Principal Data Engineer

Waterloo, United Kingdom Posted on 05/11/2026

Deloitte sets therequirements for the assignment. Rockford Resourcing acts as the agency onbehalf of Deloitte and is responsible for sourcing candidates to fulfil theassignment. Successful candidates will be employed by Rockford Payroll.Rockford Payroll is responsible for the Associate's employment, pay andapplicable employment-related processes.

The Role

We are seeking avisionary Principal Data Engineer to lead the delivery of innovative dataanalytics solutions, with a focus on technical excellence, governance, andoperational performance in a high-volume data environment. This role involvesstrategic and technical leadership in building Azure-based data lake solutions,driving maturity in data management, and engaging with cross-functional teamsto leverage data for organizational success.

Key Responsibilities

• Architect, design, and implementscalable Azure-based data lake solutions.
• Establish roadmaps forcapability-building across technologies such as Qlik Replicate, DatabricksDelta Live Tables, and Unity Catalog.
• Provide technical leadership,ensuring adherence to best practices and quality standards.
• Lead the development of datatransformation pipelines using Databricks Delta Live Tables and StructuredStreaming.
• Optimize Databricks resources forhigh-volume data processing without exceeding budget.
• Oversee the use of Databricks UnityCatalog for data governance, lineage, and metadata management.
• Develop and enforce robust datagovernance policies, ensuring compliance, security, and data quality.
• Monitor data pipeline performance andproactively resolve production issues.
• Collaborate with cross-functionalteams to align project objectives with business goals.
• Translate technical challenges intoactionable insights for executive teams.
• Mentor and develop a high-performingteam skilled in Azure, Databricks, and data streaming technologies.
• Facilitate knowledge transfersessions to empower internal teams with cutting-edge methodologies.

Experience &Skills Required

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in ITor a related discipline.
• 15-17 years of experience in the ITindustry with expertise in delivering cost-effective cloud-based dataanalytics solutions.
• Proven track record in building datalake architectures and optimizing performance in big data environments.
• Certification in Azure DataEngineering or Databricks preferred.
• Strong knowledge of Azuretechnologies, including ADF, ADLS, Databricks, Stream Analytics, DeltaLive Tables, and Synapse Analytics.
• Advanced proficiency in SQL andprogramming languages such as Python, Scala, or Spark-SQL.
• Experience in designing anddeveloping scalable ETL pipelines and optimizing data workflows.
• Deep understanding of data migrationfrom on-premises to cloud and cloud to cloud.
• Proven ability to lead diverse teamsand manage end-to-end analytics projects.
• Exceptional communication andcollaboration skills for engaging executives and stakeholders.
• Strong sense of ownership,accountability, adaptability, and commitment to results.
• Expertise in identifying risks andimplementing effective mitigation strategies.

Nice to Have

• Familiarity with big data tools likeHadoop, Kafka, and Spark.
• Experience with visualization toolssuch as PowerBI or QlikSense.
• Knowledge of AI/ML, NLP, and GenAIconcepts.
• Familiarity with AGILE and KANBANmethodologies.