Azure Data Engineer / Backend Data Services Engineer (Contract)6 month contractOverviewOn behalf of my client I'm seeking a highly capable, Azure-focused Data Engineer with strong backend engineering expertise to design, build, and productionise new data services.Key ResponsibilitiesDesign, build, and maintain new data services within an Azure environment, including the creation of databases and associated pipelines.Extract, manipulate, and structure raw, real-time data into production-ready datasets.Develop efficient, high-performance SQL queries and manage relational database structures.Build data pipelines that reliably ingest and transform data with minimal dependency on other engineering teams.Deliver BI-friendly outputs and dashboards that support product, operational, and stakeholder decision-making.Develop backend systems that enable consistent and accessible data consumption across the organisation.Operate independently to retrieve, organise, and productionise data without relying on dedicated cloud engineering support.Support the long-term data architecture roadmap, with scope to contribute to future advanced analytics or data science initiatives.Required Skills & ExperienceStrong backend engineering background with hands-on experience building data services end-to-end.Expertise across the Azure data ecosystem (e.g., Azure SQL, Azure Data Factory, Azure Storage, Azure Functions).Advanced SQL capability, including complex query development and relational schema design.Experience building data ingestion and transformation pipelines from the ground up.Ability to create BI-ready datasets and dashboards (e.g., Power BI) with strong data visualisation and presentation skills.Proven ability to work autonomously and retrieve or manipulate data without dependency on other teams.Strong problem-solving capabilities and comfort working with evolving or ambiguous technical requirements.Experience operating within blended teams that include contractors and cloud engineers is beneficial.Nice to HaveExposure to additional data visualisation tools beyond standard BI platforms.Experience in product-oriented or rapidly scaling cloud environments.Broader understanding of data architecture and operationalising live datasets for future analytics or data science use.