Data Engineer

Data Engineer Job Profile

What Is a Data Engineer?

Data Engineers are responsible for ensuring that a company receives all the data and information it needs — sorted and delivered in the correct format. Data privacy and security are central concerns of the role.

A Data Engineer develops, designs, tests, and maintains the complete data architecture of an organisation. They receive large, unstructured datasets from various sources and use ETL pipelines to transform and deliver that data. They function as the interface between hardware infrastructure and data processing — and are also responsible for the security and reliability of the entire system.

What Does a Data Engineer Do?

Data Engineers provide the data that Data Science experts need for analysis. Their key responsibilities include:

• Receiving large and unstructured datasets from various internal and external sources
• Building and maintaining data pipelines and scripts to extract, transform, and load (ETL) data
• Setting up and monitoring the IT data infrastructure
• Keeping code as clean and understandable as possible despite complex algorithms
• Purchasing and configuring hardware components with appropriate software (depending on the company)
• Ensuring data security and data protection compliance throughout

Despite dealing with difficult tasks and complex algorithms, Data Engineers focus on keeping code maintainable so that others can easily understand and work with it.

Data Engineer vs. Data Scientist

The two roles are closely linked — Data Scientists depend on the infrastructure and data quality that Data Engineers provide.

Which Skills Does a Data Engineer Need?

Basically, Data Engineers need knowledge of various programming languages. Probably the most common programming language at this point is Python. In addition, there are tools such as Hadoop, Spark, Hive, and Kafka. The query language SQL is also an important skill for the Data Engineer.

In addition to skills in various tools and programming languages, a Data Engineer needs knowledge of various data processes. Knowledge from other or related areas is also important in order to be able to take on further tasks when needed. Since Data Engineers work closely with Data Scientists and other developer positions, good communication skills and the ability to work in a team are also indispensable.

What Are the Requirements for a Data Engineer?

As a rule, Data Engineers can present a university degree. Typical courses of study are computer science or business informatics. However, a university degree is not necessarily a prerequisite. You still have the option of making a lateral move through further training or work experience in the field of data engineering.

However, the chances of a higher starting salary increase with the level of the degree.

Since the profession is still quite young, there are hardly any opportunities for specialisation. However, the role of Big Data Engineer or Data Architect, for example, is possible.

What Does a Data Engineer Earn?

By experience level:

Range: €50,500 – €83,700

Freelance: Average €117/hr (€936/day rate)

By education:

• Bachelor’s: ~€47,500 starting salary
• Master’s: ~€52,780 starting salary
• Doctorate: ~€62,280 starting salary

By company size:

• Start-up: ~€49,000
• Mid-sized: ~€52,250
• Large company: ~€59,000+

By industry: Automotive pays highest (€53,000–€62,000 entry). Retail pays below average.

By state: Hesse leads (€53,500–€62,000 average); Bavaria, Hamburg, and Baden-Württemberg also above average.