Contract Data Engineers (x3) – Defence Sector – Bristol

Outside IR35 | DV Clearance Required

Location: Bristol (Onsite/Hybrid) | Contract Duration: 6-12 months+

We are recruiting three experienced Data Engineers for a leading defence client in Bristol.

This is a contract opportunity operating outside IR35, offering a chance to work in a high-security, mission-critical environment. You must already hold UK DV Clearance,

Key Responsibilities:

• Design, develop, and manage complex, large-scale data pipelines in secure or regulated environments
• Ingest, process, index, and visualise data using the Elastic Stack (Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana)
• Build and maintain robust data flows with Apache NiFi
• Implement best practices for handling sensitive data, including encryption, anonymisation, and access control
• Monitor and troubleshoot real-time data pipelines to ensure high performance and reliability
• Write efficient, secure scripts and code using Python, Bash, or similar languages
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to meet technical and operational requirements

Essential Skills and Experience:

• 3+ years’ experience as a Data Engineer in secure, regulated, or mission-critical environments
• Proven expertise with the Elastic Stack (Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana)
• Solid experience with Apache NiFi
• Strong understanding of data security, governance, and compliance requirements
• Experience building real-time, large-scale data pipelines
• Working knowledge of cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP), particularly in secure deployments
• Experience using Infrastructure as Code tools
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
• Detail-oriented with a strong focus on data accuracy, quality, and reliability

Desirable (Nice to Have):

• Background in defence, government, or highly regulated sectors
• Familiarity with Apache Kafka, Spark, or Hadoop
• Experience with Docker and Kubernetes
• Use of monitoring/alerting tools such as Prometheus, Grafana, or ELK
• Understanding of machine learning algorithms and data science workflows
• Proven ability to deliver end-to-end data solutions
• Knowledge of Terraform, Ansible, or similar IaC tools

Interested?

If you're ready to work on cutting-edge data engineering projects that make a difference, get in touch to learn more.