Data Scientist

Data Scientist
Location: Manchester, Exchange QuaysWorking pattern: Hybrid- 2 days a week on siteDepartment: TechnologySalary: Competitive, dependent on experience
About the role
We're looking for a Data Scientist to join an ambitious technology business in Manchester, working at the intersection of data science, AI, behavioural insights and technology.
You'll join the Insight Services team, working alongside experienced Data Scientists to develop the data pipelines, analytical models and AI products that sit behind a growing technology platform.
This is a hands-on role combining data science, R development and data engineering in AWS. You'll have the opportunity to work across the full data lifecycle, from collecting and transforming data through to building models, deploying solutions and supporting them in production.
Around 80% of your time will be focused on AI product development, data engineering and product enhancement, with the remaining 20% focused on Level 3 technical support.
What you'll be doing


Build and maintain data pipelines that collect, clean and transform customer and internal data


Develop data analysis and statistical models using R


Build, test and maintain machine learning and predictive models


Develop and deploy R-based applications and data workflows within AWS


Work with structured and unstructured data to identify trends, patterns and insights


Build and maintain ETL/ELT pipelines and data workflows


Work with AWS services including S3, RDS, Lambda, ECS, Glue and CloudWatch


Monitor data quality, pipeline performance and production issues


Design and maintain data models and database schemas


Write efficient SQL queries and work with relational databases


Use Git, testing and version control to produce reliable and maintainable code


Create data visualisations and communicate findings to technical and non-technical audiences


Translate business challenges into analytical questions and evidence-based solutions


Support behavioural and risk segmentation, research and cost analysis


Provide Level 3 technical support, investigating and resolving complex application and data issues


Contribute to code reviews, technical documentation and continuous improvement


What we're looking for
We're looking for someone with around 1-2 years of commercial experience who has exposure to both the analytical and engineering sides of data.
You'll need:


1+ years' commercial experience in data analysis or data science


1+ years' commercial experience developing in R using RStudio / Posit


Strong working knowledge of statistics and machine learning


Hands-on experience building or maintaining ETL/ELT data pipelines


Practical experience working with AWS, ideally including S3 and a managed database service such as RDS


Strong SQL skills


Experience working with a relational database such as MySQL, PostgreSQL or SQL Server


Experience writing reusable, tested code


Experience using Git and version control


R experience is mandatory for this role.
Desirable experience
It would be beneficial if you also have experience with:


MySQL


Python


Docker and containerisation


CI/CD pipelines


Terraform or CloudFormation


Airflow, AWS Step Functions or other workflow orchestration tools


Building APIs or packaging models in R, such as plumber or R packages


SaaS or software product environments


Customer-facing or application support


Social Housing data, research or analytics


About you
You'll be analytical, curious and comfortable getting hands-on with data and code.
You'll enjoy solving problems, understanding how data can improve decision-making and learning new technologies. You'll also be comfortable explaining technical concepts to non-technical colleagues and working collaboratively with more experienced members of the team.
We're particularly interested in people who demonstrate:


Strong analytical and problem-solving skills


Good mathematical and statistical ability


Excellent attention to detail


A passion for data science, software development and well-engineered data systems


Strong written and verbal communication


A willingness to learn and take feedback


The ability to work independently and take ownership of tasks


A degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics or another technical discipline would be beneficial, although equivalent commercial experience will also be considered.
Why join?
You'll be joining a growing technology business where data science and AI are central to the products being developed.
The role offers the chance to work across R, machine learning, AWS, data engineering and AI, while learning directly from experienced Data Scientists and contributing to products used to solve real-world challenges across sectors including Social Housing, Local Government and Healthcare.
If you're an early-career Data Scientist who wants to build strong commercial experience across both data science and data engineering, this is an opportunity to develop a broad and highly valuable technical skillset.