15 MIN READ

How to hire freelance ETL developers in 2024

Updated on October 09, 2024
Platforms to find talented ETL developers
Toptal

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Upwork
  • Secure payments
  • Fixed-price protection
  • Expert-Vetted program
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Arc.dev
  • Vetted developers
  • Fast hiring solution
  • Qualified developers
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Kelly Wilson
Written by Kelly Wilson

Strategist and entrepreneur, with experience in hiring developers across various industries. Kelly has established herself as a trusted expert in identifying and recruiting top tech talent. She shares advanced tips on how to identify the right talent, create hiring strategies, develop your tech teams and much more.

Expertise: IT Recruiting, Tech, Marketing

An ETL developer specializes in extracting, transforming, and loading data, the backbone for data warehousing solutions. The guide to hire ETL developers provides comprehensive insights, including a list of the top online marketplaces, the essential skills to consider, and the cost of hiring an experienced ETL developer. Hiring managers and business owners can use this resource to make informed decisions when looking for talent.

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Here are the top 15 sites to hire freelance ETL developers

Based on facts publicly available as of 01.01.2024

1. Toptal

Toptal connects companies searching for the best ETL developers. The site narrows down the pool to the top 3% of engineering talent worldwide using a rigorous screening process. They take the guesswork out of hiring by providing professionals tailored to meet your business goals and technical requirements. This is the ideal freelance marketplace for businesses seeking top-tier ETL expertise.

Key Points:

  • Enjoy a risk-free trial for up to 5 days.
  • Completed over 60,000 projects for 25K+ satisfied clients.
  • Trustpilot rating of 4.8 out of 5.

2. Upwork

Upwork is a popular freelance marketplace offering various ETL developers with varying skills and experience levels. Clients can review portfolios and client feedback to make informed decisions before hiring. The site’s broad outreach allows you to search through talent worldwide.

Key Points:

  • Upwork is one of the largest networks of freelancers online.
  • They offer flexible pricing options for every budget.
  • The platform’s screening process is less sophisticated than others.

3. Arc.dev

Arc is a vast platform for companies to hire tech professionals, including freelance ETL developers, with a pool of over 250,000 software programmers. They provide a comprehensive range of vetted talent through a Silicon Valley-caliber vetting process that adds an extra layer of trust. This ensures you secure top-tier ETL professionals for your projects.

Key Points:

  • Arc offers freelance and full-time hiring options to suit different project needs.
  • The platform serves many clients, from startups to extensive corporations.
  • Their streamlined process minimizes the risk and time involved in hiring.

4. Turing

Turing offers pre-vetted remote talent within just four days, allowing you to streamline hiring when you want to find ETL developers. The platform searches for developers specializing in multiple areas, such as data modeling, SQL, and analytics. They also ensure your hiring options have strong communication and problem-solving skills. The services cater to businesses of every size.

Key Points:

  • Turing offers comprehensive skill testing to ensure only top-tier ETL developers.
  • They have an AI-driven system to match developers to projects efficiently.
  • Their process strongly focuses on communication and problem-solving skills for remote work.

5. CodeMonk

CodeMonk specializes in providing tech talent. They help companies hire ETL developers focusing on agility and business needs. CodeMonk serves a diverse client base, including those in complex digital and financial services. Sean Hederman, CIO of Zilch Technologies, praises the platform, stating, “CodeMonk is the right place where we can get the right mix of talent, certifications, and compliance — all in one place.”

Key Points:

  • CodeMonk provides a one-stop solution for building tech teams.
  • The platform supports the remote-first approach, redefining employer-employee relationships.
  • They empower high-caliber tech talent with better pay and career opportunities.

6. Borderless Mind

BorderlessMind provides dedicated ETL developers and a range of other tech talents to businesses of all sizes. They offer local and offshore resources and a quick turnaround time. You can find freelance ETL developers that work exclusively for you remotely.

