Senior Data Engineer

Final date to receive applications: 24 November 2026

Department: Information Services

Employment Type: Permanent

Location: Burford

Compensation: £36,053 - £38,577 / year

Contract: Permanent, 35 hours per week

Salary: £36,053 - £38,577

Location: Burford OX18 4PF

Closing date: Tuesday 24th November 2026

Interview date: W/C 30th November 2026

We are seeking an experienced Senior Data Engineer to join our Information Services team in Burford, Oxfordshire to lead the optimisation of our data architecture and pipelines. In this role, you will play a critical part in connecting and transforming operational and supporter data into reliable, governed assets that inform strategic decision-making and enhance outcomes for the pets, guardians, and communities we support across the charity.

Working closely with the Data Manager and colleagues across Information Services, you will be responsible for building, deploying, and maintaining high-performance, automated data flows that reduce organisational data silos. You will develop and refine ETL pipelines and robust API connections to integrate, cleanse, and ingest data from internal platforms, external partners, and CRM systems with minimal manual dependency. Additionally, you will support the maintenance and evolution of our central data repositories, ensuring that data is securely structured, fully compliant with regulatory standards, and readily accessible for analysis and reporting within tools such as Power BI.

The role is central to upholding rigorous data governance and continuous technical improvement across the charity. You will establish automated monitoring to identify and resolve data quality anomalies, standardise operating documentation, and drive efficiencies within key direct marketing and operational campaigns. Furthermore, as the senior technical lead within the function, you will act as a point of escalation for complex data integration challenges and provide coaching and mentorship to the Data Engineer, fostering high technical standards and consistent service delivery.

This is a permanent role based at our Burford, Oxfordshire office. This is a hybrid role and you must be able to work from Burford twice a week.

The ideal candidate will offer substantial technical proficiency in modern data engineering principles, ingestion architectures, and database environments. You will demonstrate an analytical approach to complex technical problem-solving, with proven ability in developing scalable automated processes and managing extensive data life cycles. Alongside your technical depth, you will possess strong stakeholder-engagement capabilities, enabling you to articulate intricate data concepts effectively to non-technical operational and commercial audiences.

You should be highly organised and resilient, skilled at balancing concurrent project priorities, and committed to upholding strict compliance, information security, and data protection standards. A collaborative professional who values continuous learning, you will actively stay abreast of emerging technologies and share technical insights to enhance team capability. Ultimately, you will align with Blue Cross core values, bringing a structured, dependable, and values-led approach to supporting our organisational mission.

Essential Qualifications, Skills, and Experience

• Experience working in data engineering
• Highly accomplished in data synthesis
• Experience of working with a variety of database solutions
• Good understanding of typical ingestion patterns (eg ETL, ELT)
• Experience of collaborating with technical and non-technical audiences, with the ability to adapt communication approach to meet the needs of different audiences
• An understanding…