Senior Data Science

Virgin Atlantic; Crawley; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading airline company in Crawley is seeking a Senior Data Scientist to design and implement machine-learning solutions. The role requires 5+ years of experience in applied machine learning, with expertise in Python and SQL. The ideal candidate will lead projects from conception to deployment, ensuring high-quality models that impact customer experiences. The company values diversity and encourages applications from all backgrounds.

Qualifications

• 5+ years experience delivering applied machine-learning projects in production.
• Proven record of deploying and maintaining ML models through CI/CD pipelines.
• Strong understanding of testing, version control, containerisation, and monitoring.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end ML and optimisation projects.
• Build, test, and refine predictive and prescriptive models.
• Collaborate with data engineers and ML engineers.

Skills

Machine learning

Python (pandas, scikit-learn, PySpark)

SQL

ML lifecycle tooling (MLflow, Databricks)

Excellent communication skills

Education

Degree, PHD or post-doc in a quantitative discipline

Job description

Job Description

Location: VHQ, Crawley, 3 days on site in line with our hybrid working model
Contract Type: Permanent
Hours: 37.5 per week, Monday to Friday
Closing Date: 11th November 2025
Department: Data & AI
Reports to: Manager of Data Science and Operational Research

In a nutshell

Are you a data scientist who turns models into measurable business impact?

At Virgin Atlantic, we're looking for a Senior Data Scientist to design, build, and productionise machine-learning solutions that shape how we fly, plan, and delight our customers.

You'll own the full project lifecycle, from defining the business problem and exploring the data to deploying, monitoring, and continuously improving models in production. Your work will directly influence operations, scheduling, and customer experiences, powering decisions that keep Virgin Atlantic ahead of the curve.

As an important member of our team you'll also help define our data-science best practices, and champion a culture that values experimentation, collaboration, and delivery excellence.

Day to day

• Lead end-to-end ML and optimisation projects, from concept through deployment and post-launch performance analysis.
• Build, test, and refine predictive and prescriptive models that deliver tangible business outcomes.
• Collaborate with data engineers and ML engineers to design robust pipelines integrated with CI/CD workflows, ensuring models are reproducible, version-controlled, and continuously deployed with confidence.
• Implement monitoring and retraining frameworks to maintain model performance and governance over time.
• Contribute to our internal ML frameworks and tooling, streamlining how we experiment, validate, and deploy models at scale.
• Partner with stakeholders across the airline to translate complex analytical results into clear, actionable recommendations.
• Stay curious; keep up with developments in ML, GenAI, and responsible-AI practices, bringing new ideas to how we innovate with data.

About you

You're an experienced, impact-driven data scientist who has seen multiple projects through the full lifecycle, from Jupyter notebook to production API. You combine deep technical expertise with commercial understanding and thrive on collaboration.

You'll bring:

• 5 + years\' experience delivering applied machine-learning projects in production.
• Proven record of deploying and maintaining ML models through CI/CD pipelines
• Advanced proficiency in Python (pandas, scikit-learn, PySpark) and SQL.
• Experience with ML lifecycle tooling such as MLflow and Databricks.
• Strong understanding of testing, version control, containerisation, and monitoring.
• Excellent communication skills - able to convey complex ideas clearly to technical and non-technical audiences alike.
• A degree, PHD or post-doc experience in a quantitative discipline such as statistics, mathematics, computer science, or a related field.

Nice to have:

Experience applying GenAI or NLP models to real-world business problems.

Be yourself - Our differences make us stronger
Our customers come from all walks of life and so do our colleagues. That\'s why we\'re proud to be an equal opportunity employer and actively encourage applications from all backgrounds. At Virgin Atlantic, we believe everyone can take on the world - no matter your age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disabilities, religion, or beliefs. We celebrate difference and everything that makes our colleagues unique by upholding an inclusive environment in which we can all thrive. So that everyone at Virgin Atlantic can be themselves and know they belong.

To make your journey with us accessible and individual to you, we encourage you to let us know if you\'d like a little extra help with your application, or if you have any individual requirements at any stage along your recruitment journey. We are here to support you, so please reach out to our team, [e-mail] feeling confident that we\'ve got your individual considerations covered.

Additional information
At Virgin Atlantic, our leaders empower teams to thrive through collaboration, innovation, and excellence. Explore our Leadership Recipe and discover the 20 core ingredients that define what it means to lead with us, driving our mission to be the most loved travel company and achieve sustainable profit. Want to learn more? Click here