Lead Data Developer

Salary: c £40,000 per annum (negotiable based on experience) + comprehensive benefits package

Jisc grade: TDA3

Job Type: Fixed Term Contract - 24 months

Hours: 35 hours per week

Reports into: Head of Data Developments

Working style: Hybrid - A blend of working from home and your nominated hub office. We have hubs located in London, Bristol, Manchester and Oxford.

For 30 years Jisc has pioneered digital solutions for UK education and research, transforming how knowledge is created, shared and used.

We are uniquely positioned to protect, promote and lead the sector in digital and data transformation, making a difference to students, communities and society. Together, we are

working to build a better digital future for education and research.

Raise your potential at Jisc through our culture of lifelong learning. At Jisc, we're all about growth, so embrace new challenges, sharpen your skills and shape a career that excites you.

The Data Insights & Solutions (DIS) team transforms complex higher education data into powerful insights that shape the future of the UK HE sector.

As part of HESA, a Jisc service, we collect, enrich and manage sector-wide data, publishing trusted insights, Official Statistics and open data that inform decision-making across universities, government and the wider education community. We are recognised experts in our field, working closely with stakeholders across the sector to deliver innovative data products, tools and services. Learn more at

Our team develops robust data pipelines, interactive analytics tools and impactful publications that help users unlock meaningful insights from data. The work we do supports evidence-based policy, drives institutional improvement and enhances public understanding of higher education performance, outcomes and value across the UK.

You’ll join the Data Developments team, one of four specialist teams within Data Insights & Solutions (DIS), where data engineering, innovation and technology come together to deliver high-impact solutions for the UK higher education sector.

We're a highly skilled and forward-thinking team responsible for transforming complex data into meaningful products and services. Our work spans the automation of large-scale data pipelines, the development of bespoke reporting and visualisation solutions, and the creation of interactive tools that help users unlock valuable insights.

Working with technologies including Python, SQL, Power BI, Tableau, Plotly/Dash and AWS, we're constantly evolving our technical capabilities and embracing new tools and approaches to solve challenging problems.

What makes this team unique is our end-to-end ownership of the data journey. From data ingestion and transformation through to publication and visualisation, we work across the entire data lifecycle, giving team members exposure to a broad range of technologies and opportunities to develop their expertise.

In this role, you'll play a leading part in transforming complex higher education data into trusted insights, products and services used across the sector.

• Design, develop and optimise automated data pipelines and systems using technologies such as SQL, Python and cloud-based tools, ensuring data moves efficiently from collection through to publication.
• Extract, transform and prepare complex datasets, turning raw data into high-quality, actionable information.
• Lead the development of innovative dashboards, visualisations and data products that deliver meaningful insights to stakeholders.
• Take ownership of multiple projects, managing priorities, planning delivery and ensuring work is completed to agreed timescales.
• Lead larger and more complex work streams, collaborating with colleagues to define objectives, schedules and successful outcomes.
• Drive continuous improvement by identifying opportunities to automate processes, increase efficiency and enhance the quality of outputs.
• Champion best practice in data engineering, analytics and governance, helping to raise standards across the organisation.
• Stay at the forefront of developments in higher education data, emerging technologies and industry best practice, bringing fresh ideas and innovation to the team.
• Mentor and support colleagues, sharing expertise and helping to develop the skills of junior team members.
• Represent Jisc and HESA at sector events, conferences and stakeholder forums, building relationships and sharing knowledge with the wider higher education…