Experienced Data Engineer (GIS, Data Pipelines & Automation)

Initial 2-Month Full-Time Contract, Long-Term Opportunity for right candidates Please note: shortlisted applicants will be invited to complete a short technical challenge before interview. We are looking to work directly with individual engineers rather than agencies, development companies or outsourced teams. PlanningHub is looking for an experienced Data Engineer to help us build and maintain one of the UK's most comprehensive planning and property intelligence platforms. This role combines data engineering, GIS, web scraping, automation, AI-assisted workflows, metadata management, and large-scale data management. We are not looking for someone to simply maintain existing systems. We are looking for someone who enjoys solving difficult data challenges, building reliable processes, and turning fragmented data sources into high-quality, structured datasets. The initial engagement will be full-time for approximately two months. Following this period, we expect the role to continue on a part-time basis and potentially expand further as the business grows. About PlanningHub PlanningHub is a fast-growing UK proptech company using software, GIS and AI to simplify access to planning information. We help property owners, developers, architects, housing providers and planning professionals make faster and better planning decisions through intelligent data products. Our work sits at the intersection of planning, geospatial technology, software engineering and artificial intelligence. What You'll Be Doing Data Engineering • Designing and maintaining SQL databases • Building and maintaining data pipelines • Creating robust ETL and data transformation workflows • Improving data quality, consistency and reliability • Designing metadata structures and data catalogues, and pre-processing frameworks that improve downstream data quality and usability • Managing large datasets and data standards • Implementing data governance, backup, recovery, and secure data transfer processes GIS & Spatial Data • Creating and maintaining PostGIS datasets • Processing and standardising GIS datasets • Maintaining spatial data quality standards and validation processes • Working with planning constraints, designations and property-related data • Supporting integration of spatial datasets into our products Planning Application Data • Collecting, monitoring and maintaining and continuously improving planning application datasets from hundreds of local authority and other public-sector sources • Building reliable processes for ongoing updates • Managing complex and inconsistent source data • Managing data acquisition processes, source monitoring, and update schedules across multiple data providers. • Identifying and resolving data quality issues Automation & Scraping • Building automated and semi-automated data collection processes • Working with challenging public-sector data sources • Improving resilience and efficiency of data acquisition workflows • Maintaining and enhancing existing collection systems AI-Assisted Data Processing • Using AI tools and LLMs to improve data extraction, classification and data quality • Automating repetitive workflows where appropriate • Supporting development of AI-powered planning intelligence products • Supporting future development of AI-assisted data quality enhancement and governance workflows Essential Skills • Strong SQL skills and database administration skills • Experience designing and maintaining databases • Python programming experience • Experience building data pipelines and ETL workflows • Experience working with large and messy datasets • Strong problem-solving abilities • Excellent attention to detail • Ability to work independently and systematically Highly Desirable • PostGIS and spatial database experience • QGIS experience • Web scraping experience • Experience with Selenium, Playwright, Scrapy or similar tools • AI / LLM experience • Geospatial data processing experience What We're Looking For We're looking for somebody who enjoys tackling difficult problems. Many of our datasets are fragmented, inconsistent, and originate from hundreds of different sources. Success in this role requires persistence, curiosity, organisation and a systematic approach. You should be comfortable investigating problems independently, documenting your work, and continuously improving processes. Reliability, commitment and ownership are extremely important to us. You should be comfortable using modern AI-assisted development tools and applying sound judgement when working with AI-generated code. Strong code review skills are essential, including the ability to validate and assess AI-generated code for quality, security, maintainability and suitability. Selection Process We receive a high number of applications, so shortlisted candidates will be asked to complete a practical technical challenge based on a real-world data problem similar to those encountered within the role. Successful candidates will then be invited to a video interview with the PlanningHub team. We are far more interested in demonstrated problem-solving ability and practical experience than academic qualifications. Contract Details • Remote position • Initial commitment: approximately 40 hours per week for 2 months • Strong possibility of ongoing part-time work thereafter • Potential to grow into a longer-term position as PlanningHub expands To Apply Please provide: • A short introduction • Relevant experience in data engineering, GIS, automation or scraping • Examples of similar projects you have completed • Your availability • Your hourly rate Applications without relevant examples of previous work are unlikely to be considered. We are looking for someone who can start quickly and become a long-term member of our extended team.