Data Architect - Local Government / Planning Systems

Job Title: Data Architect - Planning Transformation Location: Hybrid (1 day/week onsite in Central London)Contract: 3 months Rate: Up to £600/day (IR35 TBC)Start: ASAP

A Local Government body in London is seeking a contract Data Architect to support a high-profile planning transformation programme.

This role will play a critical part in shaping the future of the council's planning data landscape. You'll lead the reverse engineering of an existing legacy planning system and design the target-state architecture that will support future reprocurement and wider service reform.

• Reverse engineer the existing data model of a complex transactional planning system.

• Design and document conceptual, logical, and physical data models.

• Develop data dictionaries and artefacts to support business and technical users.

• Map data flows and integration points between systems.

• Support implementation of role-based access control (RBAC).

• Work closely with planning officers, analysts, and digital teams to align technical architecture with operational and policy needs.

• Identify opportunities for process or data improvements across business functions.

• Proven ability to reverse engineer data models from legacy systems.

• Strong experience in data modelling (dimensional, relational, data vault, etc.).

• Deep understanding of OLTP systems and transactional data environments.

• Experience with system/data integration, data lineage, and flow mapping.

• Comfortable translating complex technical detail into plain English.

• Strong stakeholder engagement skills, particularly with non-technical users.

• Ability to operate independently in a multidisciplinary agile team.

• Experience with IDOX Uniform or similar Local Government planning systems.

• Background in Local or Central Government data environments.

This is a hands-on role suited to someone who can own the data architecture workstream, embed themselves in a cross-functional team, and deliver pragmatic outputs at pace. Prior experience reverse-engineering undocumented systems will be key.

*Rates depend on experience and client requirements