Cassandra
data modellingconsistency levelsrepaircompaction strategies
Databases and search · screened by AceMQ
Hire Cassandra developers vetted by a Cassandra practitioner
Conntal places Apache Cassandra engineers who understand repair, tombstones and consistency, not just CQL. Every candidate is screened by an AceMQ practitioner who supports production Cassandra, using a real data-resurrection scenario. Available on contract, contract-to-hire or direct hire, including ScyllaDB and Amazon Keyspaces.
Indicative rate: from $80/hr nearshore or offshore and $120/hr onshore. See what moves it.
Contract, contract-to-hire or direct · onshore, nearshore, offshore · reviewed 31 October 2026
- Screen owner
- Data and search platform lead · AceMQProduction support for Elasticsearch.
- Titles we place
- Cassandra engineer · Cassandra DBA · NoSQL engineer · Database engineer
- Platforms we screen on
- data modellingconsistency levelsrepaircompaction strategies
Rates
What a contract Cassandra engineer costs
Senior contract Cassandra engineer rates start at $80/hr nearshore or offshore and $120/hr onshore. These are indicative from-rates, last reviewed 31 October 2026.
| Location model | From (USD per hour) | Where engineers are based |
|---|---|---|
| OnshoreHighest rate | $120/hr | US-based, on client time zones, cleared where the engagement requires it. |
| NearshoreOur default recommendation | $80/hr | Latin America and Canada, four hours or less of overlap loss, same working day. |
| OffshoreLowest rate | $80/hr | Europe, India and South East Asia. |
What moves the number
- Platform scarcity. The fewer engineers who have run Cassandra in production, the higher the rate.
- Seniority. The figures are for senior engineers; staff and principal levels cost more.
- Clearance and residency. Cleared or on-site work narrows the pool and sits in the onshore column.
- Term. Length, hours and the engagement model change the rate; contract-to-hire and direct placement are priced differently.
Indicative from-rates for senior contract engineers, USD per hour. The final rate depends on platform scarcity, seniority, clearance and term.
The screen
How we vet Cassandra engineers: the published screen
Every Cassandra engineer is screened on the scenario below by the Data and search platform lead at AceMQ. The senior and mid answers are published so you can judge our bar before you engage us, and candidates know what they are walking into.
The screen · Cassandra engineer
Conntal Vetting Standard
Scenario put to the candidate
A node was down for two weeks. After it rejoined the cluster, some reads return rows that were deleted while it was away. What happened?
Vetted by
Data and search platform lead · AceMQ
A senior answer contains
- Explains that the node was down longer than gc_grace_seconds, so tombstones were purged elsewhere before it could receive them.
- Recognises the deleted rows have been resurrected from the returning node's stale data.
- Says a node down that long should be replaced or rebuilt rather than rejoined.
- Ties prevention to running repair on every node within gc_grace_seconds.
Where a mid answer stops
- Runs a repair now and assumes it will remove the resurrected rows.
- Blames the application for re-inserting data.
- Has not heard of gc_grace_seconds.
What we screen on
Cassandra skills we screen for
Cassandra candidates are screened on cassandra, operations and related, among others, against the stack you actually run rather than a generic checklist.
Operations
tombstonesgc_grace_secondsnode replacementbootstrapping
Related
ScyllaDBAmazon KeyspacesDataStax
Titles this covers
Cassandra job titles we place
We place 4 titles in this area, from Cassandra engineer to Database engineer. They overlap and are used inconsistently between companies, so tell us the outcome you need and we will tell you which title actually fits it.
- Cassandra engineer
- Cassandra DBA
- NoSQL engineer
- Database engineer
The platforms, run in production by our network
Engagement
Ways to hire Cassandra engineers
Platform work usually starts with a defined piece of change and becomes ongoing ownership, which is why most Cassandra engineers engagements begin on contract. All three models are available, in any location model.
Contract
A vetted engineer embedded in your team for a defined term.
Hourly, billed against an approved SOW. Most common for migrations, upgrades and capacity surges where the work has an end date.
Contract staffingContract-to-hire
Work together first, convert when it is obviously working.
A defined conversion window and a pre-agreed fee, so the decision to hire is a business decision rather than a negotiation.
Contract-to-hire staffingDirect placement
A permanent hire, screened to the same standard.
One-time fee against first-year base. Used where the role is a long-term platform owner rather than project capacity.
Direct placement staffingNot a fit if
When to look elsewhere for Cassandra engineers
We are the wrong choice if any of these describe your role, and we would rather say so on the first call.
- You need a developer writing CQL queries, with no cluster operations.
- You want Cassandra supported rather than staffed; AceMQ provides support directly.
- Your data is relational and fits a PostgreSQL DBA better.
How it works
How hiring Cassandra engineers through Conntal works
- 01
Scope
A practitioner scopes the role
An engineer who runs this technology reads your brief and tells you what is missing from it. Most briefs we receive ask for the wrong seniority or the wrong title. - 02
Screen
We screen, then shortlist
Sourcing is ours; the technical decision belongs to the vetting practitioner. You only see candidates who passed the scenario on this page. - 03
Start
Start, convert or replace
Contract, contract-to-hire or direct. If the fit is wrong we say so first and replace rather than defend the placement.
Screen owner
Who vets our Cassandra engineers: Data and search platform lead, AceMQ
Production support for Elasticsearch, OpenSearch, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, Cassandra, Snowflake, Databricks, Spark, Flink, NiFi and Airflow estates under AceMQ's 24/7 support practice.
FAQ
Cassandra engineers: what buyers ask
Something not covered here? Send the requirement and a practitioner answers it, not a sales queue.
How much does a contract Cassandra engineer cost per hour?
Indicative senior contract from-rates are $80/hr nearshore or offshore and $120/hr onshore (USD, reviewed 31 October 2026). The final rate depends on platform scarcity, seniority, clearance and term. Contract-to-hire and direct placement are priced differently, and the delivery models page sets out how.
How fast can a Cassandra engineer start?
We do not promise a start date before we have seen the brief. A practitioner reads it, usually within one business day, and tells you whether we can staff it. Timing after that depends on the stack, the seniority and the location model.
Do you staff ScyllaDB and Amazon Keyspaces engineers?
Yes. Both are Cassandra-compatible but behave differently operationally, so candidates are screened on the one you run.
Can you staff a Cassandra data-model redesign?
Yes. Query-first remodelling is a common bounded contract, often paired with a version upgrade.
Who vets your Cassandra engineers?
An AceMQ practitioner who supports production Cassandra, using the resurrection scenario on this page.
Can we convert a contractor to full time, and what does it cost?
Yes. Contract-to-hire sets a conversion window and a pre-agreed fee at the start, so converting is a business decision rather than a negotiation. The fee is agreed per engagement; ask for it with your brief.
What if the placement does not work out?
If the fit is wrong we say so first and replace the engineer rather than defend the placement. Replacement terms are agreed per engagement, so ask for them with your brief.
Do you also deliver Cassandra consulting or support?
Not through Conntal. We place individual engineers into your team on contract, contract-to-hire or direct hire. If you want a project delivered or the platform supported as a service, AceMQ does that directly at acemq.com.
Related
Related roles
Need Cassandra delivered as a project or supported as a service instead of staffed? AceMQ does that directly.
Need Cassandra engineers? Start with the brief.
Send the requirement and an engineer who runs this technology will tell you what is missing before we source anyone.