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Freelance Lead Data Engineer Jobs in Chicago, IL

Relativity

Lead Data Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

$150K - $224K/yr

As a Lead Data Engineer, you are the technical leader for your team: hands-on, design focused, and accountable for elevating engineering quality. You'll drive architectural decisions, guide how ...

KeHE Distributors, LLC

Lead Data Engineer

Naperville, IL · On-site

$129.91K - $160K/yr

Primary Responsibilities The DEA Lead Engineer is a hybrid role combining technical leadership and ... Deep knowledge of data architecture, modeling, governance, and integration best practices. * 1+ ...

KeHE Distributors, LLC

Lead Data Engineer

Naperville, IL · Hybrid

$129.91K - $160K/yr

Lead and mentor high-performing engineering teams. Set clear expectations, career paths, and ... Deep knowledge of data architecture, modeling, governance, and integration best practices. * 1+ ...

KeHE Distributors, LLC

Lead Data Engineer

Naperville, IL · Hybrid

$129.91K - $160K/yr

Responsibilities The DEA Lead Engineer is a hybrid role combining technical leadership and people ... Deep knowledge of data architecture, modeling, governance, and integration best practices. * 1+ ...

Optiver

Lead Data Engineer

Chicago, IL

$118K - $141.60K/yr

Optiver Chicago is seeking a seasoned Data Engineer to support and advance the data capabilities of ... Proven ability to lead projects independently and deliver outcomes in fast-paced environments

Prodigious Worldwide

Lead Data Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

$98K - $182K/yr

Lead Data Engineer The Epsilon Activation Delivery Platform team builds the core framework and connectors powering our audience activation business. We are a small, high-impact team of engineers ...

Optiver

Lead Data Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

$200K/yr

Optiver Chicago is seeking a seasoned Data Engineer to support and advance the data capabilities of ... Proven ability to lead projects independently and deliver outcomes in fast-paced environments

Optiver

Lead Data Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

$200K/yr

Optiver Chicago is seeking a seasoned Data Engineer to support and advance the data capabilities of ... Proven ability to lead projects independently and deliver outcomes in fast-paced environments

Huxley

Lead Data Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

$105.70K - $139.20K/yr

This is an ideal role for engineers who enjoy building scalable systems and influencing platform direction. Key Responsibilities * Design and build scalable data pipelines and architectures * Develop ...

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Freelance Lead Data Engineer information

See Chicago, IL salary details

$43.8K

$127.5K

$185.9K

How much do freelance lead data engineer jobs pay per year?

As of May 28, 2026, the average yearly pay for freelance lead data engineer in Chicago, IL is $127,516.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $105,600.00 and $139,100.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is the difference between Freelance Lead Data Engineer vs Freelance Data Engineer?

AspectFreelance Lead Data EngineerFreelance Data Engineer
ResponsibilitiesOversees data projects, manages teams, designs architectureExecutes data pipelines, cleans data, supports data analysis
Required SkillsData architecture, leadership, project managementData processing, SQL, scripting
CertificationsOften preferred: cloud certifications, data managementBasic data certifications, SQL certifications
Work EnvironmentIndependent, client-focused, project-basedIndependent, client-focused, project-based

The main difference is that a Freelance Lead Data Engineer manages data projects and teams, while a Freelance Data Engineer focuses on executing data tasks. The lead role involves more strategic oversight and leadership responsibilities, whereas the data engineer role is more hands-on with data processing and analysis.

What are the most commonly searched types of Lead Data Engineer jobs in Chicago, IL? The most popular types of Lead Data Engineer jobs in Chicago, IL are:
What are popular job titles related to Freelance Lead Data Engineer jobs in Chicago, IL? For Freelance Lead Data Engineer jobs in Chicago, IL, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Freelance Lead Data Engineer jobs in Chicago, IL look for? The top searched job categories for Freelance Lead Data Engineer jobs in Chicago, IL are:
Freelance Lead Data Engineer jobs near you
Lead Data Engineer

Lead Data Engineer

Relativity

Chicago, IL • On-site

$150K - $224K/yr

Other

This job post has expired today. Applications are no longer accepted.

Job description

Posting Type

Hybrid

Job Overview

Relativity powers the world's most critical legal, compliance, and investigative work. From corporate compliance to human rights, our platform must preserve trust in global investigations while handling petabytes of sensitive evidence. Our team builds the distributed data backbone that powers AI-assisted evidence analysis across billions of documents daily. We are at the forefront of Legal Data Intelligence, building technology that helps organizations Organize Data, Discover Truth, and Act on It.
As a Lead Data Engineer, you are the technical leader for your team: hands-on, design focused, and accountable for elevating engineering quality. You'll drive architectural decisions, guide how systems are built, and mentor others to deliver high-performance, cloud-native data systems. You will work across modern data tooling, including Databricks, Kafka, dbt, and Snowflake, to directly support some of the most mission critical legal processes worldwide.

Job Description and Requirements

What You'll Do

* Architect, build, and operate distributed data pipelines and services that process massive volumes of structured and unstructured data.

* Design and deliver scalable, secure, and observable data integration and ETL solutions using dbt to ensure end-to-end data integrity and availability.

* Partner with AI/ML engineers and data scientists to build data foundations that accelerate model training, experimentation, and production deployment.

* Drive improvements in data quality, lineage, reliability, and SLAs, shaping engineering standards for your team.

* Contribute reusable patterns, frameworks, and best practices that strengthen our Azure cloud-native data platform.

What You'll Bring

* 6+ years of experience in data engineering, backend engineering, or data architecture with substantial work on distributed systems and cloud-first data platforms.

* Deep understanding of data modeling, ETL/ELT design, and workflow orchestration.

* Proven ability to lead technical decisions within a team-breaking down complex problems, defining trade-offs, and driving alignment.

* Strong communication skills and the ability to explain complex data concepts to diverse audiences.

* A commitment to building systems that create clarity and insight through data, not just moving data from point A to point B.

Preferred Experience

* Expertise with Databricks and/or Azure-based data architectures.

* Background building systems that support ML workflows or AI-driven applications.

* Experience leading modernization or migration of large-scale data platforms.

* Strong understanding of observability and cost-optimization strategies for cloudbased data systems.

Relativity is committed to competitive, fair, and equitable compensation practices.

This position is eligible for total compensation which includes a competitive base salary, an annual performance bonus, and long-term incentives.

The expected salary range for this role is between following values:

$150,000 and $224,000

The final offered salary will be based on several factors, including but not limited to the candidate's depth of experience, skill set, qualifications, and internal pay equity. Hiring at the top end of the range would not be typical, to allow for future meaningful salary growth in this position.

Required Skills:

Documentations, Innovation, Leadership, Problem Solving, Process Improvements, Project Management, Quality Assurance (QA), Risk Management, Technical Knowledge, Troubleshooting

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