Junior Data Engineer

Junior Data Engineer role at IQVIA in London building and optimising healthcare data pipelines using Python, SQL, and PySpark while supporting AI and analytics systems in a regulated life sciences environment

Applicants must have the right to work in the UK. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position.

Junior Data Engineer

Role Overview

We are looking for a Junior Data Engineer to join the UK Market Intelligence business and support the modernization of our data infrastructure and analytical capabilities focused on real‑world healthcare data.

This role will focus on building automated, scalable, and reliable data pipelines, improving data workflows, and helping unlock value from large healthcare datasets. You will work alongside experienced data engineers, architects, and product teams to enhance existing platforms, refactor legacy code, and contribute to the development of MVP data applications for internal and client‑facing teams.

There is also an opportunity to support the UK rollout of the IQVIA Agentic AI platform, integrating it with UK healthcare data assets.

This position is ideal for someone early in their career who is technically curious, detail‑oriented, and eager to grow in a regulated, data‑driven environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Build, maintain, and optimize automated data pipelines using modern data engineering practices.

• Develop and refactor data processing components using Python and PySpark for scalability and performance.

• Develop, refactor and maintain legacy Python components (and C++ where applicable) to improve performance, reliability and maintainability.

• Design and implement data workflows using PostgreSQL and Microsoft SQL Server, ensuring robustness, monitoring and error handling.

• Support data ingestion, transformation and validation across large and complex healthcare datasets.

• Use Git for version control, working with branches, pull requests, and code reviews.

• Work effectively within Visual Studio Code (or Cursor, where approved) for development, debugging, and code navigation.

• Collaborate closely with data engineers, software engineers, data architects, and product managers to deliver scalable and maintainable solutions.

• Contribute to MVP data applications and proof‑of‑concept tools that enable rapid testing of ideas for client‑facing teams.

• Ensure data quality, governance, and compliance with UK healthcare and life sciences data standards.

Qualifications

Education:

• Master’s degree, or 2:1 Bachelor’s degree with relevant academic projects or internships in Computer Science, Data Engineering, Software Engineering, or a related field.

Experience:

• 0 - 2 years’ experience as a junior data engineer, graduate engineer, or junior software developer.

• Exposure to ETL / ELT pipelines, data modelling concepts, and structured datasets.

• Ability to work effectively as part of a cross‑functional team.

• Familiarity with software development, lifecycle and collaborative engineering practices.

Core Skills

Programming

• Strong Python or Python with some exposure to C++.

Big Data & Processing

• Working knowledge of PySpark for data transformations and large scale processing.

Databases

• Strong SQL skills with PostgreSQL and/or Microsoft SQL Server.

Version Control

• Experience using Git for version control, collaboration, and code reviews.

Development Environment

• Comfortable using Visual Studio Code or Cursor as an IDE for Python and SQL development.

Understanding of:

• Data pipeline design and orchestration

• Basic performance optimization and query tuning

• Ability to write clean, well‑structured, and well‑documented code.

• Working knowledge of Linux environments.

• Strong problem‑solving and debugging skills.

• Ability to clearly communicate technical concepts to both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.

• Interest in GenAI technologies and their application in data engineering and analytics platforms.

Nice to Have / Bonus Points

• Experience with C++.

• Deeper experience with PySpark or distributed data processing frameworks.

• Familiarity with Docker or containerised workloads.

• Knowledge of pharmaceutical, patient, hospital, or prescribing datasets.

• Understanding of UK healthcare or life sciences data ecosystems, including NHS‑related data.

• Exposure to AI‑assisted development workflows using tools such as Cursor.

IQVIA is a leading global provider of clinical research services, commercial insights and healthcare intelligence to the life sciences and healthcare industries. We create intelligent connections to accelerate the development and commercialization of innovative medical treatments to help improve patient outcomes and population health worldwide.

IQVIA is committed to integrity in our hiring process and maintains a zero tolerance policy for candidate fraud. All information and credentials submitted in your application must be truthful and complete.

Any false statements, misrepresentations, or material omissions during the recruitment process will result in immediate disqualification of your application, or termination of employment if discovered later, in accordance with applicable law. We appreciate your honesty and professionalism.