Pay
$154K–$225K is typical
The middle half of what similar US postings state. This one doesn’t list pay.
From 2,958 postings in the last year. Stated ranges, not salaries paid.
Principal Data Engineer
Reads like a Data Leadership role: running a data team.
- Pay
- Pay not listedSimilar roles state $154K–$225K
- Work setting
- Not stated
- Employment
Full-time — employment source
Employment type in the employer’s posting: Full time
From the employer’s posting
Before you apply
- Work authorization
- Must already have the right to work in the UK
All offers of employment will be conditional on the candidate having/securing the right to work in the UK and providing the firm with evidence of that right (as required by the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006) prior to employment commencing
What you’ll work on
Full postingDesign and maintain scalable data lake and lakehouse solutions on Azure and Databricks
Build batch and streaming ETL/ELT pipelines with Azure Data Factory, PySpark and Airflow
Implement data cataloguing, lineage and governance frameworks in Collibra
Lead, coach and develop the Data Engineering team, including recruitment and performance
Monitor and tune data jobs for performance, scalability and cost
From the employer’s posting
Design and maintain scalable, secure data lake and lakehouse solutions using Azure Data Lake, Databricks and Delta Lake
Develop and optimise batch and streaming ETL/ELT pipelines using Azure Data Factory, PySpark, SQL, Apache Spark and Airflow
Implement data cataloguing, lineage tracking and governance frameworks through Collibra
Own the day-to-day leadership, coaching and development of the Data Engineering team within the Global Data Office — supporting recruitment, performance management
Monitor and tune data jobs for performance, scalability and cost
Posting record
Report an errorActively hiringFirst seen by us 6 days ago, still listed, and not a repost of an earlier posting.
- Status in our records
- Live
- First seen by us
- Oct 30, 20266 days ago
- Recorded sightings
- 7
- Last seen by us
- Nov 5, 2026
These dates show when we found the posting. Check the employer’s website to confirm it is still accepting applications.
How this job compares
Time since we first saw it
Day 6
Early. Similar jobs usually come down between day 7 and day 54.
At Freshfields, jobs usually come down by about day 80.
From 8,108 similar postings that came down, and 6 of Freshfields’s. Coming down is not always a hire.
Freshfields is hiring
3 open jobs
Open jobs by the week we first saw them, last 12 weeks.
- Hiring is picking up
- Its jobs tend to stay up a long time
See how this role fits your experience
Add your resume and we’ll mark which of these tools you already use, and point out anything in the posting that could rule you out.
- SQL
- Azure
- Databricks
- dbt
- Delta Lake
- Spark
- Airflow
- PySpark
Where the posting names them
- Design and maintain scalable, secure data lake and lakehouse solutions using Azure Data Lake, Databricks and Delta Lake — built to support real-time insight, advanced analytics and AI/ML at enterprise scale. - Develop and optimise batch and streaming ETL/ELT pipelines using Azure Data Factory, PySpark, SQL, Apache Spark and Airflow, integrated with modern tooling like dbt and Git-based CI/CD. - Implement data cataloguing, lineage tracking and governance frameworks through Collibra, ensuring data across the enterprise is discoverable, well-documented and compliant.
- Experience in data engineering, including designing and delivering data lake or lakehouse architectures in an enterprise cloud environment, ideally Microsoft Azure. - Hands-on expertise with Databricks, Spark, PySpark, SQL and core Azure Data Services (Data Lake Storage, Synapse Analytics, Data Factory). - Experience with data governance and cataloguing tools such as Collibra or -Purview, plus familiarity with the modern data stack (dbt, CI/CD, streaming frameworks).
What you will be doing - Design and maintain scalable, secure data lake and lakehouse solutions using Azure Data Lake, Databricks and Delta Lake — built to support real-time insight, advanced analytics and AI/ML at enterprise scale. - Develop and optimise batch and streaming ETL/ELT pipelines using Azure Data Factory, PySpark, SQL, Apache Spark and Airflow, integrated with modern tooling like dbt and Git-based CI/CD.
Key Requirements - Experience in data engineering, including designing and delivering data lake or lakehouse architectures in an enterprise cloud environment, ideally Microsoft Azure. - Hands-on expertise with Databricks, Spark, PySpark, SQL and core Azure Data Services (Data Lake Storage, Synapse Analytics, Data Factory).
- Hands-on expertise with Databricks, Spark, PySpark, SQL and core Azure Data Services (Data Lake Storage, Synapse Analytics, Data Factory). - Experience with data governance and cataloguing tools such as Collibra or -Purview, plus familiarity with the modern data stack (dbt, CI/CD, streaming frameworks). - Genuine leadership experience, with a passion for developing people as much as building systems.
Your next step
Complete your application on freshfields.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com. The employer’s form will show what is required.
Applying through Workday
- You create an account with each employer before you can upload anything. Every Workday employer has its own account, so one sign-up doesn’t carry over.
