Senior data engineering, a fraction at a time
Fractional Data Engineering is ongoing, hands-on data engineering and technical guidance for teams that need more capacity or expertise — embedded in your team, at a fraction of the cost of a full-time senior hire.
Teams that need more than support, but less than a hire
What an embedded partner changes
"The backlog only grows."
Recurring, committed development capacity means the queue of pipeline work finally moves in the right direction — every month.
"We're guessing on architecture."
Platform choices, modeling decisions, build-vs-buy calls — you get a senior technical voice before the expensive mistakes, not after.
"Everyone codes it their own way."
Code review, shared standards, and documentation turn individual habits into a consistent, maintainable codebase.
Hands on the keyboard, and a seat at the table
Recurring development capacity
A committed block of hands-on engineering time each month, pointed at whatever your backlog needs most.
Architecture and technical guidance
A senior voice on platform, design, and tooling decisions — grounded in your business, not vendor talking points.
Backlog planning and prioritization
Help deciding what to build next and why, so capacity goes to the work with the highest business value.
Code review and standards
Reviews that teach, plus shared standards that keep the codebase consistent as the team grows.
Team support and documentation
Mentoring, pairing, and documentation that make your team more capable every month we work together.
Embedded in your team, on your cadence
Align
We agree on goals, capacity, and cadence — how much time, pointed at what, communicated how.
Embed
We join your tools and rhythms — standups, backlog, repos — and start shipping alongside your team.
Deliver
Recurring capacity goes to the priorities we planned together, with progress you can see every month.
Recalibrate
We revisit priorities and capacity regularly, scaling the engagement up or down as your needs change.
A monthly retainer, sized to your needs
Senior expertise without the full-time cost
Fractional engagements run on a monthly retainer sized by committed capacity — a fraction of the fully loaded cost of a senior data engineering hire, with the flexibility to scale up or down as your roadmap changes.
Contact us to discuss capacity and current retainer pricing.
Frequently asked questions
How much capacity can we get?
Engagements are sized by committed monthly capacity, agreed during alignment. We take on a limited number of fractional clients so the time you book is genuinely yours.
Do you work in our tools and meetings?
Yes — that's what makes it embedded. We join your repos, ticketing, chat, and the meetings that matter, and skip the ones that don't.
How is this different from the Pipeline Reliability Plan?
The Reliability Plan keeps existing pipelines healthy. Fractional Data Engineering builds new capability: development capacity, architecture guidance, and team growth. Some clients run both.
Can fractional work turn into a defined project?
Yes. When something big and well-bounded emerges — a migration, a new platform build — we can scope it as a fixed-fee project so it doesn't consume your recurring capacity.
What's the minimum commitment?
Fractional partnerships work best with a few months of runway, but terms are agreed up front and the engagement scales — or ends — on notice, not on penalty clauses.
Need a senior data engineer in the room?
Tell us about your team, your backlog, and where you're headed. We'll propose a capacity that fits.
Schedule a consultation