A Big Data Engineer is a person who creates and manages a company’s Big Data infrastructure and tools, and is someone that knows how to get results from vast amounts of data quickly.
A Big Data Engineer is a person who creates and manages a company’s Big Data infrastructure and tools, and is someone that knows how to get results from vast amounts of data quickly.
The actual definition of this role varies, and often mixes with the Data Scientist role. Here, we will assume that it is a role focused on engineering, without statistics and strong machine learning skills required.
The world of Big Data has grown significantly during the last decade; therefore, the skills started to be more specific. While in the majority of cases it is built around Hadoop, there are many tools that have become very significant on their own. We have covered some common cases in the following sample description.
Big Data Engineer - Job Description and Ad Template
Copy this template, and modify it as your own:
Company Introduction
{{Write a short and catchy paragraph about your company. Make sure to provide information about the company culture, perks, and benefits. Mention office hours, remote working possibilities, and everything else you think makes your company interesting. Big Data Engineers like to work on huge problems - mentioning the scale (or the potential) can help gain the attention of top talent.}}
Job Description
We are looking for a Big Data Engineer that will work on the collecting, storing, processing, and analyzing of huge sets of data. The primary focus will be on choosing optimal solutions to use for these purposes, then maintaining, implementing, and monitoring them. You will also be responsible for integrating them with the architecture used across the company.
Responsibilities
Selecting and integrating any Big Data tools and frameworks required to provide requested capabilities
Implementing ETL process {{if importing data from existing data sources is relevant}}
Monitoring performance and advising any necessary infrastructure changes
Defining data retention policies
{{Add any other responsibility that is relevant}}
Skills and Qualifications
Proficient understanding of distributed computing principles
Management of Hadoop cluster, with all included services {{unless you are going to have specific Big Data DevOps roles for this}}
Ability to solve any ongoing issues with operating the cluster {{unless you are going to have specific Big Data DevOps roles for this}}
Proficiency with Hadoop v2, MapReduce, HDFS
Experience with building stream-processing systems, using solutions such as Storm or Spark-Streaming {{if stream-processing is relevant for the role}}
Good knowledge of Big Data querying tools, such as Pig, Hive, and Impala
Experience with Spark {{if you are including or planning to include it}}
Experience with integration of data from multiple data sources
Experience with NoSQL databases, such as HBase, Cassandra, MongoDB
Knowledge of various ETL techniques and frameworks, such as Flume
Experience with various messaging systems, such as Kafka or RabbitMQ
Experience with Big Data ML toolkits, such as Mahout, SparkML, or H2O {{if you are going to integrate Machine Learning in your Big Data infrastructure}}
Good understanding of Lambda Architecture, along with its advantages and drawbacks
Experience with Cloudera/MapR/Hortonworks {{you can specify the distribution you are currently using or planning to use here}}
{{List any other technologies you are using or planning to use. Most Big Data Engineers will know some of the ones listed here: The Hadoop Ecosystem Table}}
{{List education level or certification you require}}
Big Data is an extremely broad domain, typically addressed by a hybrid team of data scientists, software engineers, and statisticians. Real expertise in big data therefore requires far more than learning the ins and outs of a particular technology. This guide offers a sampling of effective questions to help evaluate the breadth and depth of a candidate's mastery of this complex domain.
Toptal is a marketplace for top big data architects. Top companies and start-ups choose Toptal big data freelancers for their mission-critical software projects.
GeorgiaFreelance Big Data Developer at Toptal Since September 4, 2019
George is a seasoned systems engineer with great breadth and depth knowledge of building and automating complex systems. As an early adopter of cloud technology, he led a team to design and build an on-premise cloud. His 12 years of teaching developed the skill of coaching and communicating complex concepts. George is fluent in C, Go, and Python languages, with a keen interest in data science and AI, focused on delivering the highest quality results. He is eager to work with complex problems.
United StatesFreelance Big Data Developer at Toptal Since October 17, 2016
James is a results-driven, can-do, and entrepreneurial engineer with eight years of C-level experience (15+ years of professional engineering)—consistently delivering successful bleeding-edge products to support business goals. He's an architect in innovative tech initiatives that add to and accelerate business revenue streams. He's also the CTO and lead developer of Toon Goggles —an SVOD/AVOD kids' entertainment service with 8 million users.
GermanyFreelance Big Data Developer at Toptal Since March 6, 2018
Reza has worked as a CTO for various startups and a German government institution with a one billion revenue that needed restructuring. Ever since he dismantled his first VCR over 30 years ago, Reza has been passionate about building meaningful hardware and software that people use and love. His obsession has grown to include a love for solving complex problems across a broad spectrum of technologies.
AustraliaFreelance Big Data Developer at Toptal Since June 18, 2020
As a highly effective technical leader with over 20 years of experience, Andrew specializes in data: integration, conversion, engineering, analytics, visualization, science, ETL, big data architecture, analytics platforms, and cloud architecture. He has an array of skills in building data platforms, analytic consulting, trend monitoring, data modeling, data governance, and machine learning.
BrazilFreelance Big Data Developer at Toptal Since September 27, 2018
For over the past decade, Bruno's been working with databases in various fields. He also has an Oracle SQL Expert certification and specializes in optimizing SQL queries and PLSQL procedures, but he’s also developed with PostgreSQL and MySQL. Bruno likes to keep himself up to date, and that's why he’s undertaking a Ph.D. degree in computer science.
NetherlandsFreelance Big Data Developer at Toptal Since September 8, 2014
Pieter has 39 years of programming experience, including time spent as a software product manager. He is a challenger, an independent worker, and a team player as circumstances demand, and boasts expertise and skill in a range of topics including big data, cryptography, and machine learning.
United StatesFreelance Big Data Developer at Toptal Since June 23, 2014
With almost 20 years working as an engineer, architect, director, vice president, and CTO, Bryce brings a deep understanding of enterprise software, management, and technical strategy to any project. His specialties include Amazon Web Services, real-time systems, business intelligence, big data, enterprise web apps, scalability, education, and open-source software.
United StatesFreelance Big Data Developer at Toptal Since October 8, 2013
Brandon has 13+ years identifying business objectives and defining technical strategies and processes to achieve them. He demonstrates an extraordinary aptitude for leveraging technology to efficiently and concisely solve complex problems. His expertise includes thought leadership, technical strategy, enterprise architecture, cloud computing, and big data.