- “Autofill with Resume” comes right after sign-in, before the My Information and My Experience steps. Check every field it fills in those steps, since that’s what recruiters see.
- Your application status lives in that employer’s Candidate Home, under the same sign-in.
Already applied? Track this application
Demand for Data Leadership roles
New Data Leadership postings at the employers we follow are up 7% over the last 5 weeks compared with the 5 before.
Each bar is one week of new postings. The darkest bars are the last 5 weeks.
Counted from the hiring pages we’ve followed for at least five weeks, so employers we add don’t look like growth. Updated weekly.
About the role
We file this job under Data Leadership, by the work the posting describes.
Data leaders run data teams or design how a company's data fits together. Managers hire, set priorities and answer for whether the data work pays off; architects choose the systems and the shape of the data.
Expect years of hands-on data work, experience leading people or projects, and the ability to explain tradeoffs to executives.
Unlike a senior engineer or analyst, most of a data leader's week goes to people, planning and decisions rather than building.
US government figures for computer and information systems managers
- Median yearly pay, May 2025
- $175,140
- Expected change, 2025 to 2035
- 15.8% more jobsagainst 3.5% for all jobs
The government has no code for data leaders, so these figures are for the closest group, computer and information systems managers, which includes data processing and data operations managers.
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025) and Employment Projections (2025 to 2035). Occupation code 11-3021.
Job description
This is a genuine build-and-lead opportunity — architecting a modern, cloud-first data platform from a position of real influence, while growing and shaping the team that delivers it. You will work across a global, cross-functional community, with the scope to drive data democratisation, governance maturity and AI-readiness across the firm.
What you will be doing
- Design and maintain scalable, secure data lake and lakehouse solutions using Azure Data Lake, Databricks and Delta Lake — built to support real-time insight, advanced analytics and AI/ML at enterprise scale.
- Develop and optimise batch and streaming ETL/ELT pipelines using Azure Data Factory, PySpark, SQL, Apache Spark and Airflow, integrated with modern tooling like dbt and Git-based CI/CD.
- Implement data cataloguing, lineage tracking and governance frameworks through Collibra, ensuring data across the enterprise is discoverable, well-documented and compliant.
- Own the day-to-day leadership, coaching and development of the Data Engineering team within the Global Data Office — supporting recruitment, performance management, skills growth and the adoption of engineering best practices.
- Work closely with Data Office leadership to define engineering strategy, support delivery planning, and build a high-performing, collaborative engineering culture across a geographically dispersed team.
- Monitor and tune data jobs for performance, scalability and cost; embed data validation, logging and monitoring to catch issues early and keep the platform reliable.
Key Requirements
- Experience in data engineering, including designing and delivering data lake or lakehouse architectures in an enterprise cloud environment, ideally Microsoft Azure.
- Hands-on expertise with Databricks, Spark, PySpark, SQL and core Azure Data Services (Data Lake Storage, Synapse Analytics, Data Factory).
- Experience with data governance and cataloguing tools such as Collibra or -Purview, plus familiarity with the modern data stack (dbt, CI/CD, streaming frameworks).
- Genuine leadership experience, with a passion for developing people as much as building systems.
- Strong communication skills across technical and non-technical audiences, and a resilient, proactive mindset suited to a fast-paced, evolving environment.
Inclusion
Freshfields is an equal opportunities employer and all applications received by the firm will be considered by the firm on the basis of their merit alone and we welcome applications from all suitably qualified individuals regardless of background. All offers of employment will be conditional on the candidate having/securing the right to work in the UK and providing the firm with evidence of that right (as required by the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006) prior to employment commencing.
Freshfields is a Ban the Box employer. We ask applicants to disclose criminal convictions only when a conditional job offer is made. A conviction does not automatically lead to withdrawal of the offer: we make decisions on a case by case basis and take a number of factors into account (eg the role you are applying for and the circumstances of the offence). You would have the opportunity to discuss the matter with us before we make a decision.
Source details
Source notes
Source excerptsSelected passages from the saved posting. Check the full description for conditions and exceptions.
- Pay
No pay amount identified in the saved description.
- Location & working pattern
Manchester
Working pattern and location restrictions need checking in the full posting.
- Work authorization
Inclusion Freshfields is an equal opportunities employer and all applications received by the firm will be considered by the firm on the basis of their merit alone and we welcome applications from all suitably qualified individuals regardless of background. All offers of employment will be conditional on the candidate having/securing the right to work in the UK and providing the firm with evidence of that right (as required by the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006) prior to employment commencing. Freshfields is a Ban the Box employer. We ask applicants to disclose criminal convictions only when a conditional job offer is made. A conviction does not automatically lead to withdrawal of the offer: we make decisions on a case by case basis and take a number of factors into account (eg the role you are applying for and the circumstances of the offence). You would have the opportunity to discuss the matter with us before we make a decision.