Apache Airflow Experts in Cologne
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Meet FRATCH Experts in Cologne, who have recently used Apache Airflow
Alexander Bromberg
Last position:
Senior Data Engineer at RWE AG
Architected and maintained data products for renewable energy operations, covering wind turbine, grid-meter, and weather data. Built scalable ETL/ELT pipelines in Azure Databricks using Delta Lake (bronze/silver/gold layers) and processed data in various formats, including structured and semi-structured data. Contributed to a data quality framework supporting table and column documentation, outlier detection, and completeness metrics across all datasets within a data product. In addition, implemented a DORA KPI Databricks dashboard used across all data products. Optimized CI/CD processes in Azure DevOps to streamline deployment across development, test, and production environments.
Technology stack: Azure Databricks, PySpark, SQL, Delta Lake, Unity Catalog, Azure Data Lake, APIs, Dremio, Azure DevOps, YAML, Git, Databricks Workflows, Application Insights, Terraform, OpenAI API, Codex, LLM-assisted workflows
Fahad Razzaq
Last position:
Data Science – Operations Optimization at Netto-marken
Project: Digitalization of Warehouse Processes | Building a Data Analytics Platform.
- Built a web-based workforce allocation system that digitized daily shift planning by matching worker expertise to operational zones, replacing manual coordination with a structured workflow adopted across the site, saving supervisors time on daily planning.
- Developed a real-time operational visibility dashboard giving supervisors a live view of task throughput and outstanding workload across warehouse zones throughout the day, helping reduce overtime and idle labour costs.
- Developed a slotting optimization solution to improve warehouse picking efficiency and reduce picking time per order, working directly with operations teams from concept through production deployment.
Technologies used: Python, Django, PostgreSQL, Pandas, NumPy, HTML, Java, JavaScript, Docker, Kubernetes, AWS, Power BI, GitHub Actions CI/CD, GitOps, Claude, OpenAI
Rainer Langbehn
Last position:
Senior IT Consultant, Senior Software Architect, Senior Software Developer, Senior DevOps Engineer at Techniker Krankenkasse
Automation of the database major / minor releases for the TKeasy project
Concept for database major / minor release automation
As-is analysis
Evaluation of Redgate Flyway functionality
Concept creation
Products: Redgate Flyway, GitHub, Quest, Erwin Data Modeller, Oracle, Atlassian Jira, Atlassian Confluence
Skills: Docker, Continuous Delivery, Continuous Integration, Redgate Flyway, Major Releases, Minor Releases
Johannes Wagner
Last position:
Senior Data Engineer at Soorce GmbH
- Analysis of business requirements
- Integration of different data sources such as ERP systems, production systems, and external data sources
- Implementation of load processes and processing logic with MSSQL
- Data modeling and optimization of data models
- Setting up data quality management incl. data profiling with dynamic programming
- Support in designing and establishing data governance, especially in the areas of data quality management and data protection
- Support in developing BI solutions with Tableau to help decision-making processes
Emmanouil Tzouridis
Last position:
Senior Analytics Engineer at Trade Republic Bank GmbH
- Implementation of analytics and automation solutions for the Anti Financial Crime business unit
- Providing the infrastructure, including reusable data models and feature ingestion for production ML and rule based models in the areas of Account Take-Over and Card fraud detection, as well as Customer Risk Assessment
- Tools used: Snowflake, dbt, Looker, AWS, Python, Airflow, Metaflow
Pappu Prasad
Last position:
Senior Cloud Consultant (AWS Services and Consulting) at devoteam GmbH
- Developed automated ETL pipelines with AWS Glue and Athena to ensure consistent data quality and governance requirements
- Implemented validation, anonymization, and encryption measures for data in compliance with GDPR
- Optimized cloud costs by introducing FinOps practices and increased transparency for business units
- Monitored performance, performed root cause analyses, and ensured adherence to SLAs
- Supported data and solution architects in building scalable data models for ML and analytics scenarios
Discover over 15,000 top freelancers
Statistics of experts using Apache Airflow
Aggregated from the professional profiles of matched freelancers.
Experience
14 years
Position duration
1.3 years (Germany: 1.9 years)
Positions per freelancer
10 (Germany: 9)
Top business areas
Business Intelligence, Information Technology, Quality Assurance
Top industries
Education, Banking and Finance, Information Technology
Certification focus areas
Information Technology, Business Intelligence, Research and Development
Bachelor's degree or higher
100% (Germany: 99%)
Master's degree or higher
83% (Germany: 70%)
Certifications per freelancer
5 (Germany: 3)
Most common languages
German, English, Greek
Speak two or more languages
100% (Germany: 97%)
Based on our profile pool as of 30 Aug 2026.
Daily rate distribution
The chart shows how the daily rates of freelancers in this technology in Cologne are distributed, based on recent contracts on our platform. Each bar covers a rate range — its height shows how many freelancers charge within that range.
Average rates of experts in Cologne using Apache Airflow
Rates are based on recent contracts and do not include FRATCH margin.
The average daily rate is the mean of all daily rates from recent contracts of comparable freelancers on our platform.
