Senior Data Engineer, N and I Business Operations
Glasgow
New Jobs
Permanent
£53,850 - £56,850 a year
- In this role, you will design and build data services to support the Home Office's extensive operations and multiple government functions.
- The ideal candidate has extensive experience in data engineering, with strong analytical skills and a commitment to delivering quality results.
- This position is permanent, full-time, located in Glasgow, with benefits including a civil service pension and potential additional allowances based on performance.
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Contents
- Location
- About the job
- Benefits
- Things you need to know
- Apply and further information
Location
About the job
Job summary
Home Office Digital designs, builds and develops services for the rest of the department and for government. Every year our systems support up to 3 million visa applications, checks on 100 million border crossings, up to 8 million passport applications and deliver 140 million police checks on people, vehicles and property.
Senior Data Engineers design and implement complex data flows to connect operational systems with analytics and BI systems. You?ll build and manage data flows, collaborating with the Data Science community and Product Owners to identify strategies and services to best support business needs. You?ll help set the direction for service technology and data architecture, while mentoring junior team members, promoting collaboration and encouraging an agile approach to work.
You?ll get to work with some of the largest and most varied datasets around, and benefit from a wealth of continuous professional development resources and career opportunities. You?ll play a key role in delivering joined-up, intelligent services that unlock the value from data and deliver better outcomes for the UK.
Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. Where this is the case, employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in the office. Applicants can raise any queries to the email address at the bottom of the advert.
Watch this short video to hear from members of Home Office Digital talking about the projects they work on and their experience of working here: Working for Home Office Digital.
Job description
This role sits in the Central FinOps team and is primarily focused on cloud financial management. We are looking for an experienced finance professional who wants to apply their knowledge in a digital and data-enabled environment. Strong finance experience is the primary requirement. Previous data engineering, cloud or programming experience is not essential, as the relevant technical skills can be developed in the role.
You will support the financial management and control of significant AWS and Azure expenditure. This includes cost allocation, budgeting and forecasting, invoicing, reconciliation, recharge and chargeback. You will investigate financial discrepancies and work with finance, commercial, supplier, cloud platform and business teams to ensure expenditure is accurate, traceable and attributed to the correct portfolios, programmes and services.
Using financial and cloud consumption data, you will help improve management information, reporting, dashboards and automated financial processes. Your work will strengthen financial governance, transparency and accountability while helping stakeholders understand their cloud consumption and associated costs.
This is an opportunity to move from a finance-focused career into FinOps, cloud financial management, data analytics and automation, while continuing to apply established experience of financial operations, accounting processes, governance and controls.
Senior Data Engineers design and lead the implementation of complex data flows to connect operational systems, data for analytics and BI systems.
As a Senior Data Engineer, you will identify, build, modify and manage data flows between complex systems using the appropriate solution.
You will be working with the Data Science community, who set the scope of data engineering work through user research and data pipelines. Through sharing work with Product Owners, you will identify strategies for how the service is best able to support business needs.
You will work with fellow members of the Data Engineering community to set the direction of the service technology and data architecture. You will also mentor more junior members of the team - promoting challenge, collaborating and encouraging an agile approach to working.
Person specification
Main Responsibilities
- Analysing problems and experimenting with possible solutions to find the underlying causes of issues or discrepancies to identify problems and to assist in the development of innovative solutions.
- Analysing and reporting test activities and results, supporting data engineers and stakeholders on data analysis issues.
- Designing and implementing a data streaming service, including the development of new data models and ETL processes.
- Ensuring the successful delivery of completed data loads for customers, Data Analysts and Data Scientists, troubleshooting where required.
- Designing, building and testing data products and solutions that are complex or large scale, through full development, test and deployment lifecycles.
- Applying concepts and principles of data modelling and producing relevant and varied data models across multiple subject areas and providing guidance on how to use them.
Working Pattern
Due to the business requirements of this role, it is only available on a full-time basis. However, compressed hours are available.
Essential Skills
You?ll have strong finance operations experience and an interest in using data, technology, and automation to improve financial processes; with the following skills or some experience in:
- Experience of financial operations within UK government or another large, regulated organisation, including financial accounting, management accounting, financial control, delegated authority, audit requirements and the accurate processing of financial transactions.
- Experience of budgeting, forecasting, cost allocation, reconciliation and investigating financial discrepancies, with strong attention to detail and a clear understanding of financial governance, risk management and internal controls.
- Practical experience of invoicing, receipting, purchase orders and credit notes, including purchase-to-pay (P2P), order-to-cash (O2C), accounts payable or accounts receivable processes.
- Experience of using finance systems or enterprise resource planning (ERP) platforms, such as Oracle, to support financial processing, reporting or reconciliation.
- Experience of working with suppliers, commercial teams and operational stakeholders, including communicating complex financial information clearly to financial and non-financial audiences.
- Experience of using financial data, spreadsheets, reporting tools or management information to support analysis, assurance and decision-making.
- An interest in developing technical skills in: IT programming and automation, using tools such as industry standard ETL tools, network databases and scheduling and orchestration tools, using modern / open source programming languages in order to deliver data development / engineering products, using public cloud data technologies.
SFIA capability framework
Skills for the Information Age (SFIA) version 8 is the technical framework that sets the standard capability and development of all levels in the Home Office. This is a link to the capability framework: All skills A - Z English (sfia-online.org).
We use set SFIA technical skills to form our interview questions and we will assess you against these technical skills during the selection process.
