together to improve the lives of disabled employees. As a Disability Confident Leader, we are committed to offering an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role. In cases of very high application volumes, we may prioritise those who most closely meet the criteria, applying the same fair approach for all candidates.

If you tell us that you have a disability, we can make adjustments to support you through the recruitment process (for example we can arrange extra time for tests or provide a sign language interpreter) You can get in touch with us via [email protected] for any support regarding the application process. Please provide us with plenty of notice so we can ensure your visit goes smoothly.

If your application is successful, we’ll ask you to complete a Recruitment Vetting (RV) form, therefore you must be a resident of the UK for a minimum period of 3 years to ensure vetting checks can be successfully performed. A job offer will be dependent upon vetting clearance, medical information, and references.

Terms of appointment

This is a permanent role subject to a six-month probationary period.

If you are successful in your application, you will have a six-month probation period with us where you will be unable to apply for any other post advertised internally or externally.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.