Hire a Fractional Data Engineer.
A senior data engineer on your team at a set share of their time. Same person every week, month to month, no recruiting.
Trusted by teams at- ezaligner
- Buildaz
- Reach University
600+
Automated data flows
9.2/10
Average client rating
100%
Senior engineers
How Fractional Works
Reserved Capacity
You book a share of an engineer's time. 0.5 FTE is about 20 hours a week, and it's reserved for you, not squeezed in between other work.
Same Senior People Every Week
No account managers, no juniors. The people who scope the work are the people who build it.
A Steady Rhythm
Weekly 30-minute sync, weekly written update, documentation as we go, so nothing you need is locked in someone's head.
Month to Month After 3 Months
Scale up, scale down, or stop. You get 30 days of email support after you end, so nothing drops the day we're done.
| Full-Time Hire | Freelancer | Fractional | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time to start | 4 to 8 months to recruit | Days, but unvetted | A call this week, infrastructure within 30 days |
| Cost | Salary, benefits, and recruiting fees | Hourly, with no ownership guarantee | A fixed monthly rate, no benefits overhead |
| Who owns the outcome | Your new hire, once fully ramped | Whoever wrote the ticket, rarely the freelancer | Us, backed by a 100% guarantee |
| When they leave | You re-recruit and ramp someone new from scratch | Work is often undocumented | Full documentation and 30 days of support, your team keeps everything |
Run your own numbers with the fractional vs. full-time cost calculator →
Our Services
We're confident enough in our delivery to offer a 100% guarantee: no risk on your end, request your last 30 days of payments back at any time.
- ✓Weekly 30-minute sync meetings
- ✓Weekly written updates
- ✓Complete documentation
- ✓Email support with 12-hour response (business hours)*
- ✓30-day post-termination email support
Strategy & Advisory
- ✓Monthly strategic planning session
- ✓Quarterly data health audit
- ✓Quarterly cloud cost optimization review
- ✓Data governance framework setup
- ✓90-day roadmap aligned to business goals
- ✓Team training sessions on pipelines built
- ✓Technology stack & vendor recommendations
Engineering Execution
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- ✓Minimum 0.5 FTE per assigned team member
- ✓Weekly 30-minute sync meetings
- ✓Weekly written updates
- ✓Complete documentation
- ✓Email support with 3-hour response (business hours)*
- ✓60-day post-termination email support
Ongoing maintenance available after your engagement.
* Response means written reply only; it does not include hands-on work, fixes, or incident response.
1 FTE = 40 hours/week (~173 hours/month).
Why Teams Choose Us
Because we've built data foundations from zero at multiple companies, we've learned one thing: data only pays off when it's built around your business goals.
- Startups
- Enterprises
- Consulting
- Non-profits
- A senior team, not a solo contractor: your project never depends on one person
- Obsessed with simplicity: if your team can't use it, we haven't finished
- We've built data systems from zero, multiple times
- We pick the right tools for you, not the ones we prefer
Built data systems from scratch at multiple companies. Obsessed with making things simple, specializes in connecting messy data, cutting unnecessary costs, and building something the whole team can actually use.
What Clients Say About Working With Us
“Our organization has been working with the team for 3 months now and we've made tremendous progress where we were previously stalled. Their communication is reliable, and their work ethic is top notch. In a few months we have collaborated to solve foundational data issues that have plagued our org for years! I'm excited to continue working with this team and would recommend them to anyone looking for data expertise.”
Brad L.
Vice President of Information Technology at Reach University
“They structured our dbt, reduced platform costs, and left documentation so thorough our team kept building on it. No dependencies, no technical debts. More than a one-time delivery, it became the foundation for reliable metrics and data-driven decisions we're still evolving today. Professional, collaborative, and genuinely focused on long-term value.”
Victor G.
CEO at ezaligner
“The team worked with one of the world's largest retailers, building pipeline architecture with BigQuery, Airflow, and Looker. Strong technical execution, excellent planning, and clear communication with stakeholders. Would hire again.”
Georg B.
CTO at Buildaz
Ready to Hire?
Book a free call. We will review your setup, talk through what you need, and tell you honestly whether fractional is the right move.
Common Questions About Hiring a Fractional Data Engineer
What is a fractional data engineer?
A fractional data engineer is a senior engineer who works as part of your team for a fixed share of their time, usually half-time, on a monthly basis. Some teams call it a part-time data engineer or a data engineer contractor. The difference is ownership: we own the outcome, document everything, and your team keeps it.
How is a fractional data engineer different from a contractor or freelancer?
A contractor or freelancer typically works from a task list and leaves when the tickets are done. A fractional data engineer owns the outcome: we design the architecture, build the systems, document everything, and make sure your team can maintain it independently after the engagement ends. We operate as part of your team, not outside it.
How many hours does a fractional data engineer work?
It depends on the share of time you book. Our Essential plan reserves 0.5 FTE per month, which is about half a full-time engineer's schedule (1 FTE is 40 hours a week, roughly 173 hours a month). That time is reserved for you, not squeezed in between other clients.
How long is the minimum commitment?
3 months. That's enough time to scope the work properly, build the first piece of infrastructure, and see whether the engagement is a fit before committing further. After the first 3 months, it runs month to month: scale up, scale down, or stop.
What happens when the engagement ends?
You keep everything: the infrastructure, the documentation, and 30 days of email support after your last day, so your team has time to ask questions before you're fully on your own. Nothing we build depends on us staying involved.
Related Reading
What Is Fractional Data Engineering?
What it is, who it's for, and how an engagement works.
6 Ways to Get Data Engineering Done
Full-time, freelancer, fractional, agency, or DIY: an honest comparison.
The Real Cost of Hiring a Senior Data Engineer
Salary, benefits, onboarding, and the hidden costs nobody talks about.