Key Points:

  • BorderlessMind offers quick and easy access to experienced ETL developers ready to work.
  • They offer a broad range of technical talents beyond ETL developers.
  • Clients can require clear communication strategies tailored to their projects.

7. Proxify

Proxify matches top-notch talent with businesses in need of specific skills. If you need to hire freelance ETL developers, Proxify offers quick and impactful solutions. With a 94% success rate, the company has an extensive network of over 3,000 freelancers across 35 countries. They focus on speed, quality, and personalized service, making them ideal for companies of all sizes seeking quality and efficiency.

Key Points:

  • Proxify excels in hiring to match companies with talent quickly.
  • The site’s values emphasize customer satisfaction.
  • They clocked over 350,000 hours worked and have more than 1,000 happy clients.

8. Skuad

Skuad specializes in helping companies tap into global talent pools for diverse and distributed teams. Offering over two decades of human resources experience, they streamline the process of hiring ETL developers and other professionals. All talent available on their site works remotely from any part of the world, which allows companies to diversify their workforce without geographical constraints.

Key Points:

  • Skuad promotes team flexibility to foster job satisfaction.
  • The platform accesses high-quality ETL developers worldwide.
  • They have over 20 years of HR experience.

9. Seraro

Seraro provides top-notch ETL development and Informatica consultant staffing services out of Atlanta, Georgia. With a focus on IT recruitment, the agency excels in matching clients with the best ETL developers suited to meet specific data transformation and integration needs. They pride themself on quick and efficient hiring processes.

Key Points:

  • Seraro staff are experts in ETL processes.
  • The company offers a high-quality pool of talent.
  • Their expert IT recruiters ensure a match with client-specific requirements.

10. Freelancer

Freelancer.com serves companies of every experience level in finding talent based on their project and industry needs. They specialize in various fields like data entry, software development, and engineering. They offer streamlined hiring processes tailored to your needs and are perfect for companies looking for a rapid project turnaround.

Key Points:

  • Freelancer.com has an extensive global network of developers from over 247 countries.
  • They have an interface that is easy to navigate.
  • Their experts often have multiple disciplines.

11. Revelo

Revelo is a remote work marketplace that connects companies with world-class, English-proficient, full-time, remote ETL developers situated in U.S. time zones. They make hiring hassle-free with comprehensive payroll, taxes, and local compliance support. They even allow you to use their service for a free trial period.

Key Points:

  • Revelo allows for easy coordination with freelance ETL developers in U.S. time zones.
  • They allow you to secure a new candidate at no additional cost if not satisfied after a 14-day trial.
  • Their vetting process attracts top-tier talent.

12. CloudEmployee

CloudEmployee provides a streamlined service to build and scale your remote development team quickly, connecting you with ETL developers within 1-2 weeks. They cater to startups, SMEs, and large businesses, using their extensive database of professionals to ensure a perfect match for diverse client needs across 15 countries.

Key Points:

  • You can hire ETL developers from CloudEmployee’s pool of over 100,000 IT professionals.
  • They match quickly for companies with tight deadlines.
  • CloudEmployee has offices in four cities to ensure global reach for talent acquisition.

13. UpStack

UpStack offers a seamless solution for companies looking to hire freelance ETL developers. They leverage advanced AI and personal interviews, matching business needs with vetted, senior-level developers. They promise to cut the hiring process down to hours instead of weeks. Their unique blend of technology and personalized screening ensures an excellent fit, allowing you to onboard developers who can contribute immediately.

Key Points:

  • UpStack uses advanced algorithms to make the hiring process fast and accurate.
  • They specialize in providing highly skilled developers.
  • The platform accounts for time-zone differences to make collaboration easier.

14. Aegis

Aegis provides IT staffing solutions, particularly for data-driven roles like ETL developers. The company offers project-based and full-time hiring options, catering to various industry sectors like healthcare, finance, and e-commerce. Their unique vetting process ensures a high level of expertise and skill matching.

