data engineer recruitment agency and headhunters
your next data engineer, in good hands.
We combine our data, our data experts and our AI algorithms to identify the headhunter most relevant to your role, from a first data engineer to a lead data engineer.
- no setup fees, pay on hire
- guaranteed replacement
they hire their data engineers with muzzo
how do you hire a data engineer through a recruitment agency?
A data engineer builds and maintains the pipelines that feed your data, before any model gets built. Muzzo gives your role to the headhunters who hire the most data engineers: they check a pipeline genuinely running in production, not a list of tools. Fee of 5 to 30%, paid on hire. Leaves within 3 months: we restart the search free.
the figures
a data engineer's salary in figures
source: Apec, private-sector managerial pay in 111 job families, 2025 edition, p. 62 (Big Data) (opens a new window), 2025 data
source: Apec, private-sector managerial pay in 111 job families, 2025 edition, p. 62 (Big Data) (opens a new window), 2025 data
source: Apec, private-sector managerial pay in 111 job families, 2025 edition, p. 62 (Big Data) (opens a new window), 2025 data
how it works
you only pay if you hire
01
you describe the role
Using the form above: the role, your company, your data volume. The rest is scoped in your first conversation with the Muzzo team.
02
our data chooses the headhunters
Our AI picks those who have hired the most data engineers, from more than 2,500 selected headhunters.
03
you meet the best profiles
Approached and qualified by headhunters who are data experts. You choose who you meet.
04
you hire, then you pay
Not before. If your new hire leaves within 3 months, we restart the search at no cost.
they hired with muzzo
Muzzo's strength is the diversity of its recruiters: there is always someone listening to our needs.
With Muzzo, I get the reactivity of a marketplace and the quality of a search firm.
let's talk about your role
Antoine and the Muzzo team help you scope your role and choose the right headhunters. Describe your role in the form: we'll call you back to discuss it.
Antoine GigomasCEO and co-founder of Muzzo
one last question?
With Muzzo, you set the fee, between 5 and 30%, and you only pay it on hire: no deposit, no fixed fees. A first data engineer and a lead data engineer designing the whole architecture don't take the same search. The fee follows that scarcity.
You have a double guarantee. If your new hire leaves within 3 months, for example because the data volume or stack wasn't what was planned, we restart the search at no cost. If we find no replacement within 4 months, we refund 50% of the fees. On average, 94% of Muzzo hires are still in post after 3 months.
headhunters who hire data engineers are ready to start
A hire signed in under 26 days. You only pay when you hire.
the reality
without a data engineer, your other data profiles waste their time
a data scientist without a data engineer cleans files
Without reliable pipelines, a data scientist spends most of their time preparing data instead of building models. The data engineer lays that foundation.
the role is judged on reliability, not volume
A pipeline that fails over the weekend costs more than a modest but stable one. The headhunter checks what has held up in production, not just the scale claimed.
data engineer, analytics engineer, BI engineer: roles get confused
These roles partly overlap but need different tools. The headhunter starts from your actual stack (data warehouse, orchestrator, transformation tools), not a generic title.
the roles
the data engineer profiles our headhunters go after for you
From the first data source connected to a pipeline feeding a model in production, each role goes to a headhunter who knows this field.
data engineer
They collect, clean and make data usable, for data teams as much as for business teams. The most requested role in this family.
already hired via muzzo
experienced data engineer
They design the pipeline architecture, not just its execution, and choose the tools for the whole data team.
already hired via muzzo
lead data engineer
They manage a team of data engineers and own architecture choices in front of the rest of engineering. See also our engineering manager page for a broader management role.
already hired via muzzo
analytics engineer
Halfway between a data engineer and an analyst, they model data so it's directly usable in dashboards.
BI development engineer
They build the flows that feed reporting, often in organisations where data is mainly used for business intelligence.
already hired via muzzo
the method
a pipeline specialist headhunter, not a generalist data recruiter
A data engineer who builds pipelines and a data scientist who builds models aren't hired from the same networks. The method starts from this distinction.
we scope your stack and real data volume
Data warehouse, orchestrator, volume and frequency of data flows: the brief describes your actual data infrastructure, not just 'a data role'.
a headhunter who hires data engineers
From more than 2,500 selected headhunters, your role goes to those who hire the most on this specific specialism.
a pipeline checked, not a list of tools
The headhunter asks what was shipped to production, on what volume of data and with what measured reliability.
hiring a data engineer: what you need to know
why hire a data engineer before a data scientist?
A data engineer builds and maintains the pipelines that collect, clean and make data usable. Without this foundation, a data scientist or analytics engineer spends much of their time preparing files rather than producing value.
That's why most companies hire a data engineer first, even before knowing exactly which models they'll want to build next. For the full range of data and AI roles, see also our data and AI page.
data engineer or analytics engineer: what's the difference?
A data engineer designs the infrastructure that moves data: ingestion, storage, orchestration. An analytics engineer works one step further, modelling that data so business teams can use it directly in dashboards.
In a small team, one profile often does both. As data volume grows, these roles split: the headhunter helps you identify the point where that split becomes necessary.
how do you assess a data engineer at interview?
A data engineer's CV lists tools: data warehouse, orchestrator, transformation languages. The interview must check something else: how reliable a pipeline is once in production, and how the person has handled a failure or corrupted data.
The headhunter asks for a concrete case, with the actual volume of data handled and what was put in place to stop an incident recurring. A certification or a list of tools isn't enough without this track record.
what salary should you offer a data engineer in 2026?
Apec does dedicate a family to this role: “Big Data” explicitly names the data engineer, alongside the data scientist and the chief data officer. This family shows a median of €54k gross a year for private-sector managers, with 80% earning between €40k and €98k (2025 edition).
Pay rises clearly with experience and responsibility: €48k median under 35, €58k aged 35 to 45, up to €75k for managers running a team, against €51k with no team. Sector matters too: banking and insurance pay €73k median, well above other sectors.
who has hired data engineers with Muzzo?
Doctrine has hired several data engineers with Muzzo, including an experienced profile. Each role goes to the headhunter who has hired the most on this specific specialism, not a generalist tech recruiter.
For a modelling role rather than infrastructure, see our data scientist page. For managing a data engineering team, see our engineering manager page.
your questions about hiring a data engineer
In most cases, yes. Without reliable pipelines, a data scientist spends time cleaning data rather than building models. See our data scientist page for this second profile.
According to Apec, the data engineer belongs to the “Big Data” family, with a median of €54k gross a year for private-sector managers (80% between €40k and €98k). Pay rises with experience: €48k under 35, €58k aged 35 to 45, up to €75k with a team to manage (2025 edition).
If the role must build the infrastructure that moves data, that's a data engineer. If the role must mainly make data usable in dashboards, that's closer to an analytics engineer. In a small team, one profile often does both.
The headhunter asks for a concrete case: the volume of data handled, a failure or corrupted data already dealt with, what was put in place to stop it recurring. A list of tools on a CV isn't enough without this track record.
Yes. For a role managing a team of data engineers, see our engineering manager page, or describe this need directly in the form: our headhunters hire at this level of responsibility too.