Senior Data Scientist

SMBC Group; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 84,000 - 126,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Competitive benefits package

Pension provision

Job summary

SMBC Group is seeking a Senior Data Scientist to join the Data Analytics Team within the EMEA Data Management Office. You will develop and expand data science capabilities, partner with business and technology stakeholders, and lead proofs-of-concept to demonstrate value from analytics initiatives.

The role requires hands-on experience, strong Python coding skills, ML and NLP expertise, and the ability to operate in an ambiguous environment while mentoring colleagues.

Qualifications

• Hands-on data scientist with track record of developing practical analytical solutions
• Strong programming skills in Python with data science libraries
• Experience applying statistical analysis, ML and predictive modelling to real-world problems
• Experience developing proofs-of-concept and demonstrating business value of analytics
• Understand end-to-end data science lifecycle from exploration to evaluation
• Experience in financial services or regulated industry
• Familiarity with SQL and data visualization tools (Power BI/Tableau)
• Ability to translate complex business problems into structured analytical approaches
• Strong communication skills to explain findings to non-technical audience
• Experience mentoring or coaching colleagues in data science practices

Responsibilities

• Identify opportunities to apply data science, ML, and statistical modelling to business problems
• Design, develop and evaluate proofs-of-concept for technical feasibility
• Collaborate with stakeholders to translate requirements into analytics use cases
• Work with siloed data and bring context to disparate data views
• Prepare data, engineer features, and build/validate models
• Apply NLP, text analytics, or document classification techniques
• Explain model performance, limitations and risks to stakeholders
• Share knowledge and upskill colleagues within Data Analytics
• Establish reusable data science frameworks and coding standards
• Maintain awareness of emerging data science techniques and apply where appropriate

Job description

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SMBC: A trusted partner for the long term

Here at SMBC Group, we want to help you find the next step in your career so read on to discover if this opportunity is the one for you. We like to recognise potential in our people, so we welcome your application even when your experience doesn’t perfectly align with the job description. Whilst we’ll always strive to be better, we’re proud of our inclusive culture, and encourage our applicants and colleagues to be their authentic, unique selves.

Who we are

United by a sense of purpose towards our customers – to be a trusted partner for the long-term – and our universal banking platform in EMEA, SMBC Group has an international growth agenda and award-winning products, meaning we provide exciting opportunities to work on a diverse range of projects and initiatives. We deliver a full suite of corporate finance products and solutions to our customers as well as investment banking and advisory services, and a range of innovative solutions in global capital markets. Read on to find out how you could enhance your skills and gain valuable experience, by joining us to support our clients transition to a sustainable future.

Role Summary

We are looking for aSenior Data Scientist to join the Data Analytics Team within the EMEA Data Management Office (DMO). This is an exciting opportunity to help develop and expand our data science capabilities, working closely with business and technology stakeholders to identify opportunities where advanced analytics and machine learning can deliver measurable value.The successful candidate will be a technically experienced, hands‑on data scientist who enjoys solving complex business problems and translating ideas into practical analytical solutions. A key focus of the role will be developing proofs of concept to demonstrate feasibility and potential value of data science approaches, helping the organisation understand where these capabilities can improve processes, decision making and business outcomes.As our data science capability continues to evolve, the candidate will need to be comfortable working with ambiguity, taking initiative and exploring new approaches.

Accountabilities and Responsibilities:

• Identify and explore opportunities to apply data science, statistical modelling and machine learning techniques to solve business problems and deliver measurable value
• Design develop and evaluate hands‑on proofs of concept to assess technical feasibility, effectiveness and potential business benefits of proposed analytical solutions
• Work closely with business stakeholders to understand challenges, identify suitable analytical approaches and translate business requirements into practical data science use cases
• Be able to work in world of siloed and disconnected data bringing context to the disparate views of similar data
• Undertake exploratory data analysis, data preparation, feature engineering and model development using appropriate programming languages, tools and analytical techniques
• Apply statistical analysis, predictive modelling, classification, natural language processing and other relevant techniques to address a range of business challenges
• Evaluate and communicate model performance, limitations, assumptions and potential risks, ensuring proposed solutions are appropriate for their intended business use
• Present technical findings and outcomes to both technical and non‑technical stakeholders, clearly articulating potential business value and recommendations
• Support the development of data science capabilities across the Data Analytics function, through knowledge sharing, mentoring, technical guidance and practical upskilling of colleagues
• Help establish reusable analytical approaches, coding standards, documentation and best practices to support the effective and responsible use of data science
• Maintain awareness of emerging data science techniques, proactively identifying opportunities for their practical application within the organisation.

The anticipated salary range for this role is £84,000 - £126,000 with the final offer determined based on the candidate’s skills, experience, role scope, location, and relevant market factors. In addition to base salary, the role may be eligible for a discretionary incentive award and a competitive benefits package, including core benefits such as pension provision.

Business Area

The Data Analytics Function is one of five ‘pillars’ within the EMEA DMO which is part of the Operations Planning Department (OPPD). We are responsible for building out the Bank’s data capabilities across all EMEA entities and all datasets.

The EMEA DMO initially concentrated on building foundational governance through improved Data Architecture, Data Management and Data Quality but is ultimately committed to exploiting data more effectively and innovatively across SMBC, to drive new ways of working and improved business outcomes. Our Data Strategy defines a vision for an aggregated and integrated data‑enabled organisation that sets out the strategic outcomes to enable data driven decision making capability across the bank. We will continue to evolve the strategy while prioritising key foundational initiatives and business priorities for the next financial year.

We are driving data‑led transformation through the bank, and it is a great opportunity to join us on this exciting journey.

• Demonstrable hands‑on experience working as a data scientist or in a similar advanced analytics role, with a track record of developing practical analytical solutions
• Strong programming skills in Python, including experience using relevant data science and machine learning libraries
• Practical experience applying statistical analysis, machine learning and predictive modelling techniques to real‑world business problems
• Experience developing proofs‑of‑concept, evaluating technical feasibility and demonstrating the potential business value of analytics approaches
• Strong understanding of the end‑to‑end data science lifecycle, including data exploration, preparation, feature engineering, model development and evaluation
• Demonstrate an understanding of the data life cycle and the evolution of data from raw value through to a meaningful data product
• Ability to work independently in ambiguous or evolving environments, using initiative and sound judgement to identify appropriate solutions
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, including the ability to translate complex business challenges into structured analytical approaches
• Effective written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain technical concepts, findings and limitations to a non‑technical audience
• Experience supporting the development of colleagues through mentoring, knowledge sharing or technical coaching
• Experience applying natural language processing, text analytics or document classification techniques
• Familiarity with model explainability, validation and responsible model principles
• Experience working within financial services or another regulated industry
• Experience establishing reusable