AI Data Engineer for SMEs | Ongoing Freelance Partnership

We're expanding our trusted bench of technical specialists who deliver client work for small and medium-sized businesses across the UK and international markets. This is an ongoing freelance opportunity for a data engineer who wants flexible, high-quality project work and the chance to become a go-to delivery partner as our client base grows. We're not looking for analysts who've run a few SQL queries or generalists who occasionally touch data. We want someone who has built real data pipelines and infrastructure for real businesses, and who can turn messy, scattered, inconsistent business data into clean, reliable, usable systems that downstream automations and AI workflows depend on. What You'll Work On ● Design, build, and maintain data pipelines that move and transform data between business systems — CRMs, ERPs, databases, spreadsheets, APIs, and third-party tools. ● Build and manage data warehouses and storage layers (e.g. BigQuery, Snowflake, Postgres) that serve as a clean source of truth for SME clients. ● Develop ETL/ELT processes, handle data cleaning and validation, and ensure data quality, integrity, and consistency across sources. ● Prepare and structure data to feed AI workflows, agents, reporting dashboards, and operational automations built by the wider team. ● Set up and maintain cloud data infrastructure, including environments, scheduling, monitoring, and production-ready deployment. ● Improve, troubleshoot, and maintain live data systems for ongoing client engagements. ● Support solution scoping when needed by translating data possibilities and constraints into plain English for non-technical clients. ● You may use tools such as dbt, Airflow, Fivetran, n8n, or similar where appropriate, but strong data engineering fundamentals matter more than experience with any one specific tool. What We're Looking For ● Hands-on experience building data pipelines, ETL/ELT systems, or data infrastructure for clients or businesses, with examples you can share. ● Strong SQL and solid command of at least one programming language used for data work (Python preferred). ● Experience with data warehousing and modelling — designing schemas, transformations, and structures that hold up as data grows. ● Experience integrating and extracting data from APIs, databases, webhooks, and business platforms. ● Experience with cloud data infrastructure, including the ability to set up environments, schedule jobs, deploy, and manage production systems. ● Comfortable owning data delivery end to end, from ingestion through to a clean, usable output. ● Good written English and the ability to explain technical decisions clearly. ● Reliable delivery habits, sensible judgment, and comfort working inside a client-services environment. Nice To Have ● Experience preparing data specifically for AI, LLM, or machine learning workflows. ● Experience with BI and reporting tools (e.g. Looker, Power BI, Metabase) for client-facing dashboards. ● Experience with data governance, privacy, or compliance considerations (useful for UK/EU clients under GDPR). ● Previous agency or freelance client delivery experience. How This Role Works ● This is an ongoing freelance partnership rather than a fixed full-time role. ● Work will come in project by project, with some weeks busier than others, so it suits someone who values flexibility and wants recurring opportunities as part of a strong delivery bench. ● Strong performers will be prioritised for future work and will get exposure to UK and international SME client projects across multiple industries. ● As our client base grows, there is scope to become one of our core technical delivery partners. What You Get ● Flexible, recurring project work without needing to commit to a single fixed schedule. ● Exposure to UK and international clients across a range of SME use cases. ● Variety in the work, with opportunities to build data systems that power operations, customer support, sales, and internal automation. ● Direct ownership of delivery and the chance to help shape data standards as the bench grows. ● A path to becoming a preferred long-term delivery partner as the business scales. To Apply, Please Send 1. One short example of the strongest data pipeline, warehouse, or data infrastructure project you have built, with a link if possible. Tell us what the data looked like before and after. 2. A recent CV/resume or LinkedIn profile showing relevant experience. 3. A short note on your experience with data pipelines, warehousing, and cloud deployment. 4. Your typical weekly availability.