Data Scientist

DataScientistJobs; Salford; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

BBC in Salford, UK, is seeking a Data Scientist to apply statistical and machine learning techniques to business questions and improve understanding of audience behaviour, combining data from digital activity, audience panels and surveys.

You will help design, develop and evaluate analytical models with senior data scientists, build reproducible workflows using Python or R and SQL, and communicate findings clearly to non-technical stakeholders while staying current with advances in AI.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or higher in a quantitative field and strong analytical ability.
• Experience applying data science to solve business problems.
• Ability to translate complex questions into practical analyses.
• Strong communication of findings to stakeholders.
• Proficient Python or R with version control and SQL skills.

Responsibilities

• Apply statistical and machine learning techniques to business questions.
• Develop analytical models and evaluation with senior data scientists.
• Develop reproducible workflows using SQL, Python or R.
• Communicate findings and recommendations to non-technical stakeholders.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Problem solving

Python

R

SQL

Git

Communication

Education

Mathematics/statistics degree

Econometrics

Equivalent work experience

Tools

Git

SQL

Python

R

Job description

Data Scientist

Organisation BBC

Organisation BBC Locations

Salford, UK

Application Deadline 2 days remaining

Apply statistical and machine learning techniques to answer business questions and improve understanding of audience behaviour, combining data from multiple sources including digital activity data, audience panels and surveys.

• Contribute to the design, development and evaluation of analytical models and solutions, working with senior data scientists and engineering partners to support project delivery and production deployment where appropriate.
• Develop reproducible analytical workflows using SQL, Python or R on our data and machine learning platform, including exploratory analysis and proof-of-concepts.
• Develop an understanding of the BBC and wider media landscape to contextualise models and analysis, and communicate findings, assumptions and recommendations appropriately to non-technical stakeholders.
• Keep up to date with developments in machine learning and generative AI, applying relevant techniques appropriately and contributing ideas for improving team practices.

Essential Criteria

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Further degree in mathematics, statistics, computer science, econometrics or related field, or equivalent work experience.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with experience applying data science and statistical techniques to solve business problems by translating ambiguous business questions into practical analytical solutions and selecting appropriate methods, models or algorithms.
• Understanding of statistical inference, experimental design and causal reasoning, with the ability to analyse audience behaviours and preferences, distinguish meaningful patterns from statistical noise, and draw robust, evidence-based conclusions.
• Proven ability to communicate analytical findings clearly and confidently to stakeholders, adapting detail and recommendations to different audiences.
• Good programming skills in Python or R with version control (Git or others), alongside strong SQL skills for working with large datasets, including data preparation and validation.

Desired But Not Required

• Experience in a commercial, research or consulting analytical role.
• Experience applying data science techniques to audience, consumer, marketing or media measurement problems.
• Experience working with audience behaviour data, digital activity data or related panel datasets, in a research, marketing, strategy or product environment.
• Experience building machine learning models to scale and deploying them into production.
• Experience writing clean, well-structured and maintainable code, with an understanding of software engineering best practices such as unit testing, test-driven development, version control and collaborative development using GitHub.
• Familiarity with applying modern AI techniques, including large language models, to analytical or operational problems.

If you can bring some of these skills and experience, along with transferable strengths, we’d love to hear from you and encourage you to apply.

Freelancers are eligible to apply if they have been on a Worker Contract (more info here ) continuously for 6 months. If less than 6 months (or they have had a break of 3 weeks or more between engagements), they must seek Divisional HR approval to apply.