Key Points:

  • Aegis offers flexible hiring options.
  • They have a wide range of IT staffing solutions not limited to hiring ETL developers.
  • Their platform is most useful for companies in data-driven industries.

15. Allshore Virtual Staffing

Allshore Virtual Staffing provides rigorously vetted remote ETL professionals, guaranteeing high-quality expertise in data management for clients. They focus on technical and English-language skills. The platform makes it easier to hire freelance ETL developers who can seamlessly integrate into your company.

Key Points:

  • Allshore offers high flexibility to scale your team as needed.
  • The site is best for companies that need specialized remote talent.
  • They place a strong emphasis on English language skills for smooth communication.

Guide to hiring great freelance ETL developers

Finding a skilled ETL developer is critical in today’s data-centric world. These specialists manage data from extraction to warehousing. They directly affect the success of various projects, including analytics and machine learning. Understanding how to hire ETL experts is increasingly complex due to the rapidly evolving technologies and fluctuating market trends. Consider the stages of the ETL process and how it can benefit your business.

ETL Process

Emerging tech like cloud-based solutions and big data platforms demand a continuously updated skill set from ETL developers. Moreover, the rise in remote work has expanded the talent pool while heightening competition as global companies seek top-ranking candidates. Salary expectations can vary widely based on location, experience, and unique skill sets, complicating the hiring process further.

Use this guide to streamline the hiring process and provide a robust hiring framework accounting for the intricacies of the role. We included a comprehensive set of skills to look for in a qualified candidate and offer tips for assessing soft skills like problem-solving and successful collaboration. Consider these examples of successful ETL implementations in different industries.

IndustryUseOutcome
HealthcareTo integrate data from electronic medical records systems and other clinical data repositoriesStreamline the process of developing a comprehensive patient profile for better decision-making
RetailTo integrate data from point-of-sale and inventory management systemsAllow for more accurate inventory planning, saving money, and better forecasting of demand
Financial servicesTo integrate data from risk management and reading systemsImprove understanding of trading activity and allow professionals to assess risks better

Hiring a Freelance ETL Developer

When you hire a freelance ETL developer, you want someone who can flexibly adapt to project-specific needs. Freelancers can scale their contributions up or down depending on your timeline and ensure all high-priority tasks come first. Hiring remote talent also expands the pool of candidates, rather than limiting your access to local expertise. Instead, you can tap into global talent with skills that more efficiently meet your needs, expediting project completion and elevating the quality of work to make your business more competitive.

What Does an ETL Developer Do?

An ETL engineer is instrumental in designing, implementing, and maintaining data integration solutions. These professionals extract data from various sources, such as databases, flat files, and external APIs. They transform the data to fit a standardized structure and load it into a data warehouse to make it accessible for business intelligence and data analytics applications.

Their responsibilities are critical and extend beyond data transfer to focus on data quality, consistency, and performance optimization. As Rick Van der Linden, a senior ETL expert at Passionned, notes, “If the overall ETL process takes too long, it won’t be ready in the morning, and the numbers on your dashboard won’t be uploaded. So, the key is to make sure your ETL can run quickly and is done on time.”

Related skills in the field include a strong understanding of SQL and other query languages, expertise in ETL tools like Talend or Microsoft SSIS, and a solid grasp of data warehousing. Knowledge of programming languages like Python or Java and familiarity with stream processing frameworks like Apache Kafka are also helpful skills in data analysis.

Why hire ETL developers? Companies operating on a large data scale or undergoing digital transformations can access accurate and actionable data, helping them make intelligent business decisions. ETL developers are central to projects focused on operational development, data migration and analytics, and master data management. They also play an essential role in machine learning projects by preparing and transforming data sets for model training.

