Data Validation Specialist in City of London, London

Data Validation Specialist
3-6 Month Initial Contract
London/Hybrid 1-2 days per week on site
£Negotiable Rate (Inside IR35)

We are seeking an experienced Data Validation Specialist to join a front-office data and analytics function, supporting the delivery of high-quality market and investment data used by quantitative researchers, traders and analytics teams.

***The ideal candidate will have experience in Hedge funds, Asset management or Investment banks***

***As well as a good understanding of Quant engineering/Quant data groups, Fixed income, rates, FX, macro, trading or pricing environments***

This role will focus on improving data quality, validation processes and the management of complex financial datasets. Working closely with technical and business stakeholders, you will help ensure data is accurate, reliable and fit for purpose, while contributing to the development of centralised data services that support pricing, risk and analytics capabilities.

Key Responsibilities
Develop and enhance data validation frameworks to improve the quality, consistency and reliability of financial datasets.
Validate, reconcile and analyse market and reference data before it is consumed by front-office users and downstream systems.
Apply validation rules, filters and quality controls to derived datasets, ensuring accurate and trusted outputs.
Investigate data quality issues, identify root causes and work collaboratively to resolve discrepancies.
Work closely with quantitative researchers, traders and engineering teams to understand business requirements and expected data outcomes.
Support the centralisation of data validation processes and promote consistent data standards across multiple data sources.
Contribute to scalable data services and reusable validation capabilities that improve operational efficiency.
Assist with the testing and implementation of new data services, ensuring robust validation processes are embedded throughout the delivery lifecycle.
Document validation rules, quality controls and operational procedures.
Monitor data quality metrics and proactively identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
Collaborate with engineering teams supporting pricing, risk, analytics and investment data platforms.

Required Skills & Experience
Strong experience working with market data, reference data, pricing data or other financial datasets.
Experience designing or implementing data validation frameworks and data quality controls.
Ability to investigate data issues, identify anomalies and validate complex datasets.
Good understanding of financial instruments and market structures, including areas such as fixed income, rates, swaps, bonds or related asset classes.
Commercial experience using Python and SQL for data analysis, validation and automation.
Experience working with large datasets within financial services.
Ability to work closely with technical and business stakeholders in a fast-paced environment.
Strong analytical, problem-solving and communication skills.

Desirable Skills
Experience with Snowflake.
Knowledge of MongoDB or other NoSQL databases.
Experience working within AWS or other cloud environments.
Familiarity with workflow orchestration tools such as Airflow, Prefect or Dagster.
Experience with market data providers such as Bloomberg, Refinitiv or ICE.
Exposure to enterprise data management platforms.
Knowledge of Kafka or other event-driven technologies.
Experience supporting data governance or enterprise data architecture initiatives.