Manufacturing Data Scientist

Manufacturing Data Scientist

Salary: £46,587.88 (inclusive of 35% holiday bonus for 33 days per year; 25 vacation & 8 bank holidays)

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Monday to Thursday: 07:00 - 15:30, Friday: 07:00 - 12:30

As a Manufacturing Data Scientist, you will play a key role in shaping how data is used to improve efficiency, quality, throughput, and sustainability across the plant.

You will design, develop, and maintain a portfolio of data-driven products and projects that turn complex manufacturing data into clear, actionable insights for operators, engineers, and leadership. You will work as part of the plant manufacturing team while also being embedded within Ford's wider global data science and analytics community, helping to scale successful solutions across the enterprise.

This role embodies Ford's commitment to continuous improvement and data-led decision-making, enabling teams to adapt and improve based on the insights you deliver.

Essential

Degree-level education in a relevant subject (such as Mathematics, Statistics, Data Analytics, Computer Science, Physical Sciences) or equivalent professional experience within an engineering or automotive environment
Strong Python expertise
Experience applying machine learning techniques in real-world scenarios
Solid grounding in statistical methodologies and analysis

Desirable

SQL proficiency
Experience with cloud computing platforms

What You'll Do

Leadership & Ford+ Behaviours

Demonstrate Ford+ behaviours in your daily work: ownership, collaboration, integrity, inclusion, customer focus, and continuous learning
Lead or co-lead cross-site analytics initiatives and contribute to a shared analytics playbook

Data, Analytics & Insight

Extract, transform, analyse, and report manufacturing data from multiple sources
Put robust data quality, governance, and security controls in place
Identify process bottlenecks and key drivers of variability to improve OEE, yield, scrap, downtime, cycle times, and energy usage
Build clear dashboards and visualisations, communicating insights in accessible, non-technical language

Modelling & Deployment

Develop and deploy predictive and prescriptive models (e.g. predictive maintenance, defect forecasting, anomaly detection, capacity planning)
Operationalise models using cloud and MLOps best practices, including monitoring, documentation, retraining, and explainability

Collaboration & Change

Work closely with engineering, quality, maintenance, IT, production, and supply chain teams to translate insights into action
Support pilot projects and help scale successful solutions across sites
Contribute to analytics training and capability-building within the plant

Ethics, Safety & Governance

Ensure data privacy, security, and compliance considerations are embedded in all analytics work
Champion responsible, safe, and ethical use of data and models

Benefits

Access to our Employee Development and Assistance Programme
A unique opportunity to access Fords Privilege scheme - allowing you to purchase Ford vehicles at a discount
A great salary increasing yearly, along with our competitive pension scheme
An excellent work-life balance, including a generous holiday allowance of 25 days (inclusive of set shutdown dates)
Cycle to Work Scheme
On site facilities such as a gym, sauna and steam room