Data Engineer

Data Engineer - Nottingham or Manchester

RDC Aviation is a leading provider of aviation data, analytics and software solutions. We empower airlines, airports and financial institutions with actionable insights through our innovative data, platforms and APIs. Our mission is to simplify complex aviation data and deliver it in ways that drive smarter decisions.

The Role

This is a hands-on role at the point where our pipelines meet the data our customers actually see. You will build and own the ELT pipelines in Snowflake and dbt that turn raw aviation data into the datasets behind LOOP, AirportCharges and Apex, and you will stay close to the output: checking that it holds up, building the dashboards that present it, and getting it into customer's hands.

We are seeking an engineer who is committed to data quality and accuracy, someone who is not only focused on ensuring pipelines run successfully, but also takes ownership of the integrity of the data they deliver. This includes having the confidence and initiative to engage directly with data providers when anomalies or inconsistencies arise.

You will join a small, skilled team of aviation and data experts, with genuine influence over how we build and room for the role to grow as our data engineering function grows.

What You'll Be Doing

• Design, build and maintain ELT/ETL pipelines using Snowflake, dbt and SQL, transforming raw aviation data into analytics-ready datasets.
• Build and optimise Snowflake objects including stages, tasks, streams, dynamic tables and stored procedures, keeping warehouse costs and query performance, under control.
• Implement data quality frameworks, monitoring and alerting across our bronze, silver and gold data layers.
• Manage cloud storage integrations (Azure Blob, GCS) and orchestrate automated ingestion workflows.
• Maintain documentation, version control (Git) and CI/CD processes for all data assets.

Data quality and analysis

• Own the final quality review of our market intelligence data, covering flown events, emissions, fares, profitability and route costs, drive gaps and anomalies back to source for correction.
• Report on data quality findings each month, so the team can see what is improving, and what is not.
• Build dashboards on top of RDC's datasets, in tools such as Sigma and Power BI, for internal teams and customers.
• Produce one-off and recurring customer data extracts, delivered through Sigma, cloud storage, FTP or email.
• Work with product, commercial and marketing colleagues to translate requirements into scalable data models, and to surface the data stories worth telling from across our product range.

What We're Looking For

We do not expect anyone to tick every box. If you have core data engineering experience on Snowflake and most of the technical background, we would like to hear from you.

• Strong proficiency in SQL, including complex joins, window functions, CTEs and performance tuning.
• Hands-on experience with Snowflake (tasks, stages, warehouses, RBAC, resource monitors).
• Working knowledge of dbt (models, tests, sources, documentation, packages).
• Experience building and maintaining production-grade data pipelines in a cloud environment.
• Familiarity with at least one scripting language, Python preferred, for data processing tasks.
• A real eye for data quality, and the confidence to challenge a figure that does not look right.
• An effective communicator who can work with technical and non-technical colleagues.

Other Useful Experience

• BI tools such as Sigma Computing and Power BI, including DAX and Power Query.
• CI/CD for data (dbt Cloud, GitHub Actions, Azure Pipelines).
• Interest in, or knowledge of, aviation data such as schedules, fleet, fares, financial or operational datasets.
• Writing clearly about data for a non-specialist audience.
• Data governance, cataloguing and metadata management practices.

What's in It for You

• Work on data of critical importance to airlines, airports and financial institutions worldwide.
• Join a data engineering function that is still taking shape, with real input into standards, tooling and how we work.
• Ownership from pipeline through to product, so you see your work in what customers use rather than only in the warehouse.
• Learn aviation economics from a team of experienced subject matter experts.

We also offer a benefits package designed with flexibility and wellbeing in mind:

• Annual bonus, subject to company performance.
• 25 days' holiday per year, plus bank holidays, and a paid day off for your birthday.
• Flexible working hours and hybrid working.
• Private healthcare (on completion of probation).
• Work from anywhere week.
• Charity donation scheme.
• A dedicated mental health first aid team.
• Regular team events, a summer activities day and a Christmas party.