Data Engineers & Architects (DV / eDV Cleared)

Location: Opportunities available across all compass points
Hybrid: Secure-site working patterns vary by programme
Salary: Competitive depending on experience, clearance and SFIA grading
Clearance: Active DV / eDV clearance preferred

The Opportunity

We work with a carefully selected group of engineering-led organisations operating across the UK National Security ecosystem, ranging from specialist SMEs through to R&D-focused technology businesses delivering complex cloud, AI and data capability into secure environments.

The common thread across all of them is strong engineering culture, modern technology environments and a focus on building teams where people are trusted to do meaningful work.

Many of the engineers we speak to are not actively applying for jobs, but are curious about what else exists outside of the more traditional prime or consultancy environments...

This open application is designed for Data Engineers and Data Architects who want a discreet conversation about the market, the types of organisations currently hiring and the environments where engineering quality is genuinely prioritised.

The work across our network typically spans areas such as:

• Cloud-native data platforms
• Distributed and streaming data systems
• AI / ML-enabled capability
• Geospatial and operational data platforms
• Secure analytics environments
• High-assurance systems and modern digital transformation programmes

The organisations we support range from long-standing National Security engineering businesses through to fast-growing specialist SMEs with strong reputations across the ecosystem.

Many offer environments that feel very different to the larger consultancies or primes, with flatter structures, closer-knit engineering teams and greater technical ownership.

Typical Technology Environments

The exact stack varies across clients and programmes, but we regularly work with teams using technologies such as:

• Python and modern data processing frameworks
• Apache Spark, Kafka and streaming architectures
• AWS cloud and cloud-native data services
• Kubernetes and containerised platforms
• ETL and orchestration tooling such as NiFi
• Relational and NoSQL database technologies
• AI / ML engineering tooling and modern analytics platforms
• Geospatial and operational data systems

Some opportunities are heavily engineering-focused, others lean more towards architecture, technical leadership or customer-facing design work.

What matters most across the market is usually not a perfect stack match, but strong engineering fundamentals, adaptability and the ability to work effectively with both technical teams and stakeholders.

Who This Is For

We’re interested in speaking with:

• Data Engineers working across pipelines, platforms or analytics systems
• Data Architects designing scalable cloud and data platforms
• Engineers working within AI / ML, geospatial or operational data environments
• People operating in secure environments who want visibility into broader market opportunities
• Engineers and architects who value strong culture, technical autonomy and modern engineering practices

You do not need to be actively looking to have a conversation.

In many cases, the most valuable discussions simply help engineers benchmark their current environment, understand where the market is moving and gain access to opportunities that are rarely advertised publicly.

Security Requirements

Due to the nature of the environments we support, most opportunities require active DV or eDV clearance, or eligibility to progress through higher levels of UK vetting.

As an industry leading, nationwide Marketing, Digital, Analytics, IT and Design recruitment agency, we are continually receiving new assignments to work on, so keep a close eye on our website, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter pages for a full list of current permanent and interim opportunities as well as marketplace news and fun stuff.
Forward Role is operating as an employment agency.