Data Scientist

National Physical Laboratory; Hatton; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading research institution in the UK seeks a skilled professional to lead a team focused on delivering innovative time and frequency measurement systems. Responsibilities include designing and implementing state-of-the-art hardware and software, collaborating with global experts, and ensuring project success within defined constraints. Ideal candidates should possess a postgraduate degree in a relevant field and have experience in scientific software development, team management, and interfacing with electronic equipment.

Benefits

Flexible working hours

Positive work-life balance

Broad range of benefits

Qualifications

• A postgraduate degree or equivalent in physics, astronomy, or relevant engineering.
• Experience in atmospheric propagation of radio/microwave signals.
• Knowledge of SATCOM, optical fibre, and GNSS-based systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of scientists and engineers to deliver high-quality outputs.
• Design and implement hardware and software for measurement systems.
• Collaborate with experts worldwide to develop solutions.

Skills

Experience in time and frequency measurement

Team management experience

Software experience in scientific/engineering applications (Python, LabVIEW, MATLAB)

Familiarity with interfacing electronic equipment with computers

Education

Postgraduate degree or equivalent experience in physics, astronomy, or relevant engineering field

Tools

Python

LabVIEW

MATLAB

Job description

Overview

You will be joining our team at an exciting time – we maintain the UK's National Time Scale, UTC (NPL), and are currently developing the UK's first resilient Time Scale facility that will underpin Digital Infrastructure in the UK. This will address the risks associated with our dependency on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (such as GPS) that are vulnerable to both natural and intentional interference.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of scientists and engineers to deliver high‑quality project outputs within time, quality and cost constraints.
• Design and implement hardware and software for state‑of‑the‑art time‑and‑frequency measurement systems, including atomic clocks.
• Collaborate with subject‑matter experts worldwide to develop novel solutions.
• Liaise with internal and external stakeholders to determine needs and tailor expert solutions.
• Attend international conferences to stay abreast of the latest developments.

Qualifications

• Experience in time and frequency measurement / time scales.
• A postgraduate degree or equivalent experience in physics, astronomy, or a relevant engineering field (e.g., satellite navigation systems, GNSS, SATCOM, communications, systems engineering).
• Software experience in scientific/engineering applications (Python, LabVIEW, MATLAB).
• Team management experience.
• Postgraduate experience in software development (Python, LabVIEW, MATLAB).
• Professional experience within an R&D or engineering environment.
• Familiarity with interfacing electronic equipment with computers and an interest in laboratory work.
• Knowledge and experience of SATCOM, optical fibre, and GNSS‑based systems.
• Experience in atmospheric propagation of radio/microwave signals or space‑science systems.

Diversity & Inclusion

NPL and DSIT have strong commitments to diversity and equality of opportunity, and welcome applications from candidates irrespective of their background, gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, or age, providing they meet the required criteria. Applications from women, disabled, black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates in particular are encouraged. All disabled candidates (as defined by the Equality Act 2010) who satisfy the minimum criteria for the role will be guaranteed an interview under the Disability Confident Scheme.

At NPL, we believe our success is a result of the diversity and talent of our people. We strive to nurture and respect individuals to ensure everyone feels valued by treating everyone on the basis of their own individual merits and abilities regardless of their own or perceived identity, as part of our commitment to diversity & inclusion, we hold memberships and accreditations to ensure we're creating an environment where all our colleagues feel supported and welcome, please see our Diversity & Inclusion page. We are committed to the health and well-being of our employees. Flexible working and social activities are embedded in our culture to create a positive work‑life balance, along with a broad range of benefits. Our values are at the heart of what we do, and they shape the way we interact, develop our people and celebrate success. To ensure everyone has an equal chance, we're always willing to make reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process. If you would like to discuss, please contact us.