Lead Data Scientist

Salary range

Job description

Position: Lead Data Scientist

Band: 5

Salary: £57,954 - £65,400 (plus allowance up to £9,000 per annum depending on technical assessment)

Location: Liverpool/Norwich/Newport/Birmingham

Term: Permanent

Number of roles: 2

Hours: Full Time

Closing Date: 20/01/25

Are you ready for a challenge? Join our Artificial Intelligence (AI) team at this exciting time as we explore how AI can support the public sector deliver efficient and valuable public services.

Job Summary

The role sits at the forefront of identifying, assessing and implementing data science techniques in CCS, including machine learning and artificial intelligence. The successful candidate will collaborate with various teams across our organisation and other government bodies, to explore:

1. Accurate prediction models, prioritising specific markets within the public sector that need our commercial expertise and support the most
2. Customer churn and spend analytics, deciphering patterns and future trends
3. Future anticipation of societal needs and what products and services are needed to meet those needs
4. Automating and creating efficiency in how colleagues and our customers interact
5. Disseminating knowledge of machine learning, artificial intelligence and other new approaches to data across Data, Insights and Delivery

The successful candidate will be championing state-of-the-art data approaches across CCS, driving an exciting shift towards data-driven decision making, thus accelerating CCS's vision of a data-savvy business model.

Directorate Overview

The DID team is central to making sure that decisions made within CCS are driven by data and insights. As a directorate, we provide reporting and insight support across all areas of CCS, including:

1. supplier research
2. framework analysis
3. internal performance reporting

We are continuing to enhance our performance analytics capabilities and are looking at ways we can gain a deeper understanding of how our users interact with CCS. We are also expanding our data science strengths and exploring new ways to apply emerging technologies, like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning.

Team Summary

The role of Lead Data Scientist sits in the AI Impact and Assurance team, reporting to the Head of AI Impact and Assurance. This team sits at the forefront of exploring, assessing and implementing exciting data science techniques at CCS, including machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Key Accountabilities:

1. Lead the technical delivery of data science projects, including analysing data, writing and presenting the output of analyses to technical and non-technical audiences
2. Deploy advanced analysis techniques, such as machine learning, to aid development across the department, including exploring novel datasets
3. Identifying and exploiting opportunities to use machine learning to drive insight and improve decision-making at CCS
4. Improving CCS's understanding of customer journeys using unstructured data and developing predictive algorithms
5. Produce high quality production code in Python (other languages such as R or SQL might be used as needed)
6. Promote best development practices, including regular code reviews to other team members and identifying opportunities for standardisation and process improvement
7. Work with key stakeholders across CCS to identify where data science can support the organisation and the government commercial agenda more widely
8. Review and understand product capabilities from native AI from existing platform partners and have to exploit, as well as dependencies to make these tools work effectively
9. Building out the data science capability across the department - supporting analysts, thinking about how we can embed data science across all areas of the business and supporting CCS' goals to be using data in innovative ways

Essential criteria (To be assessed at application stage):

1. A degree in data science OR a quantitative subject with professional training and experience in data science
2. Can demonstrate an in-depth understanding of a wide range of data science techniques, such as machine learning and natural language processing, and detailed knowledge of at least one specialism
3. Significant experience delivering data science projects as part of a team and experience of shaping and leading analytical projects
4. Strong knowledge of modern machine learning methods and tools, as well as data extraction and manipulation (knowledge of data engineering tools and techniques, such as cloud services is a plus)
5. Substantial ability and experience of coding in Python and/or R

Desirable criteria:

1. Excellent communication skills resulting in the ability to communicate confidently and inclusively about the benefits of data science, specifically AI approaches, so as to inspire curiosity and creativity in others

In the event of a high number of applications, the desirable criteria will be used as a second sift.

Success profiles (To be assessed at interview stage):

They will also be assessed against technical skills and experience as specified within the DDaT framework for this role as follows:

Experience

Technical

1. Collaboration

Behaviours

1. Making effective decisions
2. Delivering at pace
3. Communicating and Influencing

(A link to the Civil Service Success Profiles Framework is provided below)

What we will offer you, here are some of the benefits you can expect:

1. Competitive salary
2. Generous pension scheme
3. A discretionary non-contractual performance related bonus
4. Working remotely in addition to working in advertised office location
5. Flexi time scheme (available for B1-B6)
6. Minimum 25 days annual leave to a maximum service related 30 days excluding bank holidays

Explore fully how we will reward your work.

Want to make a difference? Find out more about the rewarding work that we do in our candidate pack.

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.

We want to make our recruitment process accessible to everyone, so if there is any way that we can support you, please contact recruitment@crowncommercial.gov.uk

Working flexibly, delivering outcomes

CCS is a flexible business with a smarter working model where our colleagues benefit from a mix of home and office working. Successful candidates are expected to work from one of the office locations listed. Our current office attendance approach requires a minimum of 26 days per quarter (approx 2 days per week, which may be subject to change) in CCS office locations or off site meetings with suppliers, customers, partners, networking / industry events. This is pro rata for those who work part time. Our smarter working principles mean that our people have the advantage of both office and offsite based collaboration and learning, as well as working from home. This way of working allows us to honour our commitment to being a responsible business, offer flexibility and better work life balance as well as ensuring we deliver our business with confidence and in accordance with our CCS values.

Selection Process

Candidates who are successful at sift will be contacted as soon as possible following the closing date and advised of the interview process in more detail. The sift is due to commence 23rd & 24th January and interviews dates will be held on 3rd & 5th February. Interview times are to be confirmed. (Subject to change)

To find out more about our recruitment process please click here

Please note: Applicants can make use of artificial intelligence but the information presented at application must be factual.

A reserve list may be held for up to 6 months, which the Civil Service may use to fill future suitably similar vacancies across government for candidates who are considered appointable following interview. Should you be placed on a reserve list and want to be removed please contact recruitment@crowncommercial.gov.uk.

Complaints procedure

Our recruitment processes are underpinned by the principle of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners' Recruitment Principles details of which can be found at http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact recruitment@crowncommercial.gov.uk in the first instance.

If you remain unsatisfied with the response you receive you can then contact the Civil Service Commission at info@csc.gov.uk

Working for the Civil Service:

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

Recruitment Principles:

Our recruitment processes are underpinned by the principle of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners' Recruitment Principles details of which can be found at https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment/recruitment-principles/

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact recruitment@crowncommercial.gov.uk in the first instance.

If you remain unsatisfied with the response you receive you can then contact the Civil Service Commission at info@csc.gov.uk

Success Profiles:

Success profiles are the new recruitment framework used within the Civil Service.

Internal candidates should apply using their Workday account. Select the Career icon and then Find Jobs.