Data Engineer

Data Engineer Level I Jobs at DWP – £38,772 to £39,621 | 4 Permanent Vacancies

UK BASED APPLICANTS — DATA ENGINEERING OPPORTUNITY

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is recruiting Data Engineer Level I professionals to join DWP Digital.

There are 4 permanent positions available, with salaries of £38,772 to £39,621 per year. The role offers flexible working options, including full-time, part-time and job-share arrangements, with hybrid working available where suitable.

Job Overview

About the Role

DWP Digital is looking for Data Engineers with experience in SQL-based data transformation, ETL pipeline development, data integration, dashboards and business intelligence reporting.

You will work within a multidisciplinary agile team to develop and maintain data products and services that meet customer and organisational requirements.

Why This Role Is Important

DWP is the UK’s largest government department and supports more than 22 million people every day.

The successful candidates will join the Debt Solutions area, responsible for DWP’s Debt Management, Compensation Recovery and Management Information systems.

These systems support thousands of agents and citizens and contribute to the recovery of approximately £3 billion in debt each year.

Key Responsibilities

As a Data Engineer, you will:

• Design, build and operate simple, repeatable ETL data pipelines.
• Work with distributed processing environments and cloud platforms.
• Develop data flows connecting operational systems with analytics and business intelligence platforms.
• Review business requirements and transform them into reusable, production-ready code.
• Develop effective data models.
• Perform data profiling, quality assurance and problem resolution.
• Conduct proof-of-concept and discovery activities.
• Integrate data from different source systems.
• Contribute to metadata management and technical documentation.
• Use SQL and related tools for data transformation.
• Use Git and version-control tools.
• Develop user-facing dashboards and analytical reports.
• Work within a multidisciplinary agile team.
• Share knowledge and support continuous improvement.
• Occasionally provide line management support to apprentices or placement students.

Desirable Experience

The following would be beneficial, although they are not essential:

• Data profiling and source-system analysis.
• Data quality assessment.
• Communicating technical findings to different audiences.
• Experience with Microsoft Power BI.
• Dashboard development.
• MI/BI reporting.

Essential Technical Skill

Candidates will be assessed against:

Programming and Build (Data Engineering) — Working

You should demonstrate the ability to design and operate basic ETL pipelines and data transformation processes to an agreed standard.

Essential Criteria

Candidates should demonstrate:

• Ability to design and operate basic ETL pipelines.
• Ability to support basic data integration solutions.
• Ability to create reusable data and code products.
• Experience using intermediate-level SQL.
• Working knowledge of database principles.
• Experience with MI/BI tools and user-facing dashboards.
• Ability to produce and maintain data models.
• Experience using Git for version control.

Salary

£38,772 – £39,621 per year

New Civil Service entrants will normally join at the minimum of the pay band.

DWP also contributes towards membership of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension Scheme.

Working Locations

The role may be based in:

• Birmingham
• Blackpool
• Leeds
• Manchester
• Newcastle
• Sheffield

For candidates choosing Newcastle, the role will initially be based at Benton Park View, before moving to 1 Pilgrim Place in Newcastle city centre by the end of 2027.

Hybrid Working

The role may be suitable for hybrid working.

Where agreed, employees will normally be required to spend a minimum of 60% of their contracted working hours in their DWP office.

Working Patterns

Available working arrangements include:

• Full-time
• Part-time
• Job share
• Flexible working
• Flexi-time
• Compressed hours
• Term-time working

Employee Benefits

Benefits include:

• Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension Scheme.
• At least 23 days’ annual leave on entry.
• Up to 30 days’ annual leave over time.
• 9 days of public and privilege leave.
• Flexible working options.
• Interest-free season ticket loans.
• Cycle-to-work scheme.
• Employee discount scheme.
• Employee Assistance Programme.
• Health and wellbeing support.
• Family-friendly policies.
• Enhanced maternity and shared parental leave after one year’s continuous service.
• Funded learning and development.
• Industry-recognised qualifications and accreditations.
• Coaching and mentoring.
• Talent development programmes.

Application Process

The vacancy uses the Civil Service Success Profiles recruitment framework.

Candidates will be assessed on:

• Experience
• Technical skills

Stage 1 – Application

The application consists of:

1. Personal details.
2. Employment history.
3. Personal statement.
4. Technical statement.

Personal Statement – Up to 750 Words

Your personal statement should demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria, including:

• ETL pipeline development.
• Data integration.
• Data development processes.
• SQL and database principles.
• MI/BI tools.
• Data modelling.
• Metadata management.
• Git and version control.

Technical Statement – Up to 250 Words

The technical statement must address:

Programming and Build (Data Engineering) — Working

You should provide examples demonstrating your ability to:

Design and operate basic ETL pipelines and data transformation processes to an agreed standard.

Important AI Application Warning

Applicants must ensure that examples included in their applications are based on their own experience and written in their own words.

DWP warns that applications may be withdrawn where plagiarism or inappropriate use of AI is identified.

If you use generative AI to support your application, follow the official Civil Service guidance.

Interview Stage

Successful candidates at the sift stage will be invited to a video interview through Microsoft Teams.

Interviews are expected to take place from the end of September 2026.

Security Clearance Requirement

This vacancy requires Security Check (SC) clearance.

Applicants must have resided continuously in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years, including 2 immediately preceding years at the point of application.

Successful candidates will also be subject to relevant pre-employment and security checks.

Visa Sponsorship Information

The advert states that applicants requiring visa sponsorship are strongly advised to consult an immigration specialist or qualified adviser to assess their eligibility before applying.

DWP may consider sponsorship requests in accordance with current guidance and Home Office policy, but sponsorship cannot be guaranteed.

Who Can Apply?

The vacancy is broadly open to eligible:

• UK nationals.
• Irish nationals.
• Commonwealth nationals with the right to work in the UK.
• Eligible EU, Swiss, Norwegian, Icelandic and Liechtenstein nationals.
• Eligible individuals with settled or pre-settled status.
• Certain individuals with limited or indefinite leave to remain.
• Eligible Turkish nationals and qualifying family members.

Applicants should check the official nationality requirements before applying.

Closing Date

Tuesday 1 September 2026

Deadline: 11:55 pm

Do not wait until the final day to submit your application.

Job Reference

475013

Contact

Job Contact: Aisha Gultasab
Email: Aisha.Gultasab@dwp.gov.uk

Recruitment Team:
digitialrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

How to Apply

Interested candidates should review the full vacancy requirements and submit their application through the official Civil Service Jobs portal.

APPLY FOR DATA ENGINEER LEVEL I – OFFICIAL CIVIL SERVICE JOBS

Final Reminder for Applicants

Before applying:

• Check the technical requirements.
• Review the SQL and data engineering criteria.
• Prepare ETL examples from your own experience.
• Prepare examples involving data integration and data modelling.
• Highlight relevant Git/version-control experience.
• Mention Power BI experience if applicable.
• Keep your personal statement within 750 words.
• Keep your technical statement within 250 words.
• Remove personal identifying information from the required application sections.
• Check the Security Check residency requirement.
• Review the visa sponsorship information if relevant.
• Submit your application before 11:55 pm on 1 September 2026.

Know a Data Engineer, SQL developer, BI professional or data specialist looking for a UK government career?