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Independent Contractor Databricks Jobs in Pennsylvania

Branding Brand

Senior Backend Engineer

Pittsburgh, PA · Remote

$25 - $70/hr

... Databricks as the long-term data store. The workload is bursty and high throughput, so the role ... The candidate must be located in the United States and able to work as an independent contractor.

Branding Brand

Senior Backend Engineer

Pittsburgh, PA · On-site

$25/hr

... Databricks as the long-term data store. The workload is bursty and high throughput, so the role ... The candidate must be located in the United States and able to work as an independent contractor.

All JobsIndependent Contractor Databricks JobsIndependent Contractor Databricks Jobs in Pennsylvania

Independent Contractor Databricks information

What skills and qualifications are needed to thrive as an independent contractor Databricks?

To thrive as an Independent Contractor Databricks, you need a solid background in data engineering, big data analytics, and proficiency with Apache Spark, typically supported by a degree in computer science or a related field. Familiarity with Databricks platform, cloud services (such as AWS or Azure), and relevant certifications like Databricks Certified Data Engineer are highly beneficial. Strong problem-solving, communication, and self-management skills help you deliver solutions independently and collaborate effectively with clients. These skills are essential for delivering robust data solutions, meeting client expectations, and staying competitive in a rapidly evolving data landscape.

What is the difference between Independent Contractor Databricks vs Data Engineer?

AspectIndependent Contractor DatabricksData Engineer
CredentialsOften requires Databricks certifications, SQL, Python, cloud platform knowledgeRequires similar certifications, SQL, Python, cloud skills, sometimes specific to cloud providers
Work EnvironmentFreelance, project-based, remote or on-siteFull-time, corporate or tech company, hybrid or on-site
Employer & IndustryClients across industries, consulting firms, startupsTech companies, finance, healthcare, large enterprises

While both roles require data processing skills and cloud platform knowledge, Independent Contractor Databricks typically involves project-based freelance work with a focus on Databricks platform expertise. Data Engineers often work full-time within organizations, handling broader data pipeline responsibilities. The key difference lies in employment status and work setup.

What is an independent contractor Databricks?

Independent Contractor Databricks are professionals who work on a contract basis, rather than as full-time employees, to provide expertise using Databricks' unified analytics platform. They are typically hired by organizations to help with data engineering, machine learning, and big data analytics projects, leveraging Databricks' capabilities on Apache Spark. These contractors often bring specialized knowledge in cloud platforms, data pipelines, and advanced analytics, working independently or as part of project teams. Their flexible engagement allows companies to scale their data initiatives without committing to permanent hires.

What are common challenges faced by independent contractor Databricks professionals when onboarding with new clients?

Independent Contractor Databricks professionals often encounter challenges such as adapting to diverse data environments and integrating Databricks with existing infrastructure. Each client may have unique data governance policies, security requirements, and legacy systems, requiring contractors to quickly learn and align with these standards. Additionally, contractors must efficiently communicate with both technical and non-technical stakeholders to understand project goals and deliver value within tight timelines. Building rapport with in-house teams and demonstrating expertise early on can help overcome these onboarding hurdles.
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Independent Contractor Databricks jobs near you

Senior Backend Engineer

Branding Brand

Pittsburgh, PA • Remote

$25 - $70/hr

Contractor

Re-posted 24 days ago

Job description

Senior Backend Engineer


Branding Brand is hiring a Senior Backend Engineer for a 12-week contract engagement (June 2026 to August 2026) to design and ship a new backend service to production for one of our clients. You will own delivery end-to-end of a reactive Java service built on Spring WebFlux, deployed on Kubernetes, with Redis for caching and Databricks as the long-term data store. The workload is bursty and high throughput, so the role requires solid instincts for idempotency, at-least-once delivery, and scaling under burst load.

This is a fully remote contract position. The candidate must be located in the United States and able to work as an independent contractor. No C2C.


Key Responsibilities:

Design and build:

  • Own the design and end-to-end implementation of a new backend service in Java 21 and Spring WebFlux
  • Build reactive, nonblocking HTTP endpoints that are racesafe and idempotent under retry
  • Make architecture decisions on caching, write paths, error handling, and scaling, and document the tradeoffs

Scale and operate:

  • Design the Redis caching layer for hot reads, idempotency de-dupe, and readthrough patterns
  • Design the async write path from the service to Databricks (queue or stream, batch writer, retry semantics)
  • Configure Kubernetes deployments, horizontal pod autoscaling, and graceful shutdown for safe deploys
  • Author K6 load tests for both steadystate and bursty traffic patterns
  • Wire up structured logging, metrics, and alerting for production critical paths

Support & maintain:

  • Troubleshoot issues across the API, caching, and datawrite layers in development and production
  • Participate in design reviews, code reviews, and Agile ceremonies
  • Provide production support through the contract period, including issue triage and resolution

Tech Stack:

  • Language and framework: Java 21, Spring WebFlux, Project Reactor
  • API Gateway: Apigee
  • Caching: Redis
  • Data store: Databricks (longterm, analytical), accessed via async batched writes
  • Messaging and async: SQS, Kafka, or Kinesis
  • Container platform: Kubernetes
  • Performance testing: K6
  • Cloud: AWS or Azure

Required Skills and Qualifications:

  • 6+ years of backend development experience
  • Hands-on experience with reactive programming and Project Reactor (Mono, Flux, non-blocking IO)
  • Production experience with Java and Spring WebFlux building RESTful or reactive microservices
  • Experience designing for idempotency, retries, and at least once delivery semantics
  • Comfort designing and operating services under bursty, high throughput workloads
  • Experience operating production services in a major public cloud such as Azure or AWS
  • Familiarity with data warehouse or lakehouse platforms (Databricks, Snowflake, BigQuery) as integration targets from an application service
  • Experience load testing services with K6, Gatling, Locust, JMeter, or equivalent
  • Commitment to secure coding practices and ongoing security awareness
  • Strong problem solving and communication skills


Qualifications:

Education:

Bachelor's degree in computer science, Information Systems, Business, or related

field


Preferred Attributes:


6+ years experience


About Us:

Branding Brand launched in 2008 as an interactive marketing firm and quickly evolved into the largest and fastest growing provider of mobile commerce apps and sites for retailers.


Branding Brand is a supporter of the Whitehouse Equal Pay Pledge, and a Top Workplaces award winner.


Branding Brand is also an equal opportunity employer. We seek applicants of diverse backgrounds and hire without regard to race, color, gender, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, individuals with disabilities, age, sexual orientation, protected veterans, or any other characteristic protected by law.


The hourly rate for this position is $25/hr-$70/hr.

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