In addition to expediting data analytics and decision-making, ETL developers for hire bring several essential functions to an organization. They improve data efficiency by understanding the company’s specific data challenges and proposing tailor-made solutions through ETL processes. By making data more easily accessible in real-time, ETL developers facilitate greater data availability, consumption, and awareness of key business metrics across all departments. This enables even non-technical staff to interact with data visualizations and reports seamlessly.

There are several roles to consider when you hire dedicated ETL engineers. They actively collaborate with project managers and senior business stakeholders to understand the nuances of your operational challenges. In this way, ETL developers serve more than just a technical function. They are integral team members who contribute to solving real-world problems.

How To Hire ETL Developers

The first step in your hiring process is to thoroughly assess your project needs and identify core requirements for the job that align with your company objectives. The right candidate should have the technical skills to analyze your company’s big-picture data needs. Consider their education levels and related fields, such as computer science and information technology. Their educational backgrounds lay the foundation for their chosen disciplines.

Extensive knowledge of coding languages, such as Java, XML, and SQL, is essential. However, they also need proficiency in warehousing architecture techniques to distinguish them as top-tier talent in the industry. Look for candidates who exhibit strong project management skills, which are critical for steering ETL projects to successful completion.

Differentiating between junior, mid-level, and highly skilled talent often comes down to the depth of their skill set and years of experience. Junior ETL developers may meet basic requirements like coding and have a foundational understanding of warehousing. Mid-level developers generally bring a few more years of demonstrable experience and may have a stronger background in project management. Highly skilled ETL developers offer technical proficiency and the ability to troubleshoot problems to find effective solutions. They can often communicate these solutions clearly, making them valuable leaders in cross-functional collaboration.

Choosing the correct level of experience will depend on the scope of your projects. Junior talent could be more suitable for less challenging work and will cost less. However, they may require more leeway for mistakes and additional supervision. Mid-level developers can work more autonomously on more complex projects. Highly skilled developers will cost more but are necessary for challenging work that requires more collaborative measures. Evaluate candidates for their technical skills and their strategic understanding of data, project management, and communication.

What Skills To Look For When Hiring an ETL Developer

As you define the job requirements for your open position, you want to create a comprehensive approach that balances technical and soft skills. This ensures the candidate can not only perform the tasks at hand but also fit well with the company’s established culture. Consider the mandatory technical competencies, which often include a strong education background. Given that 76% of ETL developers have a bachelor’s degree, this is a key baseline for academic qualifications. A smaller percentage may even have a master’s degree, indicating deeper specialization.

ETL developer skills should include technical proficiencies:

  • Ability to determine data storage requirements
  • Understanding of commonly used coding languages, such as Java, XML, and SQL
  • Use of warehousing techniques like MOLAP, ROLAP, ODS, DM, and EDW
  • Ability to create data flow models for ETL applications
  • Aptitude for translating data access, transformation, and mobility needs into functional requirements.

Soft skills are just as important when onboarding someone who will work closely with clients or other departments in your organization:

  • Ability to articulate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders
  • Aptitude for diagnosing issues and finding viable solutions promptly
  • Strong organizational and multitasking skills
  • Flexibility to adapt to rapidly changing tech
  • Capability to collaborate with multiple teams on a project

Finally, assess the cultural fit of your favorite candidates. Will they align with your working style and values? This can be a game-changer in how effectively the new hire integrates into the team. Balancing technical ability with soft skills and cultural fit will help in the hiring process.

How Much Does It Cost To Hire ETL Developers?

The average salary for a full-time ETL developer in the U.S. is roughly $101,087 annually. However, some expect cash bonuses, commissions, and profit sharing, which can raise the annual cost by approximately $13,000 per year. When you hire remote ETL developers on a case-by-case basis, you may pay a fixed cost per project or hourly.

Tips for Writing an ETL Developer Job Description

When writing your ETL developer job description, start with the technical and soft skills required to hold the position successfully. Highlight upcoming projects that show your company goals and how the right candidate will contribute to them and the business. This not only attracts top talent but also gives them a sense of the impact they can make.

