Data Engineering Lead - INTERNAL TO NHS WALES

Job overview

PLEASE NOTE THAT WE WILL ONLY ACCEPT APPLICATIONS FROM STAFF CURRENTLY EMPLOYED BY NHS WALES

The Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust is an ambitious organisation undergoing significant transformation with a new Ambulance Performance Framework having been introduced in 2025.,As such, significant data warehousing developments are required that will make a significant difference to staff and the people of Wales, including more focus on patient outcome data, linked information across NHS Wales patient records and services, and more connected intelligence on clinical quality and practice.

This post holder will lead the data engineering team, be part of the leadership team for the Data & Analytics function and help develop the data strategy – making recommendations on the cloud migration approach and adoption of new data storage, processing and analytical tooling and technologies.

Main duties of the job

Be a senior member of the Data & Analytics team (within the Insight & Data Services department), responsible for leading the team that develops and maintains the local data warehouse and data acquisition solutions and supports delivery of the National Data Resource (NDR).

Be responsible for the architectural design, development and management of the local data warehouse environment used for data analytics, publishing and reporting, and responsible for the delivery of WAST data and information into the NDR to support agreed strategic plans.

Be an NHS data specialist, with hand-on expertise and knowledge encompassing the extensive range of operational, clinical, managerial and Government performance datasets and national submissions.

Work with the Head of Data & Analytics to formulate the strategic direction of data storage, acquisition and processing for WAST. This includes evolving the architecture of the current local portfolio and aligning with the emerging National Data Resource.

Have an excellent eye for quality to ensure the highest levels of integrity and governance across all of the appropriate data and data quality management.

Have strong team management skills and mentor/develop staff to ensure the whole team can contribute. The post holder will manage direct reports and their teams and have cross site management responsibility.

Welsh Language level 1 skills are desirable for this role.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

You will be able to find a full Job description and Person Specification attached within the supporting documents or please click “Apply now” to view in Trac

Build effective positive relationships internally, for example with departments, programmes and projects, and externally with key partners including NHS Wales organisations, local authorities and Welsh Government, and suppliers, to ensure the potential of insight from WAST intelligence is maximised.

Work collaboratively with other NHS Wales organisations and Welsh Government Leads to agree and support their data and reporting requirements.

Work collaboratively with the National Data Resource Programme to identify areas of commonality and alignment of service provision

Ensure that procedures and protocols are complied with, particularly around information governance, data protection and use of patient-identifiable information.

Enable communication, planning and sharing of good practice within the team.

Communicate complex technical information relating to queries, updates, faults and changes to the Data Warehouse system with non-experts in WAST in a way that is understandable, persuasive and overcoming barriers to understanding or acceptance of this information.

Communicate highly complex or technical proposed changes to Senior management, the directorate and team members where there could be resistance to change, due to impact on the service.

Engage in highly complex, technical discussions and ideas regarding changes in direction or strategic decisions within senior management meetings, with heads of information, and other senior level meetings and groups, within NHS Wales and with external stakeholders. This will involve using skills of influencing, persuading, motivational, and negotiating.

Exercise own judgment based on the interpretation of highly complex facts, figures and situations which require the analysis, interpretation and comparison of a range of options for the purpose of service planning and delivery. Create reports from internal and external sources, that allow evaluation of Information Services’ plans and services.

In-depth knowledge and experience of programming languages, SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) and scripting languages, and ability to write complex SQL queries, stored procedures.

Work with data providers/owners on the acquisition of additional/new data into the local data warehouse and suitable and compliant onward sharing to the national warehouse. Undertake horizon scanning to identify new, valuable data sources.

Diagnose complex data/processing problems or inefficiencies, suggesting and providing solutions.

Ensure data is made available in a timely manner, establishing automation of reports and processes whenever possible.

Establish a standard approach for data science projects. Develop methodologies for the analysis and interpretation of data to support service redesign and research, including prediction of demand, conducting ‘what if’ analysis, identifying risks, exploring gains in productivity and efficiencies, and discovering opportunities to improve clinical quality.

Within the national data warehouse and acquisition areas, monitor and review plans which may be long term in nature, and ensure they are adjusted for changes in local need and in response to changes in national policy, Welsh Government guidelines and best practice.

Plan and prioritise own work to ensure effective support to all areas and delivery of key objectives.