The essential skills listed above are reflective of the Home Office Government Digital and Data Profession Career Framework (based on the industry standard SFIA framework). Use the SFIA Levels of responsibility to understand what would be expected for each technical skills listed below.
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Innovation (INOV) ? Level 3
- Methods and Tools (METL) ? Level 3
- Data Management (DATM) ? Level 3
- Data Modelling and Design (DTAN) ? Level 3
- Database Design (DBDS) ? Level 3
- Data Engineering (DENG) ? Level 3
Benefits
Why work for us...
Find out more information at: Benefits - Home Office Careers, but some of the primary ones are:
- A Civil Service Pension with employer contribution rates of at least 28.97%.
- In-year reward scheme for one-off or sustained exceptional personal or team achievements.
- 25 days annual leave on appointment, rising with service.
- 8 days of public holidays, plus 1 additional privilege day.
- Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office.
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Things you need to know
Artificial intelligence
Selection process details
As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV and 1000 - word personal statement:
- CV ? include a brief employment history outlining for each role, the organisation, job title, dates in post, and key responsibilities and achievements. Any recent employment gaps should be explained. A second section should set out the skills and experience most relevant to this role, drawing on your career, training, and other relevant activities without repeating the employment history. Focus on the evidence that best demonstrates your capability to meet the role requirements.
- Personal statement - this should present a clear and coherent narrative explaining why you are applying, what you would bring to the role, and how your experience meets the essential criteria. Use well-chosen examples to illustrate your impact, drawing on STAR-style thinking where helpful, but ensure the statement reads as a single, flowing document rather than a set of isolated responses.
To ensure you are assessed on merit alone, we ask you to anonymise your application. This means removing personal identifiers such as your name, age, and place of education. You do not need to remove your employment history, job titles, or any information about your work.
Watch our three short videos on how to apply for our roles: Applying - Home Office Careers.
Problems during the application process
If you experience problems accessing this advert, or you think you?ve made a mistake on an initial application, please contact hocandidates.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk, including the vacancy reference, at least two working days before the vacancy closes. Further information can be found on our website.
Do not create or attempt to submit another application, online test or use a different Civil Service Jobs account to proceed as this would be in violation of the candidate declaration.
Sift Stage
The sift will be held on the CV and Personal Statement. Please read the essential skills for this position carefully. We will only consider those who meet the listed requirements.
In the event of a high number of applications received, an initial sift may be held on the Personal Statement.
Interview Stage
Candidates reaching the required standard will then be invited to attend an interview. The interview will assess your Technical Skills (SFIA Framework) using technical based questions.
If you are invited to an interview, you will be required to bring a range of documentation for the purposes of establishing identity and to aid any pre-employment checks. Please see the attached list of Home Office acceptable ID documents.
Sift and Interview dates
The sift will commence from 03/11/2026 .
Interviews are expected to take place from 24/11/2026. (Subject to the Panel?s operational requirements/priorities).
Interviews will be conducted remotely via MS Teams.
We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change. You will be provided with sufficient notice of the confirmed dates.
Further information
If you have previously made an unsuccessful application for a role with the same essential skills and are not able to demonstrate how you have developed these skills since your last application, please reconsider applying as your application is unlikely to be successful.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service /Disclosure Scotland on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct.
If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk
Reserve List
A reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for 12 months. Should another role become available within that period you may be offered this position.
Reserve lists may be held for each location. Candidates will be appointed in merit order by location where this applies.
Similar Roles
Job offers to this post are made based on merit. We often have similar roles available at different grades. If a candidate is suitable for a similar role or a lower grade than they have applied for, we may offer the candidate that role without the need to go through a further selection process providing the role has the same competencies and essential skills.
UK residency and security requirements
For meaningful security checks to be carried out, individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time. Learn more on our website. Security Checks - Home Office Careers.
Please note that this role requires Security Check (SC) clearance, which would normally need 5 years? UK residency in the past 5 years.
However, in exceptional circumstances security clearance applications for candidates who have been present in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years may be considered. Failure to meet this residency requirement will result in your security clearance application being rejected.
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page Demystifying Vetting - GOV.UK.
Visa Sponsorship
We are unable to sponsor any individuals via Skilled Worker Sponsorship / Tier 2 (General) work visas as we do not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker License.
Capability allowance
The advertised role is part of the Home Office Government Digital and Data Profession. This role has access to a digital capability-based allowance. Applicants who are successful at interview will be invited to complete a Capability and Skills Assessment post-interview. Any allowance awarded will be based on the assessment of your capability against the six skills advertised for this role. Please see the Home Office Pay Framework Allowance Careers page for more information.
The allowance values are set by the Home Office, subject to remaining in a qualifying role. This allowance is non-contractual, subject to an annual review and could be withdrawn at any time.
For both new entrants and existing civil servants, the total compensation offer is a combination of base salary and, if applicable, a capability-based allowance. The pay ranges for this role are National: £49,850 - £52,850 and London: £53,850 - £56,850. New entrants to the Civil Service will start on the pay range minimum. For existing civil servants, our policies on level transfer and promotion will apply.
Reasonable Adjustments
If a person with disabilities is at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
- Contact Government Recruitment Service via HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs
- Complete the ?Assistance Required? section in the ?Additional Requirements? page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a language service professional
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ?Contact point for applicants? section.
Feedback
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
See our vetting charter .
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
- Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles .
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : AC Recruitment
- Email : ACRecruitment@homeoffice.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
Glasgow
New Jobs
Permanent
£53,850 - £56,850 a year