Experience as a Solution Engineer, Technical Solutions Engineer, Data Scientist, Data/Systems Analyst, or Technical Project Manager. * Proven experience owning projects end-to-end, including scoping ...
Experience as a Solution Engineer, Technical Solutions Engineer, Data Scientist, Data/Systems Analyst, or Technical Project Manager. * Proven experience owning projects end-to-end, including scoping ...
Freelance Data Engineering information
See Kentucky salary details
$20.43 is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$12.94 - $22.21
31% of jobs
The median wage is $27.92 / hr.
$22.21 - $31.47
31% of jobs
$31.47 - $40.73
4% of jobs
$48.84 is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$40.73 - $49.99
10% of jobs
$49.99 - $59.26
9% of jobs
$59.26 - $68.52
5% of jobs
$68.52 - $77.78
0% of jobs
$77.78 - $87.04
8% of jobs
$87.04 - $96.30
0% of jobs
$96.30 - $105.57
0% of jobs
$105.57 - $114.83
1% of jobs
$12
$41
$114
How much do freelance data engineering jobs pay per hour?
As of Aug 6, 2026, the average hourly pay for freelance data engineering in Kentucky is $41.43, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $21.11 and $53.65 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.
What is freelance data engineering?
A Freelance Data Engineering job involves designing, building, and maintaining data infrastructure on a contract basis. Freelancers work with businesses to develop ETL pipelines, optimize databases, and manage big data technologies. They often use tools like SQL, Python, Apache Spark, and cloud platforms such as AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure. This role requires strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work independently on data-related projects.
What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a freelance data engineer?
To excel as a Freelance Data Engineer, you need strong programming skills (Python, SQL), experience with data architecture, ETL processes, and a solid understanding of cloud platforms such as AWS or Azure. Familiarity with tools like Apache Spark, Hadoop, Airflow, and relevant certifications such as Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer or AWS Certified Data Analytics are highly valued. Exceptional communication, project management skills, and the ability to work independently are crucial soft skills in this freelance capacity. These competencies ensure you can efficiently deliver robust data solutions, manage client expectations, and adapt swiftly to diverse project needs.
What are some common challenges faced by freelance data engineers, and how can they be addressed?
Freelance data engineers often face challenges such as managing multiple clients with varying needs, keeping up-to-date with rapidly evolving technologies, and ensuring clear communication despite remote arrangements. To address these challenges, it's important to set clear project expectations from the start, maintain a consistent schedule for learning and skill development, and utilize collaboration tools for effective communication. Building a strong portfolio and leveraging professional networking can also yield steady work opportunities and referrals. Proactively addressing these areas helps freelance data engineers remain competitive and successful in the industry.
What are the most commonly searched types of Data Engineering jobs in Kentucky? The most popular types of Data Engineering jobs in Kentucky are:
What are popular job titles related to Freelance Data Engineering jobs in Kentucky? For Freelance Data Engineering jobs in Kentucky, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Freelance Data Engineering jobs in Kentucky look for? The top searched job categories for Freelance Data Engineering jobs in Kentucky are:
What cities in Kentucky are hiring for Freelance Data Engineering jobs? Cities in Kentucky with the most Freelance Data Engineering job openings:
Other
Re-posted 10 days ago
Job description
Company Intro
At Toloka AI we create data that powers leading GenAI models and innovations. We work with frontier labs, big tech, renowned AI startups, enterprises and non-profit research organizations worldwide. We use a combination of Experts + Crowd + Tech Platform to teach AI models to reason and evaluate their efficacy and safety. We have experts in more than 50 different domains-from doctors and lawyers to physicists and engineers-and boast one of the most diverse global crowds, representing over 100 countries and speaking 40+ languages. We are a well-funded startup with an enviable portfolio of clients including Anthropic, Amazon, Microsoft, Poolside, Recraft, and Shopify.
Recently, we secured strategic investment led by Bezos Expeditions and Nebius Group with participation from Mikhail Parakhin, CTO of Shopify and board advisor to leading GenAI companies, who now serves as our Chairman of the Board. Our remote-first team is globally distributed around the world: USA, UK, the Netherlands, Serbia, and more.
About the Role
Technical consultants play a key role in our company, ensuring top-level delivery of our product, its correct configuration, and the deployment of tailored AI data solutions that meet our customers' needs and deliver an exceptional experience working with us.
