Freelance Data Scraping Engineer (Python) at Mindrift · Pretoria

Mindrift is looking for highly skilled Web Scraping specialists to join the Tendem project (https://tendem.ai/) and drive specialized data scraping workflows for real-world use cases.

Mindrift is looking for highly skilled Python Data Scraping Engineers to join the Tendem project and drive specialized data scraping workflows for real-world applications.

In this role, you'll apply your expertise in web scraping, data extraction, and data processing to deliver accurate, reliable, and high-quality results. This part-time remote opportunity is ideal for technical professionals with hands-on experience in web scraping, data extraction, and processing.

What We Do

The Mindrift platform connects specialists with innovative technology projects. Our mission is to help develop high-quality AI technologies by combining real-world expertise from professionals across the globe with advanced AI development efforts.

About the Role

This is a freelance role for a Tendem project. As a Python Data Scraping Engineer, you'll handle data scraping tasks requiring technical precision for web extraction and processing, utilizing tools such as Apify, OpenRouter, and other technologies, alongside your own technical expertise and approaches.

Key Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end data extraction workflows across complex websites, ensuring complete coverage, accuracy, and reliable delivery of structured datasets.
• Leverage available tools and custom workflows to accelerate data collection, validation, and task execution while meeting defined requirements.
• Ensure reliable extraction from dynamic and interactive web sources, adapting approaches as needed to handle JavaScript-rendered content and changing site behavior.
• Enforce data quality standards through validation checks, cross-source consistency controls, adherence to formatting specifications, and systematic verification prior to delivery.
• Scale scraping operations for large datasets using efficient batching or parallelization, monitor failures, and maintain stability against minor site structure changes.

Educational qualifications

• At least 3+ years of relevant experience in data engineering, web scraping, automation, or software development (required).
• Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, or related technical fields is a plus.

Academic and/or Professional Experience

Candidates should have a strong technical foundation and practical experience with scripting, automation, and data extraction workflows. We are looking for specialists who can solve non-trivial problems, work confidently with modern web technologies and data processing tools, and systematically collect, structure, and validate data from diverse sources. A methodical, detail-oriented approach and the ability to work independently are essential.

Technical Skills (Essential)

• Strong experience in Python web scraping (BeautifulSoup, Selenium or similar), including dynamic content (JS, AJAX, infinite scroll) and APIs via proxies
• Proven ability to extract data from complex structures (hierarchies, archived pages, inconsistent HTML)
• Solid background in data cleaning, normalization, and validation, delivering structured datasets (CSV, JSON, Google Sheets)

Additional requirements

• Hands-on experience with LLMs and AI frameworks to enhance automation and problem-solving
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to data accuracy
• Self-directed work ethic with ability to troubleshoot independently
• A link to GitHub is a plus
• English proficiency: Upper-intermediate (B2) or above (required)

Project time expectations

For this project, tasks are estimated to require around 10–20 hours per week during active phases, based on project requirements. This is an estimate, not a guaranteed workload, and applies only while the project is active.

Compensation

On this project, contributors can earn up to $24 per hour equivalent, depending on their level and pace of contribution.

Compensation varies across projects depending on scope, complexity, and required expertise. Please note that other projects on the platform may offer different earning levels based on their requirements.