Consider using a blend of technical assessments, behavioral interviews, and pair programming exercises to assess a well-rounded candidate. Technical assessments gauge their skill levels but cannot speak to their character. Behavioral interviews evaluate soft skills, and pair programming exercises show how they use technical skills in a teamwork setting.

Look for evidence of communication skills, problem-solving abilities, and teamwork during the interview process. Implement processes that allow you to minimize bias, such as blind screening and consistency in your questioning and competency. This helps you further your goals of diversity and inclusivity to create a stronger team.

Common Interview Questions To Ask When You Are Looking To Hire an ETL Developer

During the interview process, a hiring manager should ask questions to assess the technical expertise and soft skills of candidates. The following are helpful questions to consider asking and a basic desirable answer for each:

  • How do you ensure data quality in an ETL process? The candidate should discuss methods like data profiling, validation checks, and error-handling techniques to maintain data integrity and quality.
  • Can you describe a challenging ETL project you worked on and how you overcame those challenges? Look for an answer that demonstrates problem-solving abilities and technical skills. Evidence of teamwork is a bonus.
  • What programming languages are you comfortable with, and why do you prefer them for ETL tasks? While expertise in Java, XML, or SQL is desirable, the reasoning behind their choice will offer insight into their skill level and preferences.
  • How do you keep up with the latest trends and technologies in the ETL domain? Candidates might mention courses they take, industry news outlets they follow, and conferences they attend.
  • Describe a time when you had to collaborate with other departments or teams on an ETL project. They should highlight team efforts and communication methods, emphasizing how collaboration helped the project.

This is not a comprehensive list of questions, but it can guide your efforts for a more informed hiring process.

How To Find Freelance ETL Developers for Hire

To find ETL developers, explore options like freelance marketplaces, job boards, and outsourcing agencies. Sites to hire ETL developers vary in offerings. Toptal provides fast, hands-off hiring of top-tier talent. Upwork simplifies the hiring process for speed. Turing excels in timezone matching. Evaluate these factors to find candidates most appropriate for your project and company.

Hiring the right ETL developer is important for leveraging your data effectively. From defining job requirements to choosing the right hiring platform, a strategic approach ensures project success and long-term benefits.

Hiring ETL developers - FAQs

How To Hire ETL Developers
Clear job requirements encompassing technical and soft skills are the first step. After creating your job description, take it to job boards, freelance marketplaces, and networking events to attract candidates. Utilize a variety of interview methodologies to assess skills and cultural fit. Consider factors like project needs, company culture, and the level of expertise required to choose between junior, mid-level, and senior developers.
Why Should You Hire an ETL Developer?
An ETL developer specializes in extract, transform, and load processes. They design, build, and manage the data architectures required to consolidate disparate data into a usable format, enabling better decision-making. ETL developers ensure data accuracy, improve efficiency in data management, and make data easily accessible across the organization. Hiring someone with these skills is vital for companies looking to gain valuable insights from their data.
Where Can I Hire ETL Developers?

Toptal, Upwork, Arc, Turing, and CodeMonk are our top choices for sites to hire ETL developers. Explore more on our complete list of best sites.

How Much Does It Cost To Hire an ETL Developer?

The average cost of hiring ETL developers can vary based on several factors. For example, the scope of your project needs, whether you plan to hire full or part-time, and the experience level needed. On average, ETL developers in the U.S. make between $95,000 and $138,000 annually.

Are ETL Developers in Demand?

ETL technology is in high demand due to the surge in data-driven decision-making processes in organizations. Businesses increasingly rely on big data and analytics to gain competitive advantages, and ETL developers play a critical role in making data accessible and actionable. Their skills are essential for data integration, transformation, and, ultimately, drawing valuable insights. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, administrators and architects in database work can expect an 8% growth in the industry by 2032.

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