Role overview
A data engineer builds and maintains the pipelines and infrastructure that move, store and transform data so analysts and data scientists can use it reliably. In India they typically work with SQL, Python, Spark and cloud warehouses, designing ETL/ELT workflows, modelling data, and ensuring large datasets are clean, governed, performant and available when downstream teams need them.
A data engineer usually has around 1–8 yrs of experience and earns typically ₹6L–₹28L/yr in India. The day-to-day blends SQL, Python, Apache Spark and more — this page gives you a ready-to-use data engineer job description template you can copy, plus the exact skills and salary employers expect.
Key responsibilities
A data engineer is typically responsible for:
- Design, build and maintain ETL/ELT pipelines that ingest and transform data
- Model and manage data warehouses and lakes for analytical workloads
- Optimise large-scale data processing with Spark or distributed systems
- Ensure data quality, lineage and governance across the platform
- Orchestrate workflows with tools like Airflow and monitor pipeline health
- Integrate data from APIs, databases, streams and third-party sources
- Tune query and storage performance to control cost and latency
- Partner with analysts and data scientists on schema and data needs
Requirements & qualifications
To succeed as a data engineer, candidates usually need:
- Strong SQL and proficiency in Python or Scala
- Experience with data warehouses (Snowflake/BigQuery/Redshift) and ETL tools
- Familiarity with big-data frameworks such as Spark and orchestration with Airflow
- Understanding of data modelling, partitioning and pipeline reliability
- Working knowledge of a cloud platform (AWS, GCP or Azure)
Data Engineer skills
The most in-demand data engineer skills on listings today:
Not sure which of these you're missing? A free OnJob profile runs your CV against every live data engineer job and shows the exact skill gaps standing between you and a 100% match.
Typical salary & experience
Typical salary (India)
typically ₹6L–₹28L/yr
Experience range
1–8 yrs
These are typical ranges and vary by city, company and skills. For live, role-specific pay data, see the OnJob salary guide.
Data Engineer job description — FAQs
What does a data engineer do?
A data engineer builds the pipelines and infrastructure that collect, store and transform data so it's reliable and ready for analysis. Day to day that means writing ETL jobs, modelling warehouses, orchestrating workflows and keeping data quality high.
What is the difference between a data engineer and a data analyst?
A data engineer builds and maintains the data infrastructure and pipelines; a data analyst uses the resulting data to answer business questions. Engineers make data usable and reliable; analysts turn it into insight.
What tools do data engineers use in India?
Common tools include SQL, Python, Apache Spark for big data, Airflow for orchestration, and cloud warehouses like Snowflake, BigQuery or Redshift. Knowledge of Kafka and a cloud platform is a strong plus.
How much does a data engineer earn in India?
Entry-level data engineers typically earn ₹6L–₹11L per year, mid-level ₹13L–₹20L, and senior data engineers ₹24L+. Check our salary guide for current ranges.