Join to apply for the Data Engineer role at London Borough of Sutton
About the Borough
Joining us, you get to work for not just one high performing London Borough, but two. The crown jewel of local government is a combined service team that serves both Sutton and Kingston. Many of our services are shared across the two authorities, giving you wide exposure to a range of projects. We are flexible: you can work across the Kingston and Sutton offices, at home or wherever you need to be to achieve balance.
In Sutton we are developing the London Cancer Hub – a world‑leading cancer research and treatment hub that brings together professionals from many sectors. In Kingston we are running the largest housing regeneration programme ever delivered locally. Both boroughs are committed to tackling the climate emergency and investing in the new technologies that will move us closer to that goal.
About the Role and Our Ideal Candidate
The data engineer will join our corporate data service and play a key role in the delivery of the data strategy.
- Lead platform development: take a leading role in the build and maintenance of the AWS‑based data platform, bringing together data from numerous systems.
- Engineer data solutions: build and optimise scalable data pipelines, APIs, and ETL/ELT processes to connect operational systems with our data platforms.
- Deliver key projects: lead complex data engineering projects, managing inter‑ and external partners.
- Collaborate and innovate: work closely with data scientists, analysts and service leaders to build data products and services that provide continuous insight for our staff and residents.
- Drive data quality: work across the organisation to extract, clean and combine data, establishing rigorous standards to make it a trusted asset for decision‑making.
About You
You are a collaborative and adaptable engineer who is eager to grow with our new data service. You have a passion for solving complex problems and building efficient, reliable data systems.
- Skilled in Cloud services & Data Platforms – excellent Python and SQL/NoSQL skills and significant experience with AWS cloud services (Redshift, Athena, Lambda, S3).
- A Proven Project Leader – track record of leading complex data engineering projects in an agile manner and delivering impactful data products and services.
- A Clear Communicator – excel at explaining highly technical concepts to diverse audiences and build strong relationships with stakeholders to foster a data‑driven culture.
- A Champion for Data Governance – strong understanding of data security, GDPR and data protection regulations.
- An Innovator and Problem‑Solver – passionate about learning new technologies, automating manual processes and finding innovative solutions to improve data reliability and efficiency.
- Dealing with complex data – experience working with complex datasets and automating manual processes to make processing more efficient and cost‑effective.
Supporting Statement
In your supporting statement please tell us what motivates you to pursue a data science role within local government. Describe a specific project or accomplishment from your professional experience where you used data to solve a complex problem or drive a positive outcome. (250 to 350 words)
About Us
The new Data Service is part of a shared Digital & IT service for the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and the London Borough of Sutton. Both councils have ambitions and transformation programmes that depend on a more effective use of data to gain better insights and improve council services for residents. The team will also play a key role in supporting each council’s AI and digital ambitions.
Benefits
- A generous annual leave entitlement of 25‑32 days, plus bank holidays.
- Enhanced maternity, paternity, shared parental, adoption and dependants leave.
- Three volunteering days per year in Kingston.
- Hybrid working (dependent on the role).
- Flexible and agile working arrangements using Google Chromebooks.
- Learning and development portal offering a range of courses.
- Discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres.
- Interest free season ticket loans.
- Local Government Pension Scheme.
- Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme.
- Zip car scheme.
- Confidential health & wellbeing and counselling support.
Application Process
Apply online outlining what skills, abilities and experience you can bring which makes you an ideal candidate for this role. Please refer to the requirements outlined in the job profile when completing your application and check your CV details have been uploaded correctly in the relevant sections.
We understand and recognise the benefits of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the workplace and are embracing AI where appropriate, to boost our productivity and streamline how we deliver our Council services efficiently; to provide the best possible outcomes for our residents and communities. However, we reserve the right to reject applications where it is apparent that AI‑generated content has been used in isolation and without personalised responses. At Kingston we value authenticity and are looking for individuals who can clearly demonstrate their own skills, experience and motivation for the role that they are applying for and embrace and demonstrate our STAR values.
The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received, it is strongly advised that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
As part of our award‑winning Diversity Programme we anonymise all applications received to reduce conscious and unconscious bias enabling every application to be reviewed on the knowledge, skills and experience shown in your application. We encourage our interview panels to be as diverse as possible (age, cultural, neurodiverse etc.) to reduce bias where possible. We are fully committed to removing barriers and enhancing the diversity of our workforce.
We are proud to be a diverse and welcoming Borough and we strive to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve, and instil a sense of belonging in our staff. We celebrate and respect differences and appreciate the value of having a diverse workforce, therefore we welcome applications from under‑represented groups.
To support our workers and their families we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.
We are also proud to be a disability confident employer and guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for a role. As an accredited London Living Wage Employer all our employees are guaranteed the London Living Wage regardless of their length or type of contract.
The UK has a points‑based immigration system affecting EU and Non‑EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance. Sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case‑by‑case basis.
