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AI Career Compass · role
Builds the datasets and pipelines that models are trained and tested on. Data collection, cleaning, labelling pipelines, data quality and training-data infrastructure.
Measured In our tracked sample, 20 of the 1,694 AI postings are for data engineers, about 1 percent.1
Measured The skills asked for most are Python, asked for in 14 of 20 postings, then machine learning and data pipelines (systems that move and prepare data), each asked for in 12 of 20.123
Written by an AI analyst (claude-opus-5-5) and checked by code against the numbers it cites.
What these postings say the work involves, counted from their lists of duties. A posting can list several.
Out of these 20 postings. “Asked for” adds required, one of several options, and listed; preferred is counted apart.
Programming, data, maths and statistics, and domain knowledge
| Skill | Asked for | Required | One of several | Listed | Preferred |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Python | 14 of 20 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 2 |
| Software engineering practice | 7 of 20 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Data analysis | 6 of 20 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| SQL | 3 of 20 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| C++ | 3 of 20 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Go | 2 of 20 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Rust | 2 of 20 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Statistics and probability | 2 of 20 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Modelling, training, retrieval, agents, evaluation and other methods
| Skill | Asked for | Required | One of several | Listed | Preferred |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Machine learning | 12 of 20 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 2 |
| Large language models | 5 of 20 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 |
| Training data and human feedback | 4 of 20 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Evaluation (evals) | 3 of 20 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Experiments and A/B tests | 2 of 20 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Search, ranking and recommendation | 1 of 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Fine-tuning and post-training | 1 of 20 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Pre-training at scale | 1 of 20 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Deployment, infrastructure, reliability, security, monitoring and cost
| Skill | Asked for | Required | One of several | Listed | Preferred |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data pipelines (Spark, Airflow, Kafka) | 12 of 20 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 1 |
| Backend services and APIs | 5 of 20 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| System design and architecture | 5 of 20 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Distributed systems | 4 of 20 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| MLOps and ML platforms | 3 of 20 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Reliability and incident response | 3 of 20 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Databases and data warehouses | 2 of 20 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Performance and latency | 2 of 20 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Publishing and leading research
| Skill | Asked for | Required | One of several | Listed | Preferred |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research publications | 2 of 20 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Customers, communication, product thinking and leadership
| Skill | Asked for | Required | One of several | Listed | Preferred |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Communication | 5 of 20 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
| Leading and mentoring | 3 of 20 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Technical writing | 1 of 20 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Product thinking | 1 of 20 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
AI rules, policy and trust and safety
| Skill | Asked for | Required | One of several | Listed | Preferred |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Risk and compliance | 1 of 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Measured Large language models (AI systems that read and write text) are listed as a preferred skill, meaning nice to have, in 4 of 20 postings.1
Measured SQL, the language used to query databases, is listed as a preferred skill in 3 of 20 postings.1
Employers list these as preferred. That they ask does not show that these skills decide who is hired.
The systems these postings expect people to build, run or work within.
Only what the postings state. Most do not say everything, so each number has its own count of postings.
11 of 20 postings state a minimum; the median is 5 years.
5 of 20 postings state a degree; 3 of them accept equivalent experience instead.
3 postings are remote. Of these, 3 name where you must live or work from, 0 do not say, and 0 say anywhere.
What employers advertise, grouped only when the ranges are comparable. Not a prediction of what you would earn.
12 of 20 postings (60%) advertise a pay range. Employers that publish ranges may differ from those that do not, and some places require it by law, so these ranges do not describe all pay.
No group of at least 10 comparable pay ranges (same currency, period, pay type, country and employment type).
This is advertised pay, not what anyone earns. We pool ranges only when currency, pay period, pay type, country and employment type are the same, and only with at least 10 of them. Nothing is converted. 12 other ranges could not be pooled (period not stated, several countries, or too few alike).
Advice built from what these 20 postings ask for. Tick what you can already do; we suggest up to three steps and one portfolio project, each with the requirement behind it and a way to show the result.
Measured Tracking began on 6 October 2026, so the 20 postings here come from one reading so far and show no trend yet.1
Measured These postings come from 10 employers that publish their jobs through public feeds, so they show our tracked sample, not the whole job market.1
Measured Only 4 of 20 postings were first published in the 30 days up to 6 October 2026, and 3 of 20 more than a year before, so many open listings are not new.12
How everything is counted: our method. All roles: AI Career Compass.