Senior Data Engineer

About Us:

Now part of WGSN — the world's leading trend forecaster — IWSR is the global authority on beverage alcohol data and intelligence. For over 50 years, the world's leading drinks businesses have relied on IWSR as an integral part of their strategic planning and decision-making.

We're unique in how we work: combining proprietary longitudinal market data, consumer insights, and AI-enhanced data science with genuine on-the-ground human intelligence across 160 markets. That combination is what lets us tell our clients not just what the numbers say, but what's actually happening in the global beverage alcohol market.

Our clients span the full breadth of the industry — multinational spirits, beer, and wine producers; packaging and ingredient manufacturers; distributors; and financial institutions — all using our data to plan strategy and investment with confidence.

Role Overview:

You'll join a small, two-person data engineering team reporting directly to our CTO. There's no dedicated platform or infrastructure function here, so this is a genuine ownership role from day one — principally the data ingestion pipeline that powers our Global Database, and the SQL Server environment behind it.

This isn't a greenfield build. You'll be inheriting and improving established codebases, and you'll need to be comfortable working methodically in that environment. Databricks migration work is already underway and led by another engineer on the team, so some exposure is useful — but general engineering strength matters more here than Databricks depth specifically.

What you'll do:

• Own and improve the data ingestion pipeline that powers our Global Database

• Lead the migration of Excel-based processes into production Python

• Own the SQL Server environment day-to-day — security, structure and performance — without a dedicated DBA

• Contribute to Databricks migration work where useful, without needing to lead it

• Work directly with non-technical stakeholders, translating data problems into business outcomes

• Bring an engineering mindset to data work — testing, monitoring and careful production changes

What we're looking for:

• Strong Python skills with a data engineering focus — pipelines, transformation logic, production-quality code

• Solid SQL Server experience, including querying and day-to-day database management — not a full DBA, but comfortable owning a production instance

• A track record of ownership built in smaller teams or companies — startups, small businesses, environments without dedicated platform or infrastructure support — rather than a purely large-corporate delivery background

• Evidence of meaningful, personal impact rather than time served in a large team — what you actually built and changed, not just which programme you were part of

• Comfortable inheriting legacy systems and improving what exists, rather than always building from scratch

• A methodical, careful approach to production data — you understand the downstream consequences of getting it wrong

Nice to Have:

• Hands-on exposure to Databricks and PySpark

• Familiarity with AWS and infrastructure-as-code tooling

• Comfort with AI-assisted development tools such as Claude Code, Copilot or Cursor

• A background in software engineering rather than data tooling alone

Location and ways of working:

Central London, Holborn, hybrid — 3 days per week in the office.

Experience:

• 5–7 years' experience in data engineering or a closely related role

• Demonstrable experience owning and maintaining production data systems, not just building greenfield projects

• Experience working in small teams without dedicated platform or infrastructure support

Benefits: In addition to a competitive salary, IWSR offers

• Generous time off: 25 days holiday plus bank holidays and a company-wide end-of-year break.

• Flexible work environment: Hybrid working model with flexible hours.

• Comprehensive perks: Annual bonus scheme, pension, regular social events, and a volunteering policy.

• Growth opportunities: Lots of learning and development opportunities