Environmenatl Data Scientist/Hydrologist

Penguin Recruitment; Wytham; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

An environmental consultancy in Wytham is seeking a Senior Environmental Data Scientist / Hydrologist to influence the UK's approach to flooding and water resources. In this role, you will develop and manage hydrological methods and enhance models using machine learning. Ideal candidates will have a degree in a relevant field and strong coding skills in Python and/or R. The role offers profit sharing, flexible working, and career progression within a supportive, employee-owned environment.

Benefits

Profit share

Flexible working

Long-term career progression

Qualifications

• Degree (2:1 or above) in relevant field.
• Strong Python and/or R coding capability.
• Experience applying machine learning to environmental or water datasets.
• Solid grounding in hydrology, flood risk or water resources.
• Confident communicator with both technical and non-technical audiences.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage hydrological methods for national platforms.
• Contribute to flood estimation and hydrological software tools.
• Apply machine learning techniques to enhance models.
• Analyse complex spatial and temporal datasets.
• Translate research into commercial-grade tools.
• Liaise with regulators and technical stakeholders.
• Produce clear technical documentation and reports.

Skills

Strong Python coding capability

Strong R coding capability

Experience applying machine learning to datasets

Confident communication skills

Education

Degree in Hydrology, Environmental Science, Civil Engineering or similar

Job description

Senior Environmental Data Scientist / Hydrologist

Location: Oxfordshire

New year. New opportunity. If you want your work to genuinely influence how the UK manages flooding, water resources and climate resilience, this Senior Environmental Data Scientist / Hydrologist role is worth your attention.

This Senior Environmental Data Scientist / Hydrologist position sits within an environmentally focused, employee‑owned consultancy that develops nationally recognised hydrological methods and software used across the UK water and flood‑risk sector. As a Senior Environmental Data Scientist / Hydrologist, you will work at the intersection of hydrology, data science and software development, helping shape tools used by regulators, consultants and infrastructure providers nationwide.

The Role

• Develop and manage hydrological methods within national water resource and flood modelling platforms
• Contribute to industry‑standard flood estimation and hydrological software tools
• Apply machine learning techniques to enhance existing hydrological models
• Analyse complex spatial and temporal datasets
• Translate scientific research into commercial‑grade software and tools
• Liaise with regulators, users and technical stakeholders
• Produce clear, high‑quality technical documentation and reports

About You

• Degree (2:1 or above) in Hydrology, Environmental Science, Civil Engineering or similar
• Strong Python and/or R coding capability
• Experience applying machine learning to environmental or water datasets
• Solid grounding in hydrology, flood risk or water resources
• Confident communicator with both technical and non‑technical audiences

Why Apply

This Senior Environmental Data Scientist / Hydrologist role offers technical influence, long‑term career progression, profit share, flexible working and the chance to work on nationally impactful tools within a people‑first, employee‑owned environment.

Eligibility to Apply

Applicants must already have the right to work in the UK. Sponsorship is not available.

Penguin Recruitment is operating as a Recruitment Agency for this position. For more information, contact Andy Hopkins, our Civil Engineering specialist with over 30 years' recruitment experience.