Data Engineer

British Airways is the United Kingdom's flagship carrier with a rich history spanning over a century. Renowned for its commitment to excellence and innovation, British Airways has been at the forefront of connecting Britain to the world and bringing the world to Britain. Since launching the world's first international scheduled air service between London and Paris, the airline has maintained its reputation for pioneering advancements in aviation and customer service. As a global leader in the aviation industry, British Airways prides itself on fostering a culture of continuous improvement, diversity, and inclusion. The organization values its employees as vital contributors to its success, offering a dynamic and supportive environment where ambition and innovation thrive. Whether on the ground or in the skies, British Airways provides its team members with opportunities to grow, make an impact, and be part of a legacy that shapes the future of air travel.

About The Role

The Principal Data Engineer will be a pivotal member of British Airways' Data & AI Delivery team or the Commercial Data team. This role involves providing technical leadership and strategic direction for data engineering initiatives across the organization. The successful candidate will be responsible for designing, building, and maintaining secure, scalable, and high-performance data pipelines and products that enable data-driven decision-making at all levels of the airline. You will lead efforts to ensure data quality, reliability, and security while fostering best practices in engineering standards. As a senior member of the team, you will mentor and support other engineers, participate in agile ceremonies, and contribute to continuous improvement initiatives. This role offers an exciting opportunity to influence the technical landscape of British Airways' data ecosystem and support its mission to leverage data as a strategic asset for growth and innovation.

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related discipline (desirable)
• Extensive experience in SQL development and data processing techniques
• Proficiency with cloud-native data ingestion, processing, and storage tools (e.g., Snowflake, AWS, DBT)
• Strong knowledge of enterprise data management, security, and optimization at scale
• Expertise in data modelling, testing, and monitoring frameworks
• Experience supporting production data systems within CI/CD and agile workflows
• In-depth understanding of information security principles and access controls in data environments
• Proven leadership skills in technical environments, with the ability to influence and set standards
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills
• Ability to analyze complex problems and work effectively in ambiguous environments

• Act as a technical leader to promote best practices in data engineering across delivery teams
• Design, develop, test, and deploy secure and scalable data pipelines and products
• Maintain and operate data products, ensuring high availability, performance, and resilience through monitoring and incident management
• Ensure code quality, automation, and documentation standards are adhered to
• Lead service reviews, health checks, and root cause analysis to improve system reliability
• Set and embed standards for data processing, version control, and documentation
• Support and mentor engineers in engineering patterns, coding standards, and automated testing practices
• Lead agile ceremonies, delivery planning, and retrospectives to foster continuous improvement
• Collaborate with data product teams to resolve data processing issues and enhance developer experience
• Line manage Senior Data Engineers and support their professional development
• Participate in on-call rotations to support live data systems, ensuring operational stability

• Competitive salary package
• Access to British Airways' staff travel benefits, including unlimited standby tickets on flights
• Up to 30 discounted Hotline airfares annually for friends and family
• Opportunities for career development and internal mobility across the organization
• Inclusive and diverse work environment that values innovation and individuality
• Supportive culture fostering continuous learning and professional growth
• Comprehensive health and wellbeing programs

British Airways is committed to creating an inclusive environment where all employees are valued and respected. We celebrate diversity and are dedicated to providing equal employment opportunities regardless of race, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or background. We believe that a diverse workforce enhances our ability to innovate and serve our customers effectively. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply, and we are committed to supporting a culture of equity and inclusion across our organization.