Freelance Data Engineer (Max. 3 days per week) - Ghent /...

Are you an experienced Data Engineer with a passion for Azure Databricks and cloud-based data platforms? Are you looking for a challenging freelance assignment (maximum 3 days per week, for an initial engagement of 3 months with the possibility of extension) where you take technical ownership of the evolution of our new data platform? Join us and help build the foundation for analytics and data-driven decision-making within IVC Evidensia Belgium!

Who are we?

IVC Evidensia is the largest group of veterinary practices, centers, and clinics in Europe, with over 2,500 locations across 20 countries and more than 42,000 employees. In Belgium, we currently have over 60 practices, centers, clinics, and pet crematoria spread across Flanders and Wallonia, supported by over 570 driven colleagues. We combine the passion and autonomy of local entrepreneurship on the clinic floor with the professional support and operational strength of our central support office in Ghent.

We are currently transforming the way data is managed and leveraged across our organization. As a Freelance Data Engineer, you will take technical ownership of the implementation and evolution of our Databricks platform within this journey.

What will you do?

You will work closely with our Data Analyst, business stakeholders, and Group Data teams to enable high-quality analytics. Your focus will be on the following pillars:

• Data Pipelines & Architecture: Design, develop and maintain scalable ELT/ETL pipelines in Azure Databricks. Work within the existing Bronze, Silver and Gold medallion architecture, ensuring new pipelines, transformations and datasets follow established patterns and best practices. Contribute to the continuous improvement of the architecture where appropriate.

• Data Integration & Platform Evolution: Support the continued transition from legacy reporting infrastructure to the Databricks Lakehouse platform. Onboard and integrate new data sources, including internal systems, APIs and external datasets, while ensuring consistency with the existing platform design.

• Performance, Reliability & Optimisation: Improve pipeline reliability, monitoring and observability. Identify and implement opportunities to optimise data processing, improve performance and manage platform running costs effectively.

• Data Quality & Engineering Standards: Implement appropriate validation rules, data quality checks and monitoring. Maintain clear documentation of data flows and solutions, and follow established engineering and DevOps/GitHub practices.

• Analytics Enablement: Develop and maintain reliable, well-modelled datasets that are ready for downstream consumption through Power BI, Databricks AI/BI capabilities and self-service analytics.

• Business & Technical Collaboration: Translate requirements from business stakeholders and SMEs into maintainable technical solutions. Work collaboratively with colleagues at both Belgium and Group level, ensuring local developments remain aligned with the wider data landscape.

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for a technically skilled, pragmatic freelancer with excellent communication skills, who can easily bridge the gap between technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• Experience & Availability: Proven experience as a Data Engineer or Analytics Engineer, available for a maximum of 3 days per week on a freelance/B2B basis.

• Tech Stack: Extensive hands-on experience with Azure Databricks (including AI/BI Dashboards and Genie), strong SQL skills, and a solid understanding of Python and/or PySpark.

• Knowledge: Familiar with data modeling principles and orchestration tools (such as Azure Data Factory or equivalent). Excellent understanding of cloud data architecture, with a focus on performance and cost management.

• Desirable: Experience with Unity Catalog, Delta Lake optimization, Infrastructure-as-Code (Bicep/Terraform), or event-driven architectures is a strong plus.

• Languages: Excellent communication skills in Dutch and English. Knowledge of French is an advantage.

What do we offer?

• Impactful Freelance Assignment: A challenging B2B collaboration (maximum 3 days per week) for an initial duration of 3 months, with the option to extend. You will have the opportunity to shape a modern data landscape from the ground up.

• Compensation: A competitive day rate aligned with your expertise and experience.

• Flexibility: Based in our support office in Ghent, with ample opportunities for remote work (hybrid) in a flexible planning context.

• Innovative Environment: A professional work atmosphere where your technical expertise directly contributes to the professionalization of a rapidly expanding veterinary group.

About IVC Evidensia

Our support office in Ghent is part of IVC Evidensia Belgium. Since the 2017 merger between the UK-based IVC and the Northern European Evidensia Group, IVC Evidensia has been the largest group of veterinary practices, centers, and clinics in Europe. IVC Evidensia has also been active in Belgium since 2018. At IVC Evidensia Belgium, our goal is healthy and happy pets and owners. Our mission is to deliver high-quality care and, when necessary, a dignified farewell. We set the bar high through collaboration—ranging from primary and preventive care to the most advanced specialist care. However, this is not achieved through centralization: IVC Evidensia believes in local entrepreneurship for every practice, region, and country. Veterinary care is evolving faster than ever, and IVC Evidensia plays an active role in this evolution by supporting scientific research and knowledge sharing. Today, IVC Evidensia Belgium counts over 570 colleagues across more than 60 practices, centers, clinics, and pet crematoria spread throughout Flanders, Brussels, and Wallonia. This allows us to rely on a vast wealth of expertise within the group, both nationally and internationally.

Note to recruitment agencies: We are not looking for agencies to contact us regarding this vacancy.