Data Scientist (Contract)

MRJ Recruitment Limited; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

MRJ Recruitment Limited is seeking a Data Scientist for a 3-month contract in Manchester, working in a hybrid setup to advance agentic search, recommendations and personalised discovery. You will build and productionise ML models, explore goal-driven and reasoning approaches, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to impact customer experiences.

The role focuses on applying Python, SQL and Snowflake to large datasets, with emphasis on model explainability and practical deployment.

Qualifications

• Experience building ML models for search, personalization or recommendations.
• Strong Python and SQL skills.
• Hands-on experience with production ML systems and MLOps is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, evaluate and improve ML models for search, personalization and recommendations.
• Collaborate with Data, Product and Engineering teams to ship features.
• Explain model outputs to stakeholders using SHAP or similar methods.

Skills

Python

SQL

Machine Learning

Explainability

SHAP

Tools

Snowflake

SHAP

Job description

Position: Data Scientist – Agentic Search, Personalisation & Recommendations

Type: Contract

Location: Manchester | Hybrid

Project: Build the next generation of intelligent discovery

We’re currently looking for a Data Scientist (on an initial 3 month contract basis) to help build a next-generation platform that is rethinking how customers search, discover and interact with products through AI.

You’ll work at the intersection of Agentic AI, intelligent search, recommendation engines, personalisation and augmentation, helping create experiences that understand intent, surface the right results and increasingly support users through intelligent, AI-powered discovery journeys.

Think agentic search, smarter recommendations, intelligent ranking and hyper-personalised experiences, built for real users, at scale.

And importantly, this isn’t an R&D role where models disappear into notebooks. Your work will make its way into production and directly influence the customer experience.

What You’ll Be Building

• Agentic Search – exploring how AI agents, reasoning and tool use can transform traditional search and discovery
• Recommendation Engines – building models that surface increasingly relevant products, content and experiences
• Personalisation – creating experiences that adapt to individual customer behaviour, context and intent
• Search Relevance & Ranking – continuously improving what customers see and why they see it
• AI Augmentation – using AI to enrich and enhance the overall discovery journeyExplainable AI – ensuring sophisticated models can still be understood, challenged and trusted

What You’ll Do

• You’ll design, build, evaluate and improve machine learning models across search, personalisation and recommendations, taking ideas from experimentation through to measurable customer impact.
• You’ll explore how agentic AI concepts, including goal-driven systems, multi-step reasoning and tool use, can enhance discovery experiences and create entirely new ways for customers to interact with the platform.
• Using Python, SQL and Snowflake, you’ll work hands-on with large datasets, developing features, evaluating models and identifying opportunities to improve relevance, engagement and customer experience.
• Model explainability will also be important. You’ll use techniques including SHAP to understand model behaviour and turn complex outputs into clear stories that product, engineering and business stakeholders can act on.
• You’ll work closely with teams across Data, Product and Engineering, helping shape not only the models but the direction of the next generation of the platform.

Sound interesting?

We are shortlising w/c 5th October with start dates expected to be no later 19th October.

Please note, preference will be taken for candidates who have experience in Personalisation, Recommendations and/or Search.