Engineer - E2 - Data Design

We are looking for a Data Design Engineer to lead technical innovation and development across the Event & Service Journey Orchestration capability. You will combine hands-on engineering with technical direction, turning business opportunities into governed, testable and scalable data products.

This is a senior individual-contributor role at E2 level. You will develop and maintain key data sets which enable critical service-based interactions to be effectively managed across the customer base. You will work across business, data, engineering, governance and risk teams to embed solutions safely and effectively across the Society.

At Nationwide we offer hybrid working wherever possible. More rewarding relationships are supported through our hybrid approach, bringing colleagues together across our UK wide estate, whilst also supporting generous access to home working. We value our time in the office to solve problems, to learn, and to feel connected.

For this job, you'll spend at least two days per week, or if part-time, you'll spend 40% of your working time, based at our Swindon, London or Glasgow office. If you’re based at our Glasgow office, this will apply from 1 April 2027 and ahead of that there will be a need to regularly connect with colleagues for collaboration events. If your application is successful, your hiring manager will provide further details on how this works.

You can also find out more about our approach to hybrid working here.

Whilst these locations are where we are primarily looking to fill the role, if you’re an internal applicant based in a different location, we would welcome your application and, if successful, your hiring manager will provide further details on how this could work for this specific role.

Nationwide is committed to the redeployment of our employees impacted by change, as such applications for redeployment candidates will be prioritised in this recruitment process.

If you’re a colleague on long-term absence (for example, on parental leave) or a temporary worker, please use your personal email address to submit an application.

What you’ll be doing

You will play a pivotal role in shaping the data products that underpin the Society’s wider Event & Service Journey Orchestration capability, ensuring the foundations are in place to deliver scalable, effective and customer-focused communications. Working closely with business and analytical teams, you will identify valuable use cases, understand user needs and develop solutions that are practical, explainable and measurable, enabling tangible business value to be realised.

In this role, you will define reusable engineering patterns, standards and guardrails that support the adoption of conversation orchestration across multiple channels. You will enable governed metrics, semantic layers and consistent business definitions, ensuring service communications are supported by trusted, well-understood data that can be accessed and used with confidence across the organisation.

You will lead proof of concepts to assess feasibility, value, risk and scalability, identifying clear routes to production for successful initiatives. Working alongside governance, risk, security, privacy and architecture colleagues, you will ensure solutions meet required controls, standards and enterprise expectations. You will also design and implement robust controls covering accuracy, interpretation and appropriate use, supported by evaluation frameworks, testing processes and ongoing performance monitoring.

Using technologies such as Python, SQL, APIs, GitHub, automated testing and workflow orchestration, you will build and maintain high-quality solutions that are reliable, efficient and scalable. Alongside this, you will create technical documentation, reference implementations and reusable assets, sharing knowledge and best practice across the AI, analytics and engineering communities to support capability growth and continuous improvement.

A key aspect of the role will be challenging existing approaches and identifying opportunities to improve processes, technologies and ways of working. You will take these opportunities from concept through to delivery, ensuring benefits are realised and sustainable value is achieved for the Society.

Success in this role will be demonstrated through the effective management of a clearly defined portfolio of data products that enable service communications to be operated safely and at scale. Users will have access to trusted data in a timely manner, while job failures are actively managed to ensure rapid recovery and clear stakeholder communication. Proof of concepts will generate robust evidence to support decision-making, with the strongest ideas progressing through a controlled route into production. Engineering assets will be maintainable, thoroughly tested, well documented and reusable, while remaining aligned to enterprise architecture, governance requirements and organisational standards.

About you

You are a senior, hands-on engineer who is excited by developing and maintaining a dynamic data environment which has a real impact across service journey communications. You can move between discovery, prototyping and engineering, explain complex concepts clearly and influence product and technical direction without losing sight of the user problem. You are comfortable creating clarity where technology and requirements are still evolving.