The median daily rate is the middle value of all daily rates — half of comparable freelancers charge less, half charge more. Unlike the average, it is barely affected by outliers.
Calculated based on our freelancers’ daily rates as of 30 Aug 2026. Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
About the technology
Workflow orchestration
Apache Airflow is used to schedule, monitor, and control data and automation workflows. Teams use it to turn scripts and jobs into clear DAGs with dependencies, retries, alerts, and run history. It fits pipelines that move data, trigger models, or coordinate tasks across services.
Common use cases
- ETL and ELT pipelines
- Batch data processing
- ML training and refresh jobs
- API and file transfer workflows
- Reporting and operational automation
Airflow is a strong fit when work must run in order, on a timetable, or after an event. It is common in analytics platforms, data engineering stacks, and operations-heavy systems that need traceable execution.
Ecosystem and tooling
Airflow usually sits with Python, SQL, Git, Docker, and cloud services. Experts also work with providers, sensors, connections, variables, custom operators, and task logs. Strong setups include clear code structure, environment separation, and safe secret handling.
What strong experts do
A strong Apache Airflow specialist writes maintainable DAGs, not just working ones. They keep tasks small, make retries sensible, and design for observability and failure recovery. They also know when to split a workflow, when to use a sensor, and how to avoid brittle scheduling logic.
When to bring in help
Bring in freelance expertise when workflows become hard to debug, slow to run, or risky to change. Cologne teams often use remote Airflow specialists for platform work, while on-site time helps when they need close work with data and operations teams. This is useful during migrations, rewrites, and production incidents.
Airflow in practice
Airflow, often searched as Apache Airflow or just Airflow, is mainly about orchestration rather than compute. It coordinates tasks; it does not replace the tools that do the actual processing. That makes clear ownership important: the workflow layer, the job code, and the infrastructure all need to fit together.
Frequently asked questions
Not sure where to start with Apache Airflow? These answers cover the essentials.
Apache Airflow is used to orchestrate workflows that need ordering, scheduling, retries, and clear monitoring. Companies use it for data pipelines, file movements, model refreshes, and recurring operational jobs. It is a coordination layer, not the system that performs the heavy processing itself.
Airflow is often chosen when teams need mature scheduling, many integrations, and strong control over task dependencies. dbt is better for SQL transformation inside the warehouse, while Prefect is often preferred for a lighter programming model. Luigi is older and simpler, but many teams outgrow it when workflows get larger.
A strong Apache Airflow specialist usually knows Python well and can read SQL, since many DAGs wrap data work. They should also understand Docker, Git, cloud services, logging, alerts, and secrets management. For data-heavy setups, familiarity with warehouses and scheduling patterns matters a lot.
Even simple workflows can break if retries, dependencies, or task timing are handled badly. Airflow expertise becomes important as soon as workflows need shared ownership, multiple environments, or production monitoring. A freelancer can help even on smaller setups when the team wants clean structure from the start.
Yes, most Apache Airflow work can be done remotely because the core tasks are code, configuration, and review. Cologne teams often only need on-site time for workshops, incident reviews, or close coordination with data and operations stakeholders. Remote collaboration is usually a good fit when access and process are set up well.
Look for clear DAG design, sensible retry logic, good naming, and a calm approach to failure handling in Airflow. Good specialists explain why they used a sensor, a trigger rule, or a separate task group instead of adding complexity. They should also talk about observability, testing, and deployment, not only about getting tasks to run.
A common mistake with Apache Airflow is putting too much logic inside one task or one DAG file. Other problems are weak alerting, overused sensors, unclear ownership, and workflows that depend on manual fixes. Strong experts simplify the pipeline and make failures easy to understand.
Teams often bring in Airflow specialists when they need to rescue unstable workflows, redesign a growing orchestration layer, or set standards for future work. A freelancer can focus on structure, performance, and maintainability without waiting for internal bandwidth. That is especially useful when the platform supports business-critical reporting or data delivery.
The average hourly rate of freelancers in Cologne, Germany who have used Apache Airflow in their recent projects is 96 €, which corresponds to a daily rate of about 768 € based on an 8-hour working day.
Of the freelancers in Cologne, Germany who have used Apache Airflow in their recent projects, 100% hold at least a Bachelor's degree and 83% hold at least a Master's degree.
On average, freelancers in Cologne, Germany who have used Apache Airflow in their recent projects have 14 years of professional experience, with a single engagement typically lasting around 1.3 years.
The most common languages among freelancers in Cologne, Germany who have used Apache Airflow in their recent projects are German (100%), English (100%), and Greek (17%).
The most common industries among freelancers in Cologne, Germany who have used Apache Airflow in their recent projects are Education (83%), Banking and Finance (67%), and Information Technology (67%).
The most common business areas among freelancers in Cologne, Germany who have used Apache Airflow in their recent projects are Business Intelligence (100%), Information Technology (100%), and Quality Assurance (83%).
Main locations of FRATCH Experts, who have recently used Apache Airflow
Our freelancers and interim experts are at home across the DACH region — available on-site in the major business hubs or fully remote. Choose a location to discover matched specialists, local market insights and up-to-date availability.
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