// Data engineering — taught & built
Data platforms that don’t fall over — and engineers who know why.
I’m Robert Donaldson, a freelance data engineering mentor and consultant with years of experience leading Data Engineers and Engineering Teams. I help Data Engineers grow into the role — and help teams and organizations design pipelines, warehouses, and streaming systems that survive production.
With nearly a decade of experience in education, I don’t just have Data Engineering skills, I have the ability to teach those skills to others.
Reach out if you’re an organization looking to get your Data Engineering team and journey started, want help designing your data ecosystem, or get experienced advice on the path you may already be on. Let’s guide you to the outcomes you want to achieve.
If you’re a Data Engineer, or looking to become one, and you’d like guidance in this amazing field, I can help. Whether technical or career-wise, I provide one-on-one mentoring.
United States · remote worldwide
GCP//OpenShift//BigQuery//ADO Pipelines//Python//SQL//API connectors//CI/CD//IAM//Terraform//Power BI//GCP//OpenShift//BigQuery//ADO Pipelines//Python//SQL//API connectors//CI/CD//IAM//Terraform//Power BI//
// Services
Two ways to work together
Grow your own skills through 1:1 mentoring, or bring me in to design and build your data platform. I also provide guidance and mentoring to your engineering team, if you have or are building one already. Consulting starts with a free 30-minute intro call and a fixed, written quote. Mentoring is a flat monthly program you can join any time. Not sure it’s a fit? Book a free 15-minute call first.
01 / consulting
Data Platform Consulting
For teams and companies that need someone to set the direction for their data platform, and see it through.
Staff-level data engineering leadership without a full-time hire. I set the architecture and standards, make the hard build-vs-buy and cost decisions with you, and stay hands-on where it matters, so your team owns the platform when the engagement ends. Need the whole platform designed and built? I can deliver it end to end as a fixed-scope project, from architecture to production handover.
- Platform strategy and architecture: target design, build-vs-buy decisions and a roadmap tied to business goals
- Platform and architecture audits with an honest read on risk, cost and tech debt
- Standards that scale across teams: data modeling, data quality, governance and CI/CD
- Cost and performance strategy (typical savings: 30–50%)
- Hands-on design and build of the critical pieces: batch and streaming pipelines, warehouse and lakehouse models
- Raising your team’s bar: design reviews, mentoring, hiring and leveling support
- Explaining technical trade-offs to leadership, so decisions get made
02 / mentoring
1:1 Data Engineering Mentoring
For analysts, engineers, and career-changers who want to level up fast.
A structured, personal program built around your goals — not a generic course. We meet regularly, review your real work, and close the gap between where you are and the engineer you want to be.
- Bi-weekly 1:1 video sessions (60 min once every two weeks)
- A personal roadmap with measurable milestones
- Code, SQL, and architecture reviews of your real work
- Career strategy: CV, portfolio, and interview preparation
- Async support between sessions — you never stay stuck
// Simulators
Learn data engineering by running it.
Hands-on simulators where you design pipelines, break them, and fix them — the way it happens in production. Start with Pipeline Tycoon, a free game, then design and price a real platform in Pipeline Architect. Every mentoring plan includes full simulator access.
01 / free game
Pipeline Tycoon
Build a data platform from real tools, sprint by sprint. Deliver stakeholder requests and survive production incidents.
02 / full simulator
Pipeline Architect
Design and price a real data platform with 100+ real tools. An advisor flags gaps, risks and cheaper swaps.
// How it works
From first call to momentum, in four steps
01
Intro call
30 min · free
We talk through your goals, your stack, and your constraints. You get an honest assessment — including whether I am the right fit at all.
02
Proposal
within 48 hours
You receive a written scope with deliverables, timeline, and a fixed quote. No hourly surprises, no vague “it depends”.
03
Kickoff
week one
We set up a shared workspace, agree on communication rhythms, and start with the highest-leverage item first.
04
Momentum
ongoing
Regular working sessions, async support, and reviews against the milestones we set. You always know where things stand.
Mentoring is simpler: join the monthly plan, then book your first 60-minute session from your member area. We set your goals and start your roadmap there. Not sure it’s a fit? Book a free 15-minute call first.
// About
Experienced enough to lead it. Patient enough to teach it.
Most consultants hand you a diagram and disappear. Most courses hand you a certificate and no judgment. I do the unglamorous middle: real systems, real trade-offs, and the reasoning behind every decision — explained until it sticks.
whoami –verbose
- Staff Data Engineer and platform lead roles across U.S. tech — from two-person data teams to platforms processing 2B+ events a day
- Built and rebuilt warehouses, lakes, and streaming systems for AIOps, automotive, mobility, and logistics companies
- Mentored engineers into data engineering roles, from analysts making the jump to seniors preparing for staff-level scope
- Conference speaker and part-time faculty
Day-to-day stack
- GCP
- OpenShift
- BigQuery
- ADO Pipelines
- Python
- SQL
- API connectors
- CI/CD
- IAM
- Terraform
- Power BI
Based in the Northeast US, working with clients and mentees across the US and beyond. Sessions in English.
// FAQ
Questions, answered straight
What is the difference between mentoring and consulting?
Mentoring is about growing you: regular 1:1 sessions, a personal roadmap, and reviews of your work. Consulting is about your platform: I audit, design, and build alongside your team. Many clients combine both — I build the system and coach the team that will own it.
How does a custom quote work?
For consulting and retainers: after a free 30-minute intro call, you get a written proposal within 48 hours, covering scope, deliverables, timeline and a fixed price. Mentoring doesn’t need a quote. It’s a flat monthly program, and you can book a free 15-minute call first if you’d like to check it’s a fit. You approve everything before any work starts.
Do you work remotely?
Yes — I am based in the United States and work with clients worldwide. I keep a solid overlap with U.S.-friendly hours.
Which technologies do you cover?
I am deliberately cloud- and vendor-agnostic. I’m extremely familiar with GCP but have worked with AWS and Azure extensively as well. I have built scores of custom connectors with Python when existing tools can’t talk to your endpoint, and have a lot of SQL optimization experience. But technologies are just the tools to get a job done; the principles transfer to whatever stack you run.
How soon can we start?
Mentoring starts as soon as you join: book your first session from your member area. Consulting engagements depend on scope — book an intro call and you will have concrete dates in the proposal.
// Contact
Tell me what you’re building — or becoming.
Share a few details about your project or your learning goals. You’ll get a personal reply within 24 hours. For consulting and retainers, you’ll also get a fixed written quote within 48 hours of our intro call.
Based in
United States — remote worldwide
Response time
Replies within 24 hours, Mon–Fri