Data Engineer Apprentice - QA : Job Details

About Us: At Retail Trust, we're revolutionising the way data drives business insights and innovation to support more people to be happy at work. Our cutting-edge data platform, built on Databricks and Azure, already includes the use of Azure Open AI. 

Join us and be part of a team that's pushing the boundaries of technology to deliver real-world impact and make the retail industry a happy and healthy place to work.

We offer professional development and growth opportunities to help you advance your career. You will receive guidance and mentorship from senior data engineers and team members, ensuring you have the support needed to grow and succeed. Most importantly, make a real impact with your work by improving the wellbeing of retail colleagues.

Overview:We are now looking for an eager candidate to join us as an apprentice. You will gain hands-on experience with Databricks and Azure, learning to extend and maintain our data platform. 

Salary: £20,000 per annum.

Duties: [you will:] 

• Support the team in tracking down and resolving data issues within Databricks notebooks and help implement data governance and security measures, including data quality checks and data lineage tracking. 
• Assist in managing and optimising data storage and compute resources for peak performance and cost-efficiency.
• Learn to ingest new data sources and build new pipelines, integrating additional data into existing models. 
• Support the modification or extension of tests to accommodate changes to data pipelines and write new tests for additional data sources. 
• Help maintain comprehensive documentation of data pipelines, workflows, and processes.
• Assist in monitoring the performance and health of the Databricks environment and learn to resolve issues related to data pipelines and platform performance. 
• Work closely with stakeholders to understand data requirements and deliver solutions that meet business needs.

Finally, you will collaborate with the Databricks SME and the Retail Trust product team to ensure our Databricks platform is always up-to-date with the latest features and best practices.

About you: Desired skills and qualities: 

• We are looking for individuals with strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail
• Good communication and collaboration abilities
• An analytical mindset is essential, along with the ability to adapt to changing requirements and work in a small team, but in a fast-paced environment. Additionally, a strong desire to learn and grow in the field of data engineering is highly valued. 
• We want someone who has a passion to use technology and data to have a real impact and support large numbers of people.

Entry requirements:Standard entry:

• Level 3 qualification (apprenticeship/A-levels/BTEC, etc)
• OR equivalent work experience (typically two years in a relevant role)Plus:
• 5 GCSE's, including English and Maths at Grade 4 (C) or above 
• Experience with using Excel (in particular pivot tables and XLookup) and Microsoft products (or similar)

You may also have a combination of qualifications and experience which demonstrate the minimum foundation needed for the programme. In this instance you could still be considered for the programme.

If you hold international equivalents of the above qualifications, at the time of your application you must be able to provide an official document that states how your international qualifications compare to the UK qualifications. 

Our Tech Stack: 

• You will gain hands-on experience with Databricks, including Workflows/Jobs, DLT Pipelines, and Delta Live Tables (DLT). You will learn programming languages and tools such as Python, PySpark, Pandas, Pytest, and SQL. Additionally, you will become familiar with data modelling concepts like schema design and ETL/ELT processes. 
• The role involves working with cloud technologies and AI, specifically Azure, and using version control systems like Git. 
• You will also learn about CI/CD pipelines and collaboration tools such as Azure ADO, Slack, and Teams.

Perks / Benefits: At the Retail Trust, we look after our colleagues by offering marketleading benefits, including:

• Hybrid working - two days in the office, 3 days at home. 
• A pension scheme of up to 9% employer contributions.
• Life assurance of four times your salary.
• Private Medical Insurance on completion of 12 months service
• A health cash plan, allowing you to claim back on the cost of a number of services such as optical, dental, medical.
• Access to a free counselling a support phoneline and a second medical advice service.
• 25 days annual leave, plus bank holidays.
• Additional days off including a duvet day, self-development/volunteering day and a day to celebrate your birthday.
• Enhanced family friendly benefits including up to ten days compassionate leave per year, three months full maternity pay, and two weeks full paternity pay.

Future prospects:90% of QA Apprentices secure permanent employment after finishing their apprenticeship. Additionally, there may be opportunities to undertake further apprenticeship training as many of our programs offer on-going development tracks. 

Important information: Our apprenticeships are the perfect way to gain new skills, earn while you learn, and launch yourself into an exciting future. With over 30,000 successful apprenticeship graduates, we're a top 50 training provider, dedicated to helping you succeed. 

Ready to kickstart your career in data engineering? Apply now and join us on this exciting journey!