Consulting

“Fractional Head of Data Engineering”

We make data engineering topics accessible to startups and small/medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through lean architectures. Many of these companies need senior-level expertise in data engineering—but not a full-time expert. Our solution: 4h micro-consulting packages for strategic guidance, architecture reviews, and technology decisions. Remote, flexible, and without long-term commitment.

Focus Areas

  • Lean & portable – Data/ML architectures without vendor lock-in
  • Cloud-agnostic, scalable architectures
  • Python data stack, containers, scale-to-zero approaches
  • Data flows, APIs, and interface design

Micro-Consulting

The following example 4h packages address typical challenges in SMEs & startups:

Assessment of existing data and ML platforms

  • Identify cost, scaling, and migration risks
  • Analyze vendor lock-in dependencies
  • Recommendations for migrate-to-lean
  • Deliverable: 1–2 page PDF with 3–5 quick wins

Tip

Ideal for companies with legacy data stacks looking to optimize costs or increase flexibility

Design of lean, portable, cloud-agnostic architectures

  • Design for Python stack, containers, scale-to-zero
  • Recommendations for hosting platforms (from established cloud providers to low-code)
  • Alternatives to enterprise warehouses (DuckDB, Polars)
  • Deliverable: Architecture diagram + tech stack recommendations

Tip

Ideal for startups building or migrating a new data platform

Support for data/ML engineers during onboarding

  • Best practices for data flows, modeling, MLOps, CI/CD
  • Define clear roles & responsibilities
  • Technology selection and roadmap reviews
  • Deliverable: Onboarding checklist + process documentation

Tip

Ideal for teams onboarding a new data engineer or structuring processes

Design of reliable data flows and interfaces

  • CSV/SFTP, structured data (JSON, AVRO, ProtoBuf), REST-like APIs, message broker – choosing the right approach
  • Data APIs / interface design
  • Data modeling & governance
  • Deliverable: Extensible API spec + integration blueprint

Tip

Ideal for companies exchanging data between systems or organizations

Pricing

4h Micro-Consulting Package

Monthly, subject to availability: €550 net/month

Includes:

  • 4h consulting (flexibly split: calls + asynchronous work)
  • 30min intro call (free) – fit check, problem understanding, expectations
  • Sprint summary report (1–2 page PDF)

Info

Consulting is flexible and individual—you decide how the 4 hours are used: e.g., 1h call + 3h research and documentation, or 2×2h sessions.

Process

The consulting process is lean and results-oriented, perfectly tailored for startups and SMEs.

1. Intro call (30min, free): Fit check, clarify problem understanding and expectations

2. 4h sprint (flexible): Calls, reviews, architecture work, research—as needed

3. Summary report (included): 3–5 concrete recommendations, next steps

Technical Expertise

Johannes Dröge holds a PhD in computer science and has experience as Head of Data Engineering in a SaaS startup.

Hands-on tech stack:

  • Python data stack: Pandas, NumPy, FastAPI, PySpark
  • Platforms & cloud: Databricks+AWS, Airflow, Fly.io
  • Infrastructure: containerized apps, serverless, multi-cloud architectures
  • Data flows: CSV, SFTP, APIs, message broker (Kafka, RabbitMQ, MQTT etc.)
  • Databases: PostgreSQL, MySQL, object storage-based

Lean alternatives:

  • DuckDB, Supabase, Polars (instead of enterprise warehouses)
  • Portable stacks (instead of Databricks/Snowflake lock-in)
  • Container-based, scale-to-zero where appropriate

Learn more about Johannes in the team profile, or book a free intro call.

FAQ

Any questions? Here are answers to the most common topics about the micro-consulting package.

The 4 hours can be flexibly split—for example, 1h call + 3h asynchronous work (research, documentation), or 2×2h sessions. You decide together with the consultant how to best use the time within a month.

Intro call (30min, free) → 4h sprint → summary report with concrete recommendations

Startups & SMEs in SaaS, tech, optionally biotech/pharma (years of experience in research/bioinformatics).

100% remote, DACH time zone (CET).

No. Packages are bookable monthly, with no minimum term. Individual retainer models are possible by arrangement.

You receive a summary report and can decide whether to book a follow-up sprint—or implement the recommendations yourself.

Contact

Schedule the free intro call (30min)?

Alternatively: Request by email