Senior Data Engineer – ML Quant Fund – UAE – up to $250,000 USD

Opportunities for Data Engineers to do truly impactful work in the UAE remain scarce, with most buy-side firms keeping their core tech teams in London, New York, or Singapore. This team rewards people directly for the impact they make, with performance bonuses that genuinely reflect contribution.

Although the team prefer collaborating in person, the office is conveniently located. The most sought-after neighbourhoods in Abu Dhabi are only a 10–20 minute drive away. No tube strikes, no packed commutes, and no paying for a season ticket just to stand. A cab typically costs around £8 one way.

It’s also a place where people stay. Staff turnover is well below industry average, and most of the team have relocated from top buy-side firms across New York, London, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Paris.

What you’ll do

• Acquire and ingest datasets from various sources to meet business needs.
• Design, build and manage robust data pipelines and infrastructure to ensure high data quality and reliability.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to understand business objectives and translate them into technical solutions.
• Partner closely with quantitative researchers and investment analysts to ensure data products meet research requirements.

What you’ll need

• 6+ years’ experience in Data/Quant Engineering
• Python, SQL
• Modern data warehousing (Snowflake, Databricks, Redshift, etc.)
• Apache Airflow or similar
• Terraform
• Cloud experience (AWS, Azure, GCP)
• Familiarity with common financial datasets (Bloomberg, FactSet, S&P Global, Macrobond, Finaeon, MSCI, etc.)

Why move to the UAE?

• Ranked among the top 5 safest cities in the world
• An emerging global hub for buy-side finance
• Top international schools with school fees covered by the client for your family
• Year-round sunshine; option to work from your home country in July/August
• Significant tax advantages

For an informal discussion and to talk through your expectations, apply now: josh@durlstonpartners.com

If this role isn’t right for you but you know someone who may be interested, we offer a market-leading referral scheme for anyone who refers a friend who successfully passes probation. T&Cs apply.