Databricks SME · for hire
Hire a Databricks Expert. Book a 1:1 Consult This Week.
I'm Scott Bell — Databricks SME, 3x Databricks certified, 28 Microsoft certifications, SQLBits speaker, and creator of DailyDatabricks. When you book me, you get me: the engineer who does the work, not an account manager.
I take a limited number of engagements each month. Rates are published below — no discovery phase required.
- Databricks Certified Data Engineer Professional
- Databricks Certified Machine Learning Professional
- Databricks Certified Generative AI Engineer Associate
- 28 Microsoft certifications
- Masters Degree in Secure Machine Learning
- SQLBits speaker 2022–2026
- Creator of DailyDatabricks.tips
- Former UK&I Databricks SME at Avanade
Services & rates
How I can help
Four ways to get a certified senior on your problem. Every session is with me.
1:1 Consulting
Architecture reviews, Unity Catalog migrations, DBU cost teardowns, Photon and serverless tuning. Bring the problem; leave with a decision and a plan.
Via RapidData.dev →Urgent Help
Pipeline down, job burning DBUs overnight, migration stalled at the worst moment. Priority triage from someone who has fixed it before.
From $500 per incident Get urgent help →Mentoring
Ongoing 1:1 sessions for engineers leveling up on Spark, Delta Lake, and certification paths. Real code review, not slideware.
From $350 per month Mentoring details →Team Training
Hands-on workshops built for your workspaces and your data: lakehouse foundations, Unity Catalog, DLT/Lakeflow, MLflow, and cost control.
Price on request Training details →Need ongoing Databricks managed services instead of a consult? For continuous platform support, administration, and monitoring on a retainer, see managed Databricks services at databricks.support — the managed-services arm of the same BricksIQ network.
The anti-agency
Why a single expert beats a bench
Agencies sell teams. You get a discovery phase, a blended rate, and whoever is free on the bench. Booking one accountable expert changes the math.
| Dimension | Typical agency engagement | databricks.expert |
|---|---|---|
| Who does the work | A rotating team behind an account manager | The same certified senior, every session |
| Time to start | 4–10 weeks of scoping and onboarding | Usually this week |
| Pricing | Blended day rates, quoted after discovery | Published rates, agreed before we start |
| Minimum engagement | Multi-week discovery phase | A single session |
| Accountability | Diffused across a delivery team | One name. Mine. |
Nothing against agencies — for a 20-person delivery program you may need one. But when the question is "why is this job slow", "is this architecture right", or "how do we cut this DBU bill", you need one senior brain on it today, not a bench next quarter.
Process
How it works
Tell me the problem
Email a short description — the failing job, the bill, the migration, the skills gap. Screenshots and stack traces welcome. NDA first if you need one.
Book a slot
You get a reply within one business day with a recommended format, a fixed price, and available times — usually the same week.
Get answers and working code
We work live in your workspace or mine. You leave with decisions made, code that runs, and written follow-up notes — not a proposal for more discovery.
Proof of work
Verify me in 60 seconds
No logos, no anonymous testimonials. My work is public — check it yourself before you email.
SQLBits talks
Speaker at Europe's largest data platform conference, 2022–2026. Sessions on Databricks, Spark, and AI security.
sqlbits.com →DailyDatabricks
The tips project I created: practical Databricks techniques on clusters, Delta Lake, and cost control, followed by practitioners worldwide.
dailydatabricks.tips →Writing
Long-form engineering posts at MyYearInData — architecture decisions, migration lessons, and platform deep dives in full public view.
myyearindata.com →GitHub
Open-source code and Databricks tooling under fusionet24. Read the commits — they are the only case study that can't be faked.
github.com/fusionet24 →FAQ
Common questions
What are your rates?
Published up front, not quoted after a discovery phase: urgent help at $500 and mentoring at $350 per month. 1:1 consulting is delivered through my company, RapidData, and team training is priced on request. You always know the price before you book.
How does booking work?
Email scott@databricks.expert with a short description of the problem. You get a reply within one business day with a recommended format, a fixed price, and available slots — usually the same week. No sales calls, no proposals, no procurement cycle for a first session.
Do you work remotely?
Yes. All engagements are remote-first over video call and screen share, available worldwide. I am UK-based and regularly work across US and European time zones. On-site training in the UK and Europe is available on request.
What stacks and clouds do you cover?
Databricks on Azure, AWS, and GCP — including Unity Catalog, Delta Lake, DLT/Lakeflow, Photon, serverless compute, Databricks SQL, MLflow, and Mosaic AI. Surrounding stack: Apache Spark, Python, SQL, Terraform, Azure Data Factory, and the wider Azure data platform.
Will I end up dependent on you?
No — the opposite. My mission in every engagement is to make myself redundant. I'm not there to create a dependency: I want you and your team to leave with the skills, patterns, and confidence to go away and own your Databricks challenges yourselves.
Will you sign an NDA?
Yes. I routinely sign NDAs before looking at client code, data, or architecture. Send yours with your first email, or I can provide a standard mutual NDA. Nothing from an engagement is ever shared or reused.
Stuck on Databricks? Get a certified expert on it this week.
One email. A reply within one business day. A fixed price and a booked slot — no discovery phase, no bench, no account manager.
Book a consultI take a limited number of engagements each month. If I'm at capacity, I'll tell you straight away.
