Digital Surveyor Freelance

GHD
GHD Advisory Data & Insights Team – Digital Surveyor Join a global profession services leader, committed to solving the world’s biggest challenges across energy, transport, utilities and urbanisation.

We are seeking curious minds with a passion for data-driven problem solving to join and shape our growing Data & Insights team. You will support the delivery of innovative solutions across sectors such as rail, highways, telecoms, water, and future energy, delivering tangible impacts for generations to come.

You’ll have the freedom to explore your interests across diverse projects and sectors, with support and encouragement to develop your skills and experience. We embrace a start-up mentality within a global corporate framework, encouraging autonomous decision making, fresh ideas and agile thinking. Our team structure fosters collaboration and ensures every member feels supported, empowering you to meaningfully contribute to our continuously growing and improving team.

What we do

• We help our clients unlock the full potential of their data and assets by combining cutting edge technology solutions with our data and analytical expertise. A core part of our offering focuses on creating intelligent digital environments through virtual site modelling, technical engineering automation, and location intelligence.
• Virtual Site Modelling:We deliver immersive digital representations of physical environments through virtual inspections, advanced surveying techniques, and high definition 3D visualisation. These models enable clients to explore, assess, and plan with precision, reducing the need for physical site visits and accelerating decision-making.
• Technical Engineering Automation:Our fully automated suite of engineering design tools transforms traditional workflows. By embedding automation into technical processes, we help clients streamline design, reduce errors, and improve consistency across engineering disciplines.
• Digital Asset Management: We combine our knowledge of the infrastructure lifecycle across industries like water, power, rail, and highways, and our expertise in data-driven insights to help our clients make decisions about the stewardship of their assets.

Your responsibilities In this dynamic role, you will contribute to the planning and execution of drone-based site surveys, capturing high resolution spatial and laser scan data to support innovative digital solutions. You’ll transform and integrate raw data into our propriety digital twin platform, implementing cutting edge technologies such as augmented and virtual reality. Collaborating closely with clients and multidisciplinary teams, you’ll tailor survey methods to unique challenges, communicate findings effectively, and contribute to business growth through technical excellence and strategic insight.

Drone Surveys & Data Capture

• Planning and conducting drone-based site surveys across diverse industries and environments.
• Capturing high-resolution spatial data using unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), and GNSS-enabled equipment.
• Capturing terrestrial laser scan data.
• Developing innovative survey methods to meet unique client challenges and improve data quality.

Digital Twin Development & Technology Integration

• Post-processing survey data to generate photogrammetry models, point clouds, and spatial reference systems.
• Integrating processed data into our proprietary digital twin platform to create accurate, interactive representations of real-world sites.
• Exploring and implementing virtual and augmented reality solutions to enrich client engagement and design workflows.
• Working closely with clients to understand site-specific requirements and deliver tailored digital solutions.
• Communicating survey findings and digital twin outputs clearly, using visual and technical formats suited to varied audiences.
• Building trust through collaborative site work and transparent reporting, ensuring client expectations are met and exceeded.

Team Contribution & Business Development

• Collaborating with multidisciplinary engineering teams to provide precise and actionable site intelligence.
• Contributing to business growth by identifying new opportunities, supporting bids, and enhancing team capabilities.
• Innovating and refining survey techniques to meet evolving client needs and improve data quality.

About you We would love to hear from you if you bring a strong foundation in surveying, data capture, and digital innovation. This role suits someone who is curious, collaborative, and eager to apply cutting-edge technologies to solve real-world challenges.

Personal Characteristics

• You are a proactive team player who thrives in both remote and in person environments.
• You are willing to visit client sites across the UK when required and can spend nights away from home. We expect this to comprise around % of your working hours.
• A full, valid driving licence and the ability to travel between sites is required.
• You are confident and professional when interacting with others, representing the company with integrity and respect during site visits.
• You demonstrate strong interpersonal skills, ensuring clear communication and a positive presence while working in varied environments.
• You are comfortable working in a dynamic, growing team and contributing to the development of new capabilities.
• You are an independent thinker who can confidently share ideas and challenge conventional approaches.
• You have a collaborative working style and understand the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
• You must be able to attend remote sites and be able to walk over varying terrain.

Previous Experience Due to the varied nature of our projects, a broad range of experience is beneficial. We’re particularly interested in candidates who can demonstrate technical capabilities in surveying, data processing, and digital modelling.

Technical Capabilities

• An honours degree or equivalent workplace experience in a relevant field.
• Experience with GIS, CAD, or BIM systems.
• Familiarity with spatial data capture equipment such as total stations, GNSS rovers, and laser scanners and the production of topographical datasets.
• Experience operating drones or other unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for surveying purposes. Holding a GVC is highly desirable.
• Experience in post processing spatial data and integrating it into digital twin platforms is highly desirable.
• An interest in learning or a beginner skill level in programming languages is desirable.

Management Capabilities

• Strong communication skills, with the ability to present technical concepts clearly to clients and stakeholders.
• A consulting mindset, with an interest in understanding client needs and delivering tailored solutions.
• You understand the importance of public perception and client engagement, and act as a trusted representative of the company during fieldwork.
• You are capable of managing on site interactions, addressing questions or concerns from stakeholders and the public in a calm and informed manner.
• Ability to contribute to project planning, delivery, and continuous improvement.
• Commercial awareness and a willingness to support business development activities.

About GHD Being the best that we can be is in our culture.

We are a team of smart, innovative, and creative problem solvers. In our employee owned company, everything feels like it matters more. Challenge us and help us come up with new solutions to ensure water, energy and urbanisation are made sustainable for generations to come.

Our Commitment to you Commitment is a powerful word that defines how we do business, how we serve our clients and how we care for one another. We will support your needs by giving you the tools, training and support to do your best work and then recognise your achievements. We will set your curiosity free to allow brilliant minds to do their best work. We will invest in new ideas, removing barriers where we can. Finally, we will encourage you to collaborate with thousands of diverse people across our global business.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion lies at the heart of our team culture. We operate a flat intellectual hierarchy meaning every voice is heard and has genuine influence. We believe deeply in diversity of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, national origin, and experience, and we recognise the value this brings our collective team approach to solving challenging client problems. Our internal working groups, such as GHD Young Professionals, Pride Alliance and Women in GHD (WING), enable every employee to shape the conversation and help implement initiatives to make GHD a better place to work for all.

Inclusion Inclusion is hugely important to us, and we want to ensure every team member can balance work around their unique personal circumstances. In addition to a competitive salary, we offer a wider variety of benefits to support you, including 25 days paid leave with opportunity to purchase additional leave, matched pension contributions and family-friendly flexible working. As an employee-owned business, you will have the opportunity to obtain shares in GHD, empowering you to shape and share the company’s long-term success. We will advocate for your professional development and provide you with technical development opportunities and mentoring programmes to help you grow and improve your abilities . click apply for full job details