How to Attract Data Engineers When the Best Talent Has Options

Data Engineers have become an increasingly important hire as businesses invest in cloud infrastructure, analytics and AI. At the same time, the skills employers need are becoming more specific, giving experienced Data Engineers plenty to consider when choosing their next opportunity.

Earlier UK Government research into the data skills gap found that 46% of businesses recruiting for roles requiring data skills had struggled to recruit them, highlighting the longer-term challenge around accessing specialist data capability.

At MCS, our Data & AI recruitment team speaks to technology professionals across the market every day. What attracts a Data Engineer is rarely one thing. Salary matters, but so do the technical environment, the problems they will solve, opportunities to develop and the flexibility around how they work.

So, what should employers consider when recruiting Data Engineers, and what makes an opportunity worth exploring?

What Is the Difference Between a Data Engineer, Data Analyst and Data Scientist?

Data roles increasingly work alongside one another, but they are not interchangeable.

A Data Engineer is primarily responsible for creating and maintaining the infrastructure that makes data accessible and reliable. This can include building pipelines, integrating different data sources, modelling data and maintaining cloud data environments.

A Data Analyst uses that data to answer business questions, identify trends and support decision-making. Their work is generally closer to reporting, visualisation and translating information into useful commercial insight.

A Data Scientist typically works more closely with statistical analysis, predictive modelling and machine learning, using data to identify patterns and develop models.

There are adjacent roles too. A Data Architect may focus on the wider structure and standards governing an organisation's data environment, while a Machine Learning Engineer is more likely to focus on building and deploying machine learning systems into production.

Within smaller technology teams, there can naturally be overlap between these responsibilities.

MCS Tip

If you're unsure whether you need a Data Engineer, Data Analyst or Data Scientist, start with what you need that person to achieve. At MCS, our IT recruitment team can work with you to understand the requirement, shape the technical brief and give you insight into the relevant skills and candidates available in the market.

What Skills Should You Look for When Hiring a Data Engineer?

Data Engineering briefs can become broad quickly, particularly where several technologies sit within the same team.

Current Northern Ireland vacancy data within the research for this article shows Python and SQL appearing frequently in Data Engineering adverts, alongside cloud platforms and technologies including Azure, AWS, GCP, Databricks, Snowflake, Spark and Airflow.

Technical requirements will depend on the organisation and its existing environment. The important distinction is between experience somebody genuinely needs before joining and technology a strong Data Engineer could reasonably learn. Someone with strong experience building scalable data pipelines in AWS, for example, may have highly transferable skills for an organisation working in Azure.

MCS Tip

Before taking a Data Engineer role to market, it can help to divide the requirements into three areas:

• Must have: Skills someone genuinely needs from day one
• Useful to have: Technology or sector experience that could make onboarding easier
• Can learn: Skills a strong Data Engineer could realistically develop in the role

At MCS, this is part of the conversation we have with clients when shaping technical briefs. Our IT recruitment team can help you review the requirements, understand what the candidate market looks like and identify where there may be flexibility without compromising on the quality of the hire.

This can open the opportunity to strong candidates who may not match every line of the original specification but have the core Data Engineering skills, experience and potential the business needs.

What Do Data Engineers Look for in a New Job?

For somebody already established in a Data Engineer job, moving company means leaving behind systems, colleagues and technical knowledge they may have spent years developing.

The next opportunity therefore needs to give them a reason to explore it. From the conversations our Technology recruitment team has with candidates, that isn't necessarily one individual factor. Salary may be important, but the technical challenge, opportunity to build something new, greater ownership, career development or a different working environment can all form part of the decision.

Candidates may want to understand:

• What will I actually be building?
• What does the current data architecture look like?
• Which technologies will I work with?
• How mature is the data function?
• How much technical ownership will I have?
• Who will I work alongside?
• How important is data to the wider business?
• What investment is planned in data, cloud or AI?

There isn't one technical environment that will appeal to every Data Engineer.

Some people enjoy the challenge of modernising legacy infrastructure. Others want greenfield projects. Some want to join established teams with defined engineering practices, while others are attracted to the opportunity to help build those practices. Being clear about the environment helps the right candidates recognise why the opportunity might suit them.

MCS Tip

Sell the problem as well as the tech stack.

Python, SQL, Azure and Databricks tell a candidate what they might use. They don't tell them what they will get to build, change or influence.

Giving candidates context around the challenge, team and impact of the position can make a technical job description much more meaningful.

What Career Progression Is Available for Data Engineers?

Progression in Data Engineering doesn't always mean leaving technical work behind to manage people.

For some candidates, the next step might be a Senior Data Engineer position with greater ownership of architecture, standards or complex projects. Others may progress towards Lead Data Engineer, Data Architect, Engineering Manager, Head of Data or wider technology leadership.

Development can also mean gaining deeper expertise in areas such as:

• Cloud data engineering
• Data architecture
• Platform engineering
• AI and machine learning infrastructure
• Data governance
• Technical leadership

For employers, showing those routes can help candidates understand how a role fits into their longer-term career.

MCS Tip

Rather than simply saying there is "room to progress", show candidates what progression looks like within your organisation. Have other people progressed internally? Could the person take greater ownership of architecture or technical standards? Is there support for training and certifications? Can senior technical employees continue progressing without becoming people managers?

The clearer that picture is, the easier it is for candidates to understand what they could build towards.

