[Contractor] Data Architect
Location: Brazil - Remote,,
Cheesecake Labs is an AI, data, and product engineering partner for established and scaling organizations navigating legacy systems, fragmented data, AI pressure, or limited engineering capacity.
Our services include AI Implementation, Application Modernization, Data & Analytics, Product Engineering, AI-Accelerated Delivery, and Embedded Engineering Teams. We deliver agentic workflows in 8-12 weeks and modernize applications in 5-10 months rather than 2 years. We also build trusted data foundations and digital products designed to scale. Our agentic software development lifecycle accelerates execution, while experienced engineers embed with client teams to provide technical depth, security, and clear ownership.
Member of Anthropic's Claude Partner Network; technology partners include Databricks, Snowflake, dbt, and AWS.
Across 13+ years, Cheesecake Labs has built 300+ products for clients including Eurasia Group, MoneyGram, the World Bank, Stellar, Wedgewood, PepsiCo, Merck, Sodexo, and Mercado Libre.
The story behind this role
At Cheesecake Labs, our data engineers don’t just move data from one place to another.
We’re usually brought in when companies are scaling their data operations, modernizing infrastructure, connecting fragmented systems, or preparing their platforms for AI-driven products and analytics.
Many of our client engagements start with strategic conversations and evolve quickly into active projects.
That’s why we maintain a network of strong contractor specialists we can engage quickly when the right projects come in.
This is not a traditional long-term internal role.
It’s a contractor opportunity designed for people who enjoy working across different products, clients, technologies, and business challenges in fast-moving environments.
We’re looking for a Data Engineer (Contractor) who combines strong data engineering fundamentals, systems thinking, and ownership across scalable modern data ecosystems.
Engagement details
- Contractor / project-based engagement
- Paid in USD/hour
- Remote-first
- Flexible allocation depending on project availability and fit
- Opportunities may vary in duration, scope, and weekly commitment depending on client needs
Some opportunities may start immediately.
Others may become active as new projects enter our pipeline.
What this role actually looks like
This is not a “just build pipelines” type of role.
On a typical project, you might:
- Build and evolve scalable modern data platforms, pipelines, and workflows
- Work closely with team members to figure out what should actually be built
- Implement end-to-end data architectures focused on scalability, analytics, and AI-readiness
- Define and improve data modeling strategies, ingestion processes, transformations, and orchestration workflows
- Collaborate with software engineers, AI engineers, product teams, and business stakeholders to align technical decisions with business goals
- Work across cloud-native data platforms, relational and non-relational databases, and modern data stack tools
- Participate in technical and strategic discussions with international clients and multidisciplinary teams
Some projects will focus heavily on infrastructure and pipelines.
Others will involve broader architecture, AI integration, analytics, and modernization initiatives.
Most are a mix of both.
What tends to work well here
We’ve seen that people who thrive in this type of engagement usually:
- Have strong experience building scalable data architectures and modern data engineering solutions
- Feel comfortable working with modern data stack technologies such as Snowflake, Databricks, dbt, or equivalent tools
- Possess strong knowledge of data modeling, ETL/ELT workflows, orchestration, and distributed data systems
- Feel comfortable navigating relational and non-relational databases, cloud-native data platforms, and enterprise-scale architectures
- Adapt well to ambiguity, evolving business requirements, and fast-changing technical contexts
- Feel totally confident working in English with international clients and teams (calls, discussions, async) — at least advanced level
- Already use AI as part of their day-to-day workflow — whether for automation, query generation, documentation, workflow acceleration, or operational support
Experience with Spark, Kafka, Delta Lake, AI integration initiatives, or distributed data systems is a strong plus.
This probably won’t be your thing if
Just to be transparent:
- You’re looking for a highly stable long-term internal role with fixed scope and predictable allocation
- You prefer highly structured environments with rigid processes and very defined requirements
- You’re uncomfortable navigating ambiguity or evolving technical and business contexts
- You’d rather avoid collaboration with engineering, product, or business stakeholders
- You dislike context-switching between technologies, projects, and data challenges
There’s nothing wrong with any of that — it’s just not how these engagements usually operate.
One last thing
To participate in this selection process, you must:
- Have a valid business registration in your country (CNPJ, VAT, EIN, or equivalent)
- Have a bank account eligible to receive USD payments
- Be able to issue invoices accordingly
These requirements are necessary for contractor engagement and payment processing.
Not sure if you check every box?
That’s okay.
We know that many great people — especially from underrepresented groups — hesitate to apply unless they meet 100% of the requirements.
If this opportunity sounds interesting, we’d still love to hear from you.
IMPORTANT TIP -> The communication during the selection process is done by email. We suggest that you keep an eye on your email inboxes and set the permission to receive messages from @cheesecakelabs.hire.trakstar.com so our messages will not be directed to the spam box ;)
The collected personal data will be used only to manage and control candidate resumes in order to assess the necessary requirements such as the contact information, and also to conduct this selection process.
The collected data will not be shared with others (“third parties”) without your authorization, and their use will be restricted to Cheesecake Labs internal staff, and also to the service providers that process your data for the selection process. At any time, you can contact us and we will remove your data from our data collection system. In order to do that, just simply send an email to [email protected].