Data Engineer job description template
If you are hiring for this role, start here. This free template is our detailed definition of the position, with everything you need to find and hire the right person. Copy it, add your own requirements, and post it.
What is a Data Engineer?
Data Engineers are professionals who build databases, systems, and methods that help companies store and manage important data.
They transform raw data into a format that can be easily accessed and used by other employees in the company.
Data Engineers also develop new ways to store data and conduct complex data analysis.
They evaluate business opportunities and objectives with other employees, improve efficiency, and fix bugs and technical issues.
The top Data Engineer skills.
Five things separate a strong hire from a résumé that reads well. Use these as your scorecard criteria.
The job description, ready to post.
Copy it as written, or edit it until it sounds like your company. Both work.
We are looking for an experienced and tech-savvy Data Engineer to join our company. As a Data Engineer, your primary responsibilities will include transforming raw data into usable and easily accessible data systems and bases, analyzing data from various sources to design and establish data systems and storages, and preparing data for exploitation and manipulation by data scientists. Additionally, you will design and implement data models and organize data using programming languages, such as SQL, NoSQL, Java, and others.
You will also identify patterns and trends to develop business strategies and improve the general company and business performance. You will identify, troubleshoot, and fix technical issues and bugs.
Ultimately, you should possess strong and demonstratable knowledge of programming languages, coding, data management, and algorithms, as well as great problem-solving and communication skills.
Duties and responsibilities
- Establish and generate data infrastructure that allows easy access to databases.
- Design and build analytical tools to provide actionable insights into customer acquisition, operational efficiency, and other business performance metrics.
- Collaborate with database administrators and other professionals to create database designs and infrastructure.
- Analyze raw data from different sources to build data systems and storage.
- Work with data scientists and other professionals to evaluate business objectives.
- Develop new ways to store data using various technologies and systems.
- Identify opportunities for streamlining processes to improve efficiency.
- Identify data patterns and trends to develop business strategies.
- Design and implement data models using programming languages, such as SQL, NoSQL, Java, Python, SAS, etc.
- Administer complex data analysis and report on results.
- Locate and fix bugs, errors, and technical issues.
- Prepare raw data for exploitation and manipulation by data scientists.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering, computer engineering, information technology, or another related field.
- A Master’s degree is an advantage.
- Industry-specific certification is a plus (Certified Professional Data Engineer, IBM Certified Data Engineer, etc).
- Previous experience as a Data Engineer, Software Developer, or a similar role.
- Expertise in data management and data analysis.
- Extensive knowledge of programming languages (SQL, NoSQL, Java, Python, C++, etc).
- Proficiency with SQL database design.
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with good communication skills.
Take the template with you
Copy it straight into your job board or ATS, or have it emailed to you with the interview questions for this role.
Degree first, then the certification.
Data Engineers need a strong educational foundation for a career in the IT industry.
The most common degrees Data Engineers acquire are Bachelor’s degrees in computer science, software engineering, information technology, computer engineering, or another related field.
Along with some of the degrees mentioned above, Data Engineers typically need an industry-specific certification.
Some of those certifications are Certified Professional Data Engineer, IBM Certified Data Engineer, and Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert.
Certified Professional Data Engineer
Validates expertise in designing and building data processing systems.
Google CloudIBM Certified Data Engineer
Demonstrates skills in data engineering and analytics using IBM technologies.
IBMMicrosoft Certified Solutions Expert
Proves ability to design and implement data solutions on Microsoft platforms.
MicrosoftSample interview questions for a Data Engineer.
Once you have gathered the applications, work through these in order. Twelve questions across four areas, enough to tell your shortlist apart.
- How would your friends describe you in short?
- At what age did you first start using the computer?
- Do you have a favorite video game?
- Why did you decide to leave your previous job as a Data Engineer?
- In your opinion, what makes you qualified for this position?
- Do you have any salary expectations?
- What would you do if you observed an unusual activity in one of the databases?
- How would you explain your job to someone who doesn’t have a computer science background?
- What programming language do you find most useful in your work?
- What are the basic features of Hadoop?
- How do you generally identify and resolve technical issues?
- What is your experience with the NoSQL programming language?
How much to pay when hiring.
Annual pay by percentile. Where you land depends on the size of the cycle they will own, and the 25th percentile is usually where a first analyst hire sits.
Hourly equivalents run from $31 at the 10th percentile to $80 at the 90th.
Candidates may apply under a different name.
Post the title your industry uses and keep the rest of the description. These three roles overlap enough that the same posting usually reaches all of them.
Three titles, one description.
Search behavior varies by industry, so the same job is advertised under several names. If you are unsure which one your candidates search for, run two titles and see which fills.
Data Scientist
A Data Scientist is a professional who analyzes and interprets complex data to help organizations make informed decisions.
$122,738 medianData Architect
Data Architects are IT professionals responsible for managing the company’s database models and systems.
$135,570 medianData Analyst
A Data Analyst is a professional who collects, processes, and interprets data to help organizations make informed decisions.
$82,640 medianFrequently asked questions.
What do Data Engineers do?
Data Engineers are skilled professionals who develop and maintain databases and data systems to make raw data easily accessible and usable to other employees in the company.
They analyze raw data, prepare it for manipulation, and identify opportunities to streamline processes and improve efficiency.
They also identify and resolve bugs and technical issues.
Who do Data Engineers work with?
Data Engineers typically work with Data Scientists, Data Architects, Data Analysts, and other industry-related professionals.
What education do Data Engineers need?
Data Engineers normally acquire a Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology, computer engineering, software engineering, or other related fields.
How much do Data Engineers earn per year?
Data Engineers earn between $60,000 and $166,500 annually.
Other job description templates.
Same format, same free, same median pay data. Browse the full library if the role you are hiring for is not here.
Data Scientist
A Data Scientist is a professional who analyzes and interprets complex data to help organizations make informed decisions.
$122,738 medianData Analyst
A Data Analyst is a professional who collects, processes, and interprets data to help organizations make informed decisions.
$82,640 medianChief Data Officer
Chief Data Officers are members of the C-suite in various companies and organizations, meaning they hold an important executive role.
$173,896 medianData Architect
Data Architects are IT professionals responsible for managing the company’s database models and systems.
$135,570 medianData Manager
Data Managers are responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining the company’s data and data systems.
$101,268 medianData Modeler
Data Modelers design, develop, and implement data modeling solutions based on specific business requirements and needs.
$121,727 median