Does Hybrid Working Matter When Hiring Data Engineers?

Working arrangements can influence the candidate market available to an employer, particularly within technology. Someone considering Data Engineer jobs in Belfast may also be able to consider hybrid or remote opportunities with businesses elsewhere in Northern Ireland, the wider UK or Ireland.

That doesn't mean every Data Engineering role needs to be remote. Office-based, hybrid and remote structures can all suit different organisations and candidates. What matters is making the expectation clear so people understand how the role would work in practice.

Where office attendance is important, context can help too. A business may want its Data Engineers working regularly alongside product, analytics or software teams, for example.

MCS Tip

Be specific about flexibility from the beginning. If the position is three days a week in Belfast, say so. If those days are flexible, explain that too. If there is a particular reason the team spends time together, give candidates that context.

That helps both sides establish early whether the working model is the right fit.

How Long Should the Data Engineer Recruitment Process Take?

There isn't one recruitment process that will work for every Data Engineer position. A senior or highly technical appointment may reasonably require more assessment than an earlier-career hire. What matters is that each stage has a clear purpose and candidates know what to expect.

A process could include:

• An initial conversation about the role and candidate's experience
• A relevant technical assessment or technical interview
• A conversation with the people they will work alongside
• Clear feedback and next steps

Technical assessments should also reflect the actual work involved in the position. The aim isn't necessarily to make the recruitment process as short as possible. It is to make each stage useful and keep the process moving when the right candidate is identified.

MCS Tip

Agree the recruitment process internally before interviews begin.

Know who needs to meet the candidate, what each stage is assessing and who will be involved in the final decision. At MCS, we support clients throughout the process, helping coordinate interviews, gather feedback and keep communication moving between both sides.

How Much Should You Pay a Data Engineer?

There isn't one salary that applies to every Data Engineer.

Salary can vary according to experience, technical expertise, seniority, location, sector and the level of responsibility within the role. A Data Engineer responsible for defined pipelines within an established team, for example, is likely to represent a different hire from a Senior or Lead Data Engineer responsible for architecture and technical direction.

• The overall package can matter too. Candidates may consider:
• Base salary
• Bonus and wider benefits
• Pension
• Hybrid or remote working
• Annual leave
• Training and certification support
• Career progression
• Technical ownership
• The projects and technologies they will work with

This is where salary benchmarking alongside wider candidate insight can be particularly useful.

MCS Tip

At MCS, we can support clients with salary benchmarking before a role goes live, alongside insight into candidate expectations and the wider technology market. That gives employers a clearer picture of how the opportunity is positioned before conversations with candidates begin. 

For more access to the latest recruitment trends and salaries in 2026, check out our leading salary survey. 

How Can You Attract Data Engineers Who Aren't Actively Job Hunting?

Not every suitable Data Engineer will be searching job boards when your vacancy goes live. Experienced technology professionals may already be comfortable in their current position. Reaching those candidates requires a different conversation from responding to somebody who has actively applied for a new role.

The substance of the opportunity becomes particularly important.

A passive candidate may be more likely to explore a conversation if the role offers something they aren't getting today, whether that is:

• A more interesting technical challenge
• Greater ownership
• Exposure to different technologies
• Career progression
• A different working model
• A stronger overall package
• The opportunity to build something new
• A business making significant investment in data

This is also where specialist recruitment can add value.

What Should Data Engineers Ask Before Accepting a New Job?

For candidates, having options can create its own challenge. Two Data Engineer jobs might offer similar salaries and use similar technologies while providing very different day-to-day experiences and career opportunities.

Before making your next move, it can be useful to ask:

• What will I actually be building?
• Which technologies will I use regularly?
• What does the existing data architecture look like?
• How mature is the organisation's data environment?
• Who will I work with and learn from?
• What does progression look like?
• Can I continue developing technically?
• How much ownership will I have?
• How does the business currently use data?
• What investment is planned in data and AI?
• What flexibility is available?
• Why is the organisation hiring this role now?

The right move isn't necessarily the opportunity with the longest list of new technologies. It is the one that gives you the right combination of challenge, development, environment and reward for where you want your career to go next.

How Can MCS Help You Hire Data Engineers?

Data Engineering is increasingly connected to some of the biggest technology investments businesses are making, from cloud transformation and analytics to AI.

For employers, attracting the right person starts with understanding what the role genuinely needs, what the candidate market looks like and what will make the opportunity relevant to the people you want to reach. At MCS, our specialist IT recruitment team works with clients to understand the requirement, review technical briefs and provide insight into the candidate market before and throughout the recruitment process.

We can support with:

• Defining the skills and experience required
• Understanding where requirements could flex
• Salary and market benchmarking
• Identifying active and passive candidates
• Positioning the opportunity to relevant technology professionals
• Coordinating interviews and candidate feedback
• Supporting both sides through offer and acceptance

From Data Engineer and Senior Data Engineer jobs to Data Science, Data Analytics, Software Engineering, Cloud, Cyber Security and wider IT jobs in Belfast and across Northern Ireland, our team works with technology professionals across a broad range of specialisms. For candidates, those same market conversations help us understand what you're looking for beyond a job title, so we can introduce opportunities that make sense for the next stage of your career.

Looking to hire? Speak to our technology recruitment team.

Considering your next move? Browse our latest IT jobs.