Promote to Directorates and departments, the opportunity and value of the national data warehouse and to be proactive and influential in WAST’s contribution to the design and delivery of the NDR’s strategic and operational plans.

Support the planning and development of major organisational change projects which may be contentious and impact across the whole of WAST, requiring the post holder to gain agreement from all grades of staff in the organisation.

Formulate long term, strategic plans around the development of the WAST Data Warehouse, in conjunction with the National Data Resource or other cloud data storage opportunities. This will involve understanding and evaluating the available options and formulating the best solution for the long-term which may involve uncertainty.

The postholder will require standard keyboard skills for regular use of Microsoft packages, Teams, software systems and Visio.

The postholder’s duties will not require any direct contact with patients however any contact would be incidental.

Responsibility to lead on implementation of a range of national data warehouse and acquisition service policy, service development and corporate initiatives which may impact across the organisation as agreed with the Head of Data & Analytics and the Assistant Director of Digital Services.

Work across the organisation(s) as appropriate in relation to collaborative schemes for delivery of joint strategy, planning and service developments.

As appropriate, identify any engagement issues where Insight & Data Services (IDS) input is required.

Support the implementation of WAST’s policies and procedures that facilitate the development of a learning culture.

Participate in the learning and development agenda within Insight & Data Services.

Manage any developments of the local and national data warehouse and data acquisition services by contributing to business cases and bids for funding to add additional functionality that may enhance the Insight & Data Services portfolio.

Liaise with external suppliers to ensure service delivery is in line with agreed or contractual terms.

Comply with all legal, regulatory and WAST’s requirements including policies, standing financial instructions, standing orders and procedures. Work with the Information Governance team on ensuring GDPR and Data Protection compliance where necessary.

Take responsibility for expenses within the team and sign off where appropriate.

Research and procure suitable training for the team, providing value for money and high-quality resources.

Responsible as line manager for the Data Engineering function, with responsibility for recruitment and selection, staff appraisals, managing sickness absence, disciplinary and grievance matters, personal and career development and departmental workload and allocation.

To both lead and support relevant training and education initiatives in order to facilitate service improvement and skills development at team level, and knowledge sharing to help develop the competency of others by encouraging and developing teamwork.

Ensure that data engineers manage portfolios of tasks and that projects are planned, managed and delivered effectively.

Promote a culture where staff feel empowered and accountable for the service they provide, and managers are supported to lead, motivate and develop staff who feel valued and respected.

Safeguard the integrity of data contained within the national data warehouse and acquisition services by maintaining the systems security patching schedules, and to include the robust encryption and pseudonymisation of data held within the Department.

Develop and implement plans and procedures for the provision of local and national data warehouse services within an ITIL framework as part of any NHS Wales’ Service Management Strategy.

Lead on any development plans where there is a requirement for data engineering and warehousing involvement in line with the IMTP, Annual Plan and any New Service Requests.

Ensure that both electronic and hard copy documentation relating to data engineering services is stored appropriately and accessible to those who may require it.

Develop and use appropriate resources including online information resources such as databases, shared files, internet/intranet information and evidence bases to support the development of service planning skills, knowledge and expertise both within and external to the Insight & Data Services department.

Responsible for the overall maintenance and operation of the WAST data warehouse and systems and processes, including taking responsibility for updates and setting the strategy.

The post holder is responsible for the service planning and improvement qualitative and quantitative audits across Insight & Data Services to evaluate the impact of service planning and improvement services and relevant research to inform future service improvements.

Ensure an evidence-based approach to service redesign and consider the outcomes of relevant audit and/or evaluation work on all aspects of the role.

The post holder is expected to regularly research and explore opportunities for innovation and good practice in their portfolio area.

Working autonomously, responsible for the day-to-day organisation of own diary and tasks within the post holder’s portfolio, balancing the need for proactive service development and portfolio management against the reactive demand of organisational priorities and timescales.

The post holder will be guided by key organisational policies, NHS Wales, specific local and national guidelines, advising on how these should be interpreted and implemented within specific projects.

The post holder will need to assimilate and summarise complex documents, compare facts and analyse situational data from a range of sources, develop options and assess risks and opportunities to Insight & Data Services in order to inform decision-making.

Applicant requirements

Welsh language skills are desirable