The market
What we know about this market
The modern data stack - dbt, Snowflake or BigQuery, Airflow or Dagster, Python - has become the standard for Australian scale-ups. Engineers with dbt experience and a strong understanding of data modelling are in high demand. Analytics engineers who can bridge the gap between data engineering and business intelligence are particularly scarce.
If you want to talk through how this affects your specific search - timing, competing offers, or how to position the role - book a call and we will give you a direct read on the current market.
Engagement models
How we engage for data engineers
Permanent placement
Targeted headhunt for senior data engineers on permanent contracts. Shortlists in five business days, every candidate interviewed by Filip, 12-month replacement guarantee.
Contract / Labour hire
Senior data engineers and analytics engineers for pipeline builds, data warehouse migrations, and data platform stand-ups. Strong dbt and cloud DW experience standard.
AUD $1,050–$1,400/day ex GST
IT Labour Hire →Technologies
Stacks we recruit for
2026 data
Salary bands
Australian base salaries excluding superannuation. Figures are indicative — actual offers vary by company stage, location, and candidate seniority.
Senior Data Engineer (5-8 years)
$160k - $200k base
Staff Data Engineer
$200k - $240k base
Head of Data Engineering
$230k - $280k base
Track record
Recent data engineers placements
Recent placements in this specialism available on request - we share specifics on intake calls rather than publishing them publicly.
Common questions
FAQ
Do you recruit analytics engineers as well as data engineers?
Yes. Analytics engineers - who work primarily in dbt, SQL, and BI tooling - are a distinct role from data engineers who build pipelines. We recruit both.
What data warehouse platforms are most common among your clients?
Snowflake is the most common in the Australian scale-up market, followed by BigQuery. Databricks is increasingly present in companies with larger data science teams.
Ready to start a search?
Book a 30-minute intake call. We will discuss your specific requirements and confirm we are the right fit before we begin.