Junior Data Engineer

About Us:

At Oakland, we help businesses unlock the power of their data. Whether it’s data strategy, governance, engineering, analytics, or AI, we work with our clients to turn data into real, impactful results. Our team is made up of friendly, hands‑on experts who love solving problems and making a difference. We don’t just advise, we roll up our sleeves and get stuck in, working alongside our clients every step of the way.

Founded in 1986 out of our Leeds HQ, we work with a diverse range of clients across all sorts of industries including Utilities, Telecommunications, Media, Financial Services, Public Sector, and many more! Our projects range from multi‑year data transformations to specific, shorter‑term assignments, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to diversify your skillset.

We meet high standards for social and environmental impact, transparency, and accountability. We believe businesses should be a force for good, so we make sure our decisions don’t just benefit the bottom line but also our people, communities, and the planet.

And it’s not just us saying we’re a great place to work… we were recently named a Top 5 Consultancy to work for in the UK through Best Companies! We’re all about creating an environment where people can grow, do meaningful work, and enjoy the journey.

In April 2025, Oakland was acquired by Softcat, a leading provider of IT infrastructure services to corporate and public sectors. By combining Oakland’s deep expertise in data and AI consulting with Softcat’s extensive portfolio and market presence, we can deliver unparalleled value and innovation to our clients. This partnership marks a significant milestone in our journey, and we’re looking forward to achieving great things together.

We operate a hybrid working arrangement from our Head Office in Leeds, designed to balance your commitments and preferences with our client’s needs. Whilst we support flexible working, we expect our team members to be in the office or with clients at least twice per week. This balance helps us stay connected, learn from each other, and build strong relationships – both within our team and with the businesses we support.

As a Junior Data Engineer at Oakland, you’ll be at the heart of delivering impactful technical solutions for our clients. No two projects are the same, so you’ll work across varied industries, technologies, and project sizes, constantly learning and sharpening your problem‑solving skills.

Our work spans Data Platforms, AI, Analytics, Data Strategy, Management, and you’ll help deliver solutions that drive real business value. We’re tech‑agnostic and client‑first, choosing the right tools for the job – whether that’s leveraging our bespoke platform or partnering with major data platform and engineering providers.

You’ll be part of a collaborative team of 15+ Data Engineers, with access to shared resources, support, and expertise to help you thrive and grow.

Ideally, you’ll be a programmer at heart, and you are excited by the prospect of working across different problems, projects, and clients. At Junior level, which is a step up from entry‑level in our structure, we expect you to have a basic understanding of core concepts of Data Engineering (data structures, databases, data manipulation, ETL, data quality). Ideally, you can write moderately complex code and pipelines with guidance from more experienced Engineers, and you can spot and fix simple issues in code.

The technology we use varies between clients, so although we value specialists, we encourage our engineers to become technology polyglots and provide training and mentoring to support you with this. This means an appetite to learn is a must.

Our Data Engineers work closely with Oakland clients, so experience working with business stakeholders and understanding commercial objectives is advantageous.

We always pick the right tool for the job so we look for Engineers with a mix (but not all!) of the below:

• Experience with one or more programming languages such as:
  Python, SQL, C#, JavaScript etc.
• Experience implementing data solutions in the cloud, e.g.…