Data Scientist - Political Analytics

Focaldata; City Of London; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A tech-enabled research agency in London is seeking a Data Scientist to enhance the analytics infrastructure. You will develop R tools and scalable solutions, mentor team members, and collaborate on innovative research projects. Ideal candidates have 1+ years of experience in data science, strong R skills, and excellent communication abilities. The role offers a salary range of £45,000 - £55,000 per year.

Qualifications

• 1+ years of experience in data science, ideally in a public opinion or research consultancy environment.
• Strong R skills, including package development and tidyverse fluency.
• Comfortable working in GitHub and writing clean, well-documented code.

Responsibilities

• Build internal R packages to automate and standardize tasks.
• Develop scalable tooling to support research and analytics teams.
• Collaborate on bespoke research and client projects.

Skills

R programming

Data analysis

GitHub

Communication skills

Statistical modeling

Tools

Tidyverse

BigQuery

Job description

About us

We at Focaldata are on a mission to close the "understanding gap" between what organisations believe about people and reality. By leveraging AI, we provide deeper, more accurate insights at a fraction of the cost and time of traditional methods.

We have built an amazing team of research industry expert and great engineers to reimagine what is possible in research. We do impactful work with amazing organisations ranging from well-known brands to life-changing non-profits.

We are on a high-growth trajectory. We care deeply and work hard, challenging each other to be our best selves.

About the role

As a Data Scientist you will be instrumental in shaping the technical backbone of the analytics function at Focaldata. In this role, you\'ll develop advanced R tools and scalable solutions to support research and analytics teams, while leading the implementation of cutting-edge modelling techniques. You\'ll collaborate on diverse projects, enhance our analytics infrastructure, and mentor team members in best practices. If you\'re passionate about data science, skilled in R, and eager to make an impact in public opinion and research, we\'d love to hear from you.

What You\'ll Do

This is a key role in shaping the technical backbone of the analytics function at Focaldata. You\'ll:

• Build internal R packages to automate and standardise core tasks like weighting, modelling, and charting.
• Develop scalable tooling to support our research and analytics teams—from data pipelines to custom dashboards.
• Be a key partner in the development and deployment of advanced modelling techniques (e.g. multilevel regression, segmentation, random forest models, text analysis).
• Collaborate with the wider team on bespoke research and client projects, offering analytical expertise where needed.
• Help shape our codebase and analytics infrastructure to ensure high standards of reproducibility, clarity, and documentation.
• Support innovation within the team by experimenting with and rolling out new methods and techniques.
• Work closely with researchers and engineers to ensure our models and tools integrate smoothly into workflows.

Who You Are (Skills & Experience)

Essential

• 1+ years of experience in data science, ideally in a public opinion, polling, or research consultancy environment.
• Strong R skills, including package development, tidyverse and tidymodels fluency.
• Experience building robust analytical tools or models used by others in a team or organisation.
• Comfortable working in GitHub and writing clean, well-documented code.
• Excellent communication skills—able to explain technical ideas to non-technical audiences.

Nice to Have

• Experience supporting client projects in a research or consultancy context.
• Familiarity with survey methodology, MRP, or causal inference techniques.
• Experience working with cloud-based tools (e.g. BigQuery, GCP).
• Interest in public opinion, politics, or social science research.
• An eye for design and clarity in visualising data and outputs.

Who you are (mindset)

• Experienced data scientist with 1+ years in public opinion, polling, or research consultancy, and you excel in R development, including package creation and tidyverse expertise.
• Robust analytical skills and background in applied statistics and machine learning focusing on transparency and interpretability.
• A confident communicator, who thrives in collaborative environments, translating technical concepts for non-technical audiences.
• Optional experience in survey methodology, MRP, or causal inference, alongside an interest in public opinion or social science research, is a strong plus. Proficiency in Python or willingness to expand into it adds to your versatility.

Please note that this role is predominantly in-office (4 days a week) and we are not able to provide Visa sponsorship for this role.

About Focaldata

At Focaldata, we\'re building a new kind of tech-enabled research agency - that offers clients deep insight at the speed of software. You\'ll get the opportunity to work alongside a highly collaborative team of researchers, client leads, engineers, data scientists and product specialists. We do impactful work with leading organisations, from brands like New Balance to campaign groups like Hope not Hate and non-profits like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Join us.

Focaldata is an equal opportunities employer. We believe in the value of a diverse and inclusive workforce for our business, team and customers. We encourage all applications regardless of age, disability, gender, marriage, pregnancy, maternity, race or nationality, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

We also understand that certain groups may not feel empowered to apply unless they match every single requirement. Please do apply even if you don\'t match 100% of every single requirement!

The pay range for this role is:

45,000 - 55,000 GBP per year (London)