Data Scientist

Oliver James Group; Salford; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Oliver James Group is seeking a Data Scientist to join our Technology team in Manchester. You will work at the intersection of data science, AI and behavioural insights, delivering data pipelines, analytical models and AI products for a growing platform.

The role combines data science, R development and data engineering in AWS, with about 80% focused on AI product development and 20% on Level 3 technical support. A hands-on position across the full data lifecycle.

Qualifications

• 1+ years' commercial experience in data analysis or data science.
• 1+ years' commercial experience developing in R using RStudio / Posit.
• Strong statistics and machine learning knowledge.
• Experience building ETL/ELT data pipelines.
• Experience with AWS including S3 and a managed database service such as RDS.
• Strong SQL skills.
• Experience with MySQL, PostgreSQL or SQL Server.
• Experience writing reusable, tested code.
• Experience using Git and version control.
• R experience is mandatory for this role.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain data pipelines that collect, clean and transform data.
• Develop data analysis and statistical models using R.
• Build, test and maintain machine learning and predictive models.
• Develop and deploy R-based applications and data workflows within AWS.
• Work with structured and unstructured data to identify trends and insights.
• Write efficient SQL queries and work with relational databases.
• Monitor data quality, pipeline performance and production issues.

Skills

R development

SQL

Machine learning

AWS

Data pipelines

Git/version control

Data wrangling

Education

Degree in Data Science

Tools

RStudio / Posit

Docker

Airflow

Terraform

Job description

Data Scientist

Location: Manchester, Exchange Quays

Working pattern: Hybrid- 2 days a week on site

Department: Technology

Salary: Competitive, dependent on experience

About the role

We\'re looking for a Data Scientist to join an ambitious technology business in Manchester, working at the intersection of data science, AI, behavioural insights and technology.

You\'ll join the Insight Services team, working alongside experienced Data Scientists to develop the data pipelines, analytical models and AI products that sit behind a growing technology platform.

This is a hands‑on role combining data science, R development and data engineering in AWS. You\'ll have the opportunity to work across the full data lifecycle, from collecting and transforming data through to building models, deploying solutions and supporting them in production.

Around 80% of your time will be focused on AI product development, data engineering and product enhancement, with the remaining 20% focused on Level 3 technical support.

What\'ll you be doing

• Build and maintain data pipelines that collect, clean and transform customer and internal data
• Develop data analysis and statistical models using R
• Build, test and maintain machine learning and predictive models
• Develop and deploy R‑based applications and data workflows within AWS
• Work with structured and unstructured data to identify trends, patterns and insights
• Build and maintain ETL/ELT pipelines and data workflows
• Work with AWS services including S3, RDS, Lambda, ECS, Glue and CloudWatch
• Monitor data quality, pipeline performance and production issues
• Design and maintain data models and database schemas
• Write efficient SQL queries and work with relational databases
• Use Git, testing and version control to produce reliable and maintainable code
• Create data visualisations and communicate findings to technical and non‑technical audiences
• Translate business challenges into analytical questions and evidence‑based solutions
• Support behavioural and risk segmentation, research and cost analysis
• Provide Level 3 technical support, investigating and resolving complex application and data issues
• Contribute to code reviews, technical documentation and continuous improvement

What we\'re looking for

We\'re looking for someone with around 1-2 years of commercial experience who has exposure to both the analytical and engineering sides of data.

You\'ll need:

• 1+ years\' commercial experience in data analysis or data science
• 1+ years\' commercial experience developing in R using RStudio / Posit
• Strong working knowledge of statistics and machine learning
• Hands‑on experience building or maintaining ETL/ELT data pipelines
• Practical experience working with AWS, ideally including S3 and a managed database service such as RDS
• Strong SQL skills
• Experience working with a relational database such as MySQL, PostgreSQL or SQL Server
• Experience writing reusable, tested code
• Experience using Git and version control
• R experience is mandatory for this role.

Desirable experience

• MySQL
• Python
• Docker and containerisation
• CI/CD pipelines
• Terraform or CloudFormation
• Airflow, AWS Step Functions or other workflow orchestration tools
• Building APIs or packaging models in R, such as plumber or R packages
• SaaS or software product environments
• Customer‑facing or application support
• Social Housing data, research or analytics

About you

You\'ll be analytical, curious and comfortable getting hands‑on with data and code. You\'ll enjoy solving problems, understanding how data can improve decision‑making and learning new technologies. You\'ll also be comfortable explaining technical concepts to non‑technical colleagues and working collaboratively with more experienced members of the team.

We\'re particularly interested in people who demonstrate:

• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills
• Good mathematical and statistical ability
• Excellent attention to detail
• A passion for data science, software development and well‑engineered data systems
• Strong written and verbal communication
• A willingness to learn and take feedback
• The ability to work independently and take ownership of tasks

A degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics or another technical discipline would be beneficial, although equivalent commercial experience will also be considered.

Why join?

You\'ll be joining a growing technology business where data science and AI are central to the products being developed.

The role offers the chance to work across R, machine learning, AWS, data engineering and AI, while learning directly from experienced Data Scientists and contributing to products used to solve real‑world challenges across sectors including Social Housing, Local Government and Healthcare.

If you\'re an early‑career Data Scientist who wants to build strong commercial experience across both data science and data engineering, this is an opportunity to develop a broad and highly valuable technical skillset.