Contract Data Engineer – 6 Month Contract, 1-2 days a week Leicester. My client are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Data Engineer to join them on a 6-month contract basis. The ideal candidate will have strong experience in Microsoft Fabric and be responsible for designing, optimising, and maintaining scalable data pipelines and architectures. You will collaborate closely with data analysts, BI developers, and software engineers to ensure reliable data availability and efficient processing that supports data analytics and key business decision making. Every role is essential to creating impact – and this one is no different. As a Contract Data Engineer, you’ll play a vital part in building systems that lead the way, ensuring robust, scalable, and high-performing data solutions that drive value and insight. What you’ll do * Design, build, and maintain scalable data pipelines and transformation processes using Microsoft Fabric components (Data Factory, OneLake, Dataflows, Notebooks). * Develop and manage data models that support advanced analytics solutions. * Create metadata-driven ETL processes, integrating data from diverse sources (cloud and on-premise) into centralised, governed environments. * Implement metadata-driven pipelines to handle dynamic ingestion, transformation, and routing by customer to segregated containers. * Ensure data quality, integrity, consistency, security, governance, and compliance with industry standards across all storage layers. * Monitor performance, optimise data models, and improve cost efficiency of Fabric components. * Collaborate with analysts, BI developers, and engineers to translate business requirements into technical solutions. * Troubleshoot and resolve complex data-related issues. * Apply best practices in coding standards, testing, deployment, and documentation. What they're looking for * Proven experience as a Data Engineer or in a similar role. * Strong track record delivering Row-Level Security (RLS), Tenant-Level Security (TLS), and multi-tenant data solutions. * Proficiency in Python, T-SQL, Power Query, and KQL. * Strong knowledge of Microsoft Fabric (Data Factory, pipelines, Notebooks, Lakehouses). * Familiarity with Microsoft security and governance frameworks (Purview, RBAC). * Solid understanding of CI/CD practices within Azure DevOps. * Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills. Desirable: * Knowledge of the machine learning lifecycle. * Experience with Azure Machine Learning or other cloud-based ML platforms for deploying and managing models. Contract Details * Role: Data Engineer (Contract) * Duration: 6 months * Location: Hybrid / Remote flexibility (as applicable) * Day Rate: Competitive, depending on experience