Principal Data Engineer

TL;DR

Principal Data Engineer: Shaping the technical direction of data platforms and engineering practices with an accent on scalability, reliability, and modern data solutions. Focus on driving innovation, mentoring engineering teams, and solving complex architectural challenges to support the growth of a large-scale digital retail platform.

Location: Must be based in or able to commute to Liverpool, UK (Hybrid working model).

Company

hirify.global is a leading digital retailer dedicated to helping families get more out of life through innovative technology and customer-focused services.

What you will do

• Define the technical roadmap and future direction for data platforms.
• Solve complex engineering challenges to improve system scale, reliability, and performance.
• Act as a trusted technical leader, guiding squads through architectural and engineering decisions.
• Raise engineering standards by promoting best practices, code quality, and automation.
• Coach and mentor engineers to foster career growth and technical excellence.
• Collaborate with architects and leadership to introduce new technologies and drive innovation.

Requirements

• Strong experience designing and building modern data platforms at scale.
• Proven ability to influence technical decisions across multiple teams and stakeholders.
• Deep passion for engineering excellence, automation, and continuous improvement.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to navigate technical ambiguity.
• Collaborative mindset with a natural approach to coaching and mentoring.
• Must have the right to work in the UK as the role requires background checks including Right to Work.

Culture & Benefits

• Flexible, hybrid working model.
• 30 days holiday plus bank holidays.
• £1000 flexible benefits allowance.
• Matched pension scheme up to 6%.
• Up to 25% discount on Very.co.uk.
• Access to LinkedIn Learning for professional development.

Hiring process

• Short introductory call with the talent acquisition team.
• First stage: 30-minute Teams call with the Data Engineering Manager followed by a take-home task.
• Second stage: One-hour technical interview to discuss the take-home task.