Lead Data Engineer, British Intelligence Agencies
£74.6k
4 days a week in office
UK's domestic and foreign intelligence services
Posted today
UK's domestic and foreign intelligence services
1001+ employees
Posted today
£74.6k
4 days a week in office
1001+ employees
Company mission
MI5, MI6 and GCHQ work together to protect the UK from a range of national security and overseas threats, keeping citizens safe.
Role
Who you are
- You’re a curious, motivated person who enjoys solving problems in unstructured environments where no two challenges look the same
- You’re comfortable working independently, building data pipelines and developing robust data models, with strong core technical skills grounded in areas like data modelling or Python-based ecosystems rather than low-code tools
- You bring a creative, inquisitive mindset and a habit of learning by doing – prototyping, experimenting, and continuously building on your understanding
- You feel comfortable engaging with both technical and non-technical audiences, translating complex ideas into clear, actionable insights, and you enjoy shaping solutions collaboratively
- At this level, you’ll bring either deep technical expertise or strong leadership experience, whether that’s mentoring others or managing people
- You’ll also have exposure to modern AI and LLM-enabled workflows, including testing, evaluation, and ethical considerations
What the job involves
- We’re MI6, also known as the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS)
- Our mission is to protect the security and economic wellbeing of the UK from overseas threats such as regional instability, terrorism, and cyber-attacks
- Working across the globe and in close partnership with MI5 and GCHQ, we help the Government to counter these threats through the provision of secret intelligence
- A role in MI6 will see you providing vital support to this work, within a supportive and encouraging environment that puts the emphasis on teamwork
- Enhancing how we operate today will better prepare us for the challenges of tomorrow
- That’s why we’re creating dedicated teams focused on bringing Artificial Intelligence (AI) into some of our most mission critical areas
- As a Lead Data Engineer, you’ll work in a truly unique environment where data supports MI6’s frontline teams and core enterprise operations
- Day to day, you’ll lead the design, build and optimisation of secure, scalable data pipelines across complex environments, ensuring sensitive, high-volume data is onboarded, processed and used safely and effectively
- You’ll work closely with operational officers, analysts, engineers and partners to integrate new data sources and enable advanced, AI-driven workflows
- Acting as a bridge between technical and non-technical stakeholders, you’ll help translate requirements into practical, high-impact solutions
- Along with leading technical delivery, you’ll provide direct engineering leadership, mentoring junior engineers and shaping best practice across teams
- You’ll also support the evaluation and integration of LLMs and agentic AI systems, including testing, ethics and policy considerations, while driving exploration and prototyping of emerging technologies to build future capability
Salary benchmarks
Our take
The British Intelligence Agencies - GCHQ, MI5 and MI6 play crucial roles in protecting the nation from a range of security threats. By focusing on counterterrorism, espionage, and cyber threats, the unified force works to safeguard the public and support law enforcement agencies. Its work, largely behind the scenes, is pivotal in ensuring national security.
With origins dating back to the 19th century, each of the British Intelligence Agencies plays a specific role within the security services. GCHQ focuses on signal intelligence gathering and information assurance, MI5 on counterterrorism and national security, whilst MI6 is focused on foreign intelligence and overseas security. This evolution into three specific organisations reflects the agency's ability to stay ahead of emerging security challenges, adjusting its strategy and operations as needed.
As technology and global threats change, the British Intelligence Agencies' approaches continue to evolve, ensuring the UK's security remains a top priority. With its deep expertise and ongoing adaptation, they are major key players in protecting national and international interests, whilst responding to complex security dynamics.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Company
Company benefits
- Merit awards – we have a merit award system to recognise exceptional contributions by individuals or team
- Flexible working – opportunities to work part-time, compressed hours or as a job share are available, dependent on the role and business needs
- Pension – we understand the importance of saving for retirement and offer a desirable pension scheme, which gives you a guaranteed pension based on career average earnings
- Annual leave – our employees are entitled to 25 days annual leave, rising to 30 days after five years’ service. In addition to this, employees are entitled to public and privilege holidays. Part-time employees receive the same entitlement calculated on a pro-rata basis
- Maternity and paternity leave – we offer maternity and paternity leave over and above the statutory entitlements
- Voluntary service leave – we offer special leave for our employees who wish to undertake voluntary work
- Rented accommodation loan – moving house to take up an offer of employment can be expensive. We offer new joiners the opportunity to take out an interest-free loan of up to £2,500, via our benevolent fund, to assist with the financial burden of relocating into privately rented accommodation. You will be sent an application for the loan at the point of receiving a final offer of employment
- Season ticket loan – we recognise that travel expenses from your home to the office can be significant, so we offer an interest-free season ticket loan which can be used for travel, car park costs or the purchase of a bicycle
- On-site facilities – there is a gym, restaurant, and coffee bar at some locations
- Clubs and societies – we offer a range of sports clubs, fitness classes, societies, and language training facilities
- Childcare Vouchers – we offer two childcare voucher schemes which provide a simple and cost-effective way for employees to receive help towards the cost of childcare
- Eye Voucher Scheme – we offer eye care vouchers and a financial contribution towards prescription glasses
- Physiotherapy – we offer subsidised in-house physiotherapy
- Personal learning – all our staff can undertake professional development to improve their skills and performance in the workplace
Company HQ
Manchester, UK
Articles
Leadership
Ken McCallum
(Director General)An MI5 Officer with over 25 years of experience in national security and intelligence. Their career has spanned roles in counterterrorism, cyber security, and leading MI5's strategic response to major incidents. They were appointed Director General in 2020 and previously served as Deputy Director General and Director General of Strategy.
Blaise Metreweli
(Chief)Blaise joined the Service in 1999 and has had a range of roles, most recently Director General Technology & Innovation (Q). She has spent most of her career operationally in the Middle East & Europe.
Anne Keast-Butler
(Director)Became the first female Director of GCHQ in May 2023. Previously served as Deputy Director General at MI5, where they led operational and investigative work, including responding to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. With over 30 years in national security, they have held key roles in MI5, GCHQ, and Whitehall, including launching the National Security Programme.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at British Intelligence Agencies
- At the Intelligence Agencies, diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission. To protect the UK, we need a truly diverse workforce that reflects the society we serve. This includes diversity in every sense of the word: those with different backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ways of thinking, and those with disabilities or neurodivergent conditions. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including those from groups that are underrepresented in our workforce, such as women, those from ethnic minority backgrounds, people with disabilities, and those from low socio-economic backgrounds. Find out more about our culture, working environment, and diversity on our website: https://www.gchq-careers.co.uk/life-at-gchq/diversity-inclusion.html
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