As part of this role, you will not only design and implement data labeling pipelines but also act as a trusted technical advisor for our customers - helping them understand their data needs, discover new opportunities, and build scalable AI solutions.
We are looking for a person with more than 3 years of solid technical background, who feels comfortable working in technical environments, solving data-related tasks using Python and AI, and communicating directly with customers. You should be a confident communicator able to engage with both technical and executive stakeholders and collaborate closely with our commercial team.
- Act as the primary technical point of contact for customers across technical and executive stakeholders.
- Lead discovery conversations to deeply understand client goals, problems and quality criteria.
- Translate client needs into clear, actionable solution designs and delivery plans.
- Advise customers on best practices in data collection, data quality, evaluation, and model training workflows.
- Set expectations proactively, communicate progress regularly, and manage risks and trade-offs transparently.
- Identify expansion opportunities and additional ways Toloka can create value through data and AI solutions.
- Design end-to-end data solutions using Toloka's platform, selecting appropriate components, workflows, and quality controls.
- Configure data labeling components and quality controls, develop user interfaces and AI-driven tooling (e.g. agentic systems, RAGs, synthetic data generation), and integrate them into end-to-end automated pipelines for AI training and evaluation.
- Run experiments and pilots to validate quality, throughput, and cost assumptions.
- Lead technical execution during delivery, coordinating internal teams and external stakeholders as needed.
- Ensure solutions meet agreed quality, performance, and scalability requirements.
- Own delivery outcomes holistically - including technical performance, quality, timelines, and financial efficiency.
- Monitor key KPIs (e.g. throughput, quality metrics, Gross Margin, Contribution Margin) and act on deviations.
- Prioritize work based on customer impact and business value.
- Analyze data to identify failure modes, inefficiencies, and opportunities for improvement.
- Continuously optimize solutions through iteration, automation, and adoption of new technologies.
- Troubleshoot delivery, process, or technical issues in collaboration with support, infrastructure, and product teams.
- Drive solutions toward stable operation with minimal ongoing maintenance.
- Experience as a Solution Engineer, Technical Solutions Engineer, Data Scientist, Data/Systems Analyst, or Technical Project Manager.
- Proven experience owning projects end-to-end, including scoping, delivery, and stakeholder management.
- Direct experience working with external customers on technical projects (requirements gathering, delivery, iteration).
- Strong Python skills for data manipulation (e.g. NumPy, pandas), natural language processing (e.g. NLTK, spaCy), and building lightweight web services or tools (e.g. FastAPI, Flask).
- Solid understanding of ML concepts and data workflows; familiarity with LLMs and prompt engineering is a strong plus.
- Experience designing multi-stage pipelines and complex systems.
- Understanding of software development fundamentals: version control, testing, MVPs, iterative development etc..
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Data Science, ML/AI, Software Engineering, or a related quantitative field such as Physics or Applied Mathematics, with strong analytical foundations.
- Ability to reason about trade-offs between quality, speed, cost, and scalability.
- Excellent English communication skills (B2+), with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
- Confidence working with data engineers, ML engineers, and researchers from leading tech companies.
- Strong ownership mindset: comfortable being accountable for outcomes, not just tasks.
- Ability to manage multiple projects in fast-paced, ambiguous environments.
- Experience with crowdsourcing, expert workflows, or large-scale data labeling.
- Experience working on ML training, evaluation, or agentic systems.
- Familiarity with quality frameworks, audits, or data validation pipelines.
[Important Notice] Scam Alert Regarding Fake Job Postings
It has come to our attention that an individual or group is fraudulently impersonating Toloka to post fake jobs and solicit personal information from applicants.Please be aware:
- Official Communication: Our recruiting team will only contact you from an official "toloka.ai" email address. We will NEVER use Gmail, Yahoo, Tolokainc, toloka.inc, or other personal or seemingly business email accounts.
- Our Process: We will never ask for your bank account details, credit card number, or any fees as part of the application or interview process.
- Official Listings: All legitimate job openings are posted on our official careers page: https://toloka.ai/careers#job-list
What to do: If you see a suspicious job posting or have been contacted by someone you suspect is a scammer, please do not provide any personal information. Instead, report the incident to us directly at security@toloka.ai and report the profile/post to LinkedIn.We are taking this matter very seriously and are working with the appropriate parties to resolve it.
Thank you for your vigilance!
Thank you for your vigilance!