Data Scientist

Job summary

We accelerate innovation, investment and productivity through world-class science, research and development.��

�We use technology for good by ensuring new and existing technologies are safely developed and deployed across the UK, with the benefits more widely shared.�

We are driving forward a modern digital government which gives citizens a more satisfying experience and their time back.�

We do all this to enable the Government�s 5 national missions: kickstarting economic growth, making Britain a clean energy superpower, taking back our streets, breaking down barriers to opportunity and building an NHS fit for the future.�

Above all, we focus on improving people�s lives. Whether it�s researching new treatments for disease, developing better batteries, reducing burdens through better public services, keeping children safe online, and much more, outcomes for citizens are at the heart of what we do.�

Our Inclusive Environment��

We offer flexible working benefits, employee well-being support and a great pension. We�are�enormously proud�to be a Disability Confident Leader employer. We supportcandidates with adjustments throughout our recruitment process. Information about disability confidence and just some examples of the adjustments that you can request can be found in the reasonable adjustment section below.��

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is�found. To learn more please see the��and the���

Find Out More�

We regularly run events where you can find out more about the department and tips for the application and interview process. You can sign up for upcoming events here:���

You can also follow our LinkedIn Page:�����

Job description

We have recently established a Data Science team at the centre of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). The team's mission is to engage with every corner of the department to uncover opportunities where innovative and experimental data science techniques can enhance existing products, processes, and analysis or generate entirely novel insights. This spans across sectors from telecoms to quantum to AI, all while embracing the possibility of failure as a path to discovery. Through this, we will help set the strategic direction for a department that prioritises data, evidence, and real-time monitoring, and ensure that DSIT becomes data-confident. This role offers an unparalleled opportunity to shape and define your position within an established team, pitching project ideas and exploring novel collaborations. Your contribution will help further a team culture that fosters creativity and innovation in leveraging the latest developments in data science, such as generative AI and LLMs, to deliver transformative insights. You will be joining at a critical time, with the chance to influence how data science shapes the department's impact in a still-evolving landscape. We are looking for highly motivated individuals to join us as we refine our operating model to enhance DSIT's data science capability. Technical skills are necessary for the role, but we are equally interested in your ability to be a proactive, independent thinker, eager to contribute to a team culture of innovation and collaboration. Our work will touch on exciting policy areas and involve collaboration with analytical teams across the department (such as the Government Office for Science), arms-length bodies ( UK Research and Innovation and the UK Space Agency), and executive agencies (, Building Digital UK). This means we will have the opportunity to explore many fascinating projects, either independently as a team or in collaboration with the analytical teams embedded across the department. Innovation is enshrined in the name, delivery plan, and ethos of the department, so we will have every opportunity to explore new ideas, trial novel approaches, and have the freedom to carve our own path. We have a vision for the team to be highly collaborative and proactively inclusive, with the flexibility to respond quickly to urgent asks while building out longer-term data science projects and products. We have access to multiple data science platforms and sandbox areas, meaning you can access truly novel tools and be working on cutting-edge data science techniques. Additionally, learning and development is a core focus of the team, with an afternoon a week reserved as protected time specifically for self-directed learning and development. We celebrate and value this L&D, and actively cascade outputs between members of the team.

Person specification

Key responsibilities

The work within the team is intended to be experimental and innovative. Because of this, the projects that you will get to work on will be varied. You will have the opportunity to use a range of data science techniques, and to propose new approaches that provide insight and improve data practices. The following gives an indication of the kind of work we are currently pursuing. - Developing chatbots through the use of large language models to support the department�s ability to deal with large amounts of unstructured text data. - Developing the department�s natural language processing capability to generate new datasets to track DSIT�s core interests. - Developing web apps to ensure insights are being delivered to stakeholders in the most digestible format to enable data-led decision-making. - Ensuring reliable pipelines to ingest data into the department and delivering it in a usable format to analytical teams. - Building out the data science capability across the department � supporting analysts to add coding to their analytical toolkit, thinking about how we can embed data science across all areas of the business and supporting DSIT�s ambitions to be using data in the most innovative way in government. - Deploying advanced analysis techniques, such as machine learning, to support policy development across the department, including exploring novel datasets. - Delivering visualisations directly to the Ministerial team to support delivery of the department�s top priorities. Technical skills are essential for this role, but we equally value non-technical skills because your responsibilities will also include the following: - Approaching problems analytically, eager to explore the depths of data science and engineering challenges.� - Identifying user needs and developing solutions starting with a minimum viable product (MVP). � - Communicating technical concepts to non-technical audiences and the benefits of data science approaches. - Awareness of data ethics, privacy laws, and responsible AI practices to ensure data is used and managed ethically. - Constructively challenging the status quo to look for ways to improve our work. - Working in multidisciplinary partnerships across the department.

Skills and experience

Teamwork: Experience working in a team to deliver impactful data science projects.�

Adaptability: Confidence to challenge the status quo, independently explore new methodologies, embracing trial and error to push boundaries of data science.�

Programming Languages and Coding Standards: Proficiency in Python, R and SQL for statistical modelling, machine learning and database management.�

Statistical Analysis and Mathematics: Strong foundation in statistics and mathematics. An understanding of appropriate techniques to apply to different datasets to find new insights and inform decision-making.

Machine Learning: Familiarity with machine learning algorithms.

Data Visualisation and Version Control: Proven skills in using advanced data visualisation tools and libraries. Confident using version control systems (especially Git) for code management.

Cloud Computing and Data Engineering: Familiarity with cloud services (AWS, Google Cloud Platform or Azure) for data storage, computing, and machine learning. Ability to clean, pre-process and transform data into a usable state. Ability to put reusable processes and checks in place.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

Working Together Changing and Improving Managing a Quality Service

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

Applied maths, statistics and scientific practices (expert) Data science innovation (practitioner) Programming and Build (practitioner)

Benefits

Alongside your salary of �38,860, Department for Science, Innovation & Technology contributes �11,257 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology offers a competitive mix of benefits including:

A culture of flexible working, such as job sharing, homeworking and compressed hours. Automatic enrolment into the , with an average employer contribution of 27%. A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by 1 day per year up to a maximum of 30. An extensive range of learning & professional development opportunities, which all staff are actively encouraged to pursue. Access to a range of retail, travel and lifestyle employee discounts.

Office attendance

The Department operates a discretionary hybrid working policy, which provides for a combination of working hours from your place of work and from your home in the UK. The current expectation for staff is to attend the office or non-home based location for 40-60% of the time over the accounting period.