Lead Data Developer - Data Insights & Solutions

About the role

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.

What you’ll be doing:

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 community.
• Provide expert guidance and support to users of HESA data and data services.

What we are looking for:

Essential

• Experience analysing quantitative data and presenting insights through clear, engaging visualisations.
• Strong skills in one or more of the following:
  Python, SQL, Power BI, Plotly/Dash or Tableau.
• A proactive problem-solver with the ability to tackle complex challenges and identify practical solutions.
• Experience working with large and complex datasets, including data manipulation, analysis and reporting.
• A passion for designing, building and improving automated processes and data workflows.
• Strong Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel.
• The ability to quickly learn and apply new technologies, programming languages and visualisation tools to deliver project outcomes.

Desirable

• Experience designing, building and maintaining ETL pipelines and automated data solutions.
• Knowledge of open-source data and analytics tools and technologies.
• Experience working with Azure SQL Databases.
• Experience in AWS environments.
• Knowledge of the higher education sector and its data…