Minimum skills and experience:

• Proven experience developing and deploying production solutions using Python and SQL
• Experience integrating systems and services through APIs and building automated data, analytics or AI workflows
• Experience using GitHub (or equivalent) with version control, code reviews, testing and CI/CD practices
• Strong understanding of data modelling, semantic layers, metrics and data governance principles
• Experience designing and executing testing, evaluation and quality assurance approaches
• Proven ability to assess new technologies through proof-of-concepts and translate findings into scalable solutions
• Experience working within multidisciplinary teams, including product, engineering, data, security and risk stakeholders
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical audiences
• Demonstrated ability to take ownership of complex technical deliverables from design through to implementation
• Experience with Databricks or comparable cloud analytics and AI platforms
• Experience developing anomaly detection, process optimisation, automated insights or decision-support products

Our customer first behaviours put customers and members at the heart of how we work together. They are the set of behaviours that every colleague needs to display, in every role:

• Feel what customers feel - We step into our customers’ shoes, using their feedback and insights to empathise with them and to understand their needs, so that every decision we make starts and finishes with our customers in mind
• Say it straight - We are brave in speaking out and saying what we think – we’re honest and direct with good intent, openly sharing diverse perspectives to reach the best conclusions and using language everyone can understand
• Push for better - We don’t settle for mediocrity, we challenge the status quo, taking responsibility for continuous improvement and personal development
• Get it done - We prioritise what will have the greatest impact, we are decisive, and we take accountability for delivering brilliant customer outcomes

You can strengthen your application by showing how our customer first behaviours resonate with you, and where you may have already demonstrated these.

The extras you'll get

There are all sorts of employee benefits available at Nationwide, including:

• 25 days holiday, pro rata
• Private medical insurance
• A highly competitive pension to help you build a strong foundation for retirement
• Access to an annual performance-related bonus
• Training and development to help you progress your career
• A great selection of additional benefits through our salary sacrifice scheme
• Life assurance to provide peace of mind for you and your loved ones in the event of your death
• Wellhub – access to a range of free and paid options for health and wellness
• Up to 2 days of paid volunteering a year

Banking – but fairer, more rewarding, and for the good of society

We forge our own path at Nationwide.

As a mutual, we’re owned by our members - those customers who bank, save or have a mortgage with us. We challenge the financial sector status quo. We don’t see customers as the engine of our own profit. We share our profits with them and put their needs first. Always there when they need us. Supporting them and their lives.

If you’re inspired by fairer finances, passionate about making a meaningful impact, and truly care about our customers, you’re one of us.

At Nationwide, you are challenged to grow and rewarded for doing so. Valued. Recognised. Inspired to be your best. As a community, we want our working lives to count. As a team, we celebrate what we achieve. As a standard-setter, we work for the good of customers, communities, and broader society.

We are purpose-driven. Uncompromisingly customer. Unstoppably Nationwide.

What to do next

If this role is for you, please click the ‘Apply Now’ button. You’ll need to attach your up-to-date CV and answer a few quick questions for us.

We respond to everyone, so we will be in contact shortly after the closing date to let you know the outcome of your application.

Keeping your data and personal information confidential is important to us. To find out more about how we use and process your data, please read our Privacy policy.

If you want to find out more about using AI in our recruitment process, please read more here.

Disability Confident

We’re not just guided by data, we’re driven by the real experiences of our people. We’re a Disability Confident Level 3 Leader, the highest level.

That’s why we’re constantly evolving our policies and practices to make sure everyone feels genuinely supported, valued, and empowered to champion inclusion. Whatever your needs, we’re here to support you. If you need any additional support throughout your application journey, email our team at Recruitment Support.

Apply safely with Nationwide

Recruitment scams can look convincing, so take a moment to check the role is listed on our official careers site and read our guidance on Don’t be conned by a job scam.

The hiring manager for this role is Wullie Grubb, and the main recruitment contact is Sameena Rehman.

Please note that should you be successful in securing this role, the job title on our internal systems will be Engineer – E2.