Job Description:

We’re recruiting for a Principal Data Analyst to support sensitive MOD / aerospace programmes within the Defence & Security sector. This is a contract role based in Reading (hybrid) and requires active SC clearance.

Job title

Principal Data Analyst

Reading, Berkshire (hybrid)

Active SC clearance is mandatory

Up to £77.50 per hour inside IR35

The role

You’ll contribute to a data-driven strategy by delivering high-quality analysis, insight, and reporting to support informed decision-making. You’ll work with stakeholders to translate analytical needs into scalable solutions, ensuring strong data quality, governance, and clear communication of findings.

Key responsibilities

• Analyse data from multiple sources to identify trends, patterns, and anomalies
• Develop and maintain reports, interactive dashboards, and KPI monitoring (Power BI)
• Write complex SQL for data extraction, transformation, validation, and analysis
• Create scalable and efficient data models for reporting
• Ensure data quality, reliability, and consistency for analysis
• Document analytical logic, metrics, and data sources for transparency and repeatability
• Manage analytical work end-to-end and present findings clearly to stakeholders

Skills and experience required

• Strong experience in data analysis / BI / analytics roles, ideally in MOD, Defence Digital, Defence, or UK aerospace environments
• Advanced SQL skills
• Strong Power BI dashboarding and visualisation experience
• Understanding of data warehousing, data modelling, and ETL pipelines
• Awareness of security, privacy, and data governance principles
• Confident communicating complex insights to technical and non-technical audiences
• Strong attention to detail and high ethical standards handling sensitive information

Desirable

• Degree in a relevant discipline (Statistics / Maths / Economics / Computer Science / Engineering or similar)
• BI/analytics certifications (Power BI / Tableau)
• Cloud data environment familiarity (BigQuery / Snowflake / Redshift)
• Python or R for statistical analysis
• Professional membership of a STEM-related organisation

Apply

If you’re a security-cleared Principal Data Analyst with strong Power BI and SQL capability and want to work on high-profile Defence/aerospace programmes, please apply now.