BI and reporting · Database developers

Hire Database Developers from Canada, Latin America, and the US

Hire a database developer who designs the schemas, queries, and stored procedures your applications and reporting depend on. We find the right person, or build your entire data team, in Canada, Latin America, or the US, on a contract, permanent, or fractional basis.

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Database developers, screened by database developers

DevEngine is a Vancouver-based IT recruitment and staffing firm. We recruit database developers from Canada, Latin America, and the US for contract, permanent, or fractional roles. They design, build, and optimize the databases behind business applications, integrations, and reporting, on premises and in the cloud. A senior database developer screens every candidate before you see one. You manage the day-to-day work. We handle contracts, HR, and admin.

The role

A database developer builds the databases applications run on

A database developer designs, builds, and optimizes the databases that business applications depend on. They create schemas and data models, write and tune queries, stored procedures, and functions for complex queries and large datasets, and build in security from the start with encryption and role-based access control.

Typical outputs include logical and physical data models, schemas and migration scripts, stored procedures and functions, optimized queries and indexes, ETL and reporting jobs, and automation that makes migrations, backups, and tuning repeatable.

The role is often confused with two others, and organizations define all three differently. In general:

Database developer

What they work on: The schemas, queries, and stored procedures applications run on
Core question: Is the database designed so the application gets the right data, fast?
Typical outputs: Data models, schemas, stored procedures, optimized queries
Works most with: Software engineers, architects, and database administrators
Often brought in when: A new application or feature needs a database built for it

Database administrator

What they work on: Keeping databases available, secure, and performing in production
Core question: Will the database stay up, recover fast, and keep data protected?
Typical outputs: Backup and recovery plans, access controls, monitoring, upgrades
Works most with: Infrastructure, security, and application teams
Often brought in when: Downtime, slow systems, or an audit puts the data at risk

Data engineer

What they work on: The pipelines and platforms that move data between systems
Core question: Is the right data arriving, clean and on time, where people need it?
Typical outputs: Data pipelines, warehouses, integrations
Works most with: Data analysts, data scientists, and platform teams
Often brought in when: Data is scattered, late, or unreliable at the source

	Database developer	Database administrator	Data engineer
What they work on	The schemas, queries, and stored procedures applications run on	Keeping databases available, secure, and performing in production	The pipelines and platforms that move data between systems
Core question	Is the database designed so the application gets the right data, fast?	Will the database stay up, recover fast, and keep data protected?	Is the right data arriving, clean and on time, where people need it?
Typical outputs	Data models, schemas, stored procedures, optimized queries	Backup and recovery plans, access controls, monitoring, upgrades	Data pipelines, warehouses, integrations
Works most with	Software engineers, architects, and database administrators	Infrastructure, security, and application teams	Data analysts, data scientists, and platform teams
Often brought in when	A new application or feature needs a database built for it	Downtime, slow systems, or an audit puts the data at risk	Data is scattered, late, or unreliable at the source

If the work is keeping production databases secure and available, see Hire Database Administrators. If data has to move between systems, see Hire Data Engineers.

When to hire

When you need a database developer

The need usually shows up as one of these situations:

Slow queries are slowing the business.
Core applications, customer portals, and month-end reports wait on queries no one has tuned, so staff lose hours and customers feel the delay in every transaction.
A new product needs a database first.
The roadmap includes a new application or customer-facing service, and its data model, queries, and integrations have to be designed before engineering can build on them.
Legacy database code holds systems back.
Years of undocumented stored procedures and business logic sit inside the database, so every change carries risk and modernization keeps getting pushed to next year.
Systems don't share data reliably.
ERP, CRM, and operational systems exchange data through fragile scripts and manual exports, so orders, invoices, and inventory fall out of sync across the business.

Need a different role?

If you need someone to keep production databases secure, backed up, and available, hire a database administrator. If you need data moved and combined across many systems, hire a data engineer. We recruit for both roles.

Our screen

What our senior database developers look for

Most candidates can write SQL. Fewer can show a database they designed that held up as the application and data grew, and explain the trade-offs behind it. A senior database developer screens every candidate and asks for specifics: the model, the queries, what slowed down, and what they changed.

Designs that held up
We ask for a data model they designed for a production application, how it changed as the business grew, and what they would do differently now.
Queries tuned with evidence
We ask about a slow query or process they fixed, how they found the cause, and how much faster it ran afterward.
Safe changes to live systems
We ask how they changed schemas and database code in production, and how they automated migrations so applications and reports kept running.
Fluency with your constraints
A database developer who has worked with your database platforms, your data volume, or regulated data reasons differently from one who hasn't. We weight that context, not only certifications.

Candidates who tune queries without reading execution plans, can't explain where business logic belongs, or have never changed a live schema safely are screened out. Your interviews focus on fit, not filtering.

Where we source

Hire from Canada, Latin America, or the US

One search can cover all three talent pools. Brief the role once, and compare candidates from each market side by side before you decide.

Canada

Where candidates are based: Across Canada
Working hours: Canadian time zones, Pacific to Atlantic
Cost: Canadian market rates. See the Canada salary guide below.
Fits when: The role needs knowledge of the North American market, regular in-person time in Canada, or a Canadian base

Latin America

Where candidates are based: Across Latin America, including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Costa Rica
Working hours: Within 2 hours of US Eastern time, year-round. Up to 4 hours ahead of Pacific time.
Cost: Typically 35–40% below comparable North American cost. See the Latin America salary guide below.
Fits when: You want a wider candidate pool or more seniority for the budget, or the database developer will work with a nearshore team

United States

Where candidates are based: Across the United States
Working hours: US time zones, Pacific to Eastern
Cost: US market rates.
Fits when: The role needs knowledge of the US market, regular in-person time at a US site, or a US base

	Canada	Latin America	United States
Where candidates are based	Across Canada	Across Latin America, including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Costa Rica	Across the United States
Working hours	Canadian time zones, Pacific to Atlantic	Within 2 hours of US Eastern time, year-round. Up to 4 hours ahead of Pacific time.	US time zones, Pacific to Eastern
Cost	Canadian market rates. See the Canada salary guide below.	Typically 35–40% below comparable North American cost. See the Latin America salary guide below.	US market rates.
Fits when	The role needs knowledge of the North American market, regular in-person time in Canada, or a Canadian base	You want a wider candidate pool or more seniority for the budget, or the database developer will work with a nearshore team	The role needs knowledge of the US market, regular in-person time at a US site, or a US base

Not sure which market fits? Tell us about the role, and we'll scope it in each market and show you candidates and cost side by side.

Technology salaries in Canada and Latin America

Benchmark salaries by role and seniority before you set a budget.

Download the Canada Salary Guide Download the Latin America Salary Guide

Engagement models

Contract, permanent, or fractional

Contract

Who employs the database developer: DevEngine
Time commitment: Full-time, for a defined period
Fits when: A new application database, a legacy code cleanup, or a migration with a defined end
Placement protection: Two-week guarantee

Permanent

Who employs the database developer: You
Time commitment: Full-time, ongoing
Fits when: Your applications depend on database work that never stops
Placement protection: 180-day prorated guarantee from the start date: full refund in the first 30 days, then partial refunds on a sliding scale

Fractional

Who employs the database developer: DevEngine
Time commitment: Part-time, hourly or monthly
Fits when: A performance review, a data model review, or a few hours a week of database development, without a full-time seat
Placement protection: Tailored to the scope of work

	Contract	Permanent	Fractional
Who employs the database developer	DevEngine	You	DevEngine
Time commitment	Full-time, for a defined period	Full-time, ongoing	Part-time, hourly or monthly
Fits when	A new application database, a legacy code cleanup, or a migration with a defined end	Your applications depend on database work that never stops	A performance review, a data model review, or a few hours a week of database development, without a full-time seat
Placement protection	Two-week guarantee	180-day prorated guarantee from the start date: full refund in the first 30 days, then partial refunds on a sliding scale	Tailored to the scope of work

Each model works a little differently depending on whether you hire in Canada, Latin America, or the US. Compare the options by market to find the engagement that fits your team.

Explore services by market

How it works

How a database developer search runs

You brief us on the scope and goals of the project, your current database platforms, and the applications that depend on them.
We source for your role in Canada, Latin America, or the US, not from a bench.
A senior database developer screens each candidate. Someone who does the same work, not a recruiter matching keywords.
You choose who to interview and who to hire.
You direct the work. On contract and fractional engagements, DevEngine holds the contract and handles payroll and compliance. On a permanent hire, the database developer joins your payroll.
If the placement isn't working, we replace the candidate: within two weeks on contract, or under the 180-day prorated guarantee on a permanent hire.

FAQ

Database developer hiring questions

How much does it cost to hire a database developer?

Cost depends on four things: seniority, database platforms and specialization (for example, performance tuning, integrations, or legacy modernization), the market you hire from, and the engagement model. Hiring in Latin America typically costs 35–40% less than comparable North American hires. For salary benchmarks across technology roles, download the Canada Salary Guide or the Latin America Salary Guide. DevEngine quotes against your actual brief on the first call.

Which skills and certifications do database developers bring?

Most work in SQL dialects such as T-SQL and PL/SQL on databases such as Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL, and PostgreSQL, and many with NoSQL databases such as MongoDB. Many use Python for automation, SSIS, SSRS, and SSAS for ETL, reporting, and BI, and cloud services such as Amazon RDS and Azure SQL Database. Certifications are less common in this role than for database administrators; the Oracle Database SQL Certified Associate is one example. Skills and certifications show familiarity, but not whether someone can design a database that holds up in production. That's what the senior database developer screen tests.

Can I hire a fractional database developer?

Yes. A fractional database developer works part-time, on an hourly or monthly cadence, inside your team and tools. Companies often use one for a performance review, a data model review, or help with a migration. DevEngine places fractional database developers from Canada, Latin America, and the US.

What's the difference between a database developer and a database administrator?

A database developer designs and writes the database code an application runs on. A database administrator keeps that database secure, backed up, and available in production. Slow queries or a new application's data model point to a developer; outages, recovery, or audit evidence point to an administrator.

Can a database developer work with a DevEngine Engineering POD?

Yes. A database developer can sit inside an Engineering POD or work alongside one. You choose the POD's composition and direct the work. The database developer designs the data model and database code, and the engineers build the application on top of it on your sprint cadence, in your tools.

What's your interest?

Choose the path that aligns with how you want to build and scale your team.

Tell us what your applications need from the database.

We'll tell you which market and model fit, and how long the search should take.

Not ready to talk yet? Compare technology salaries in the Canada Salary Guide or the Latin America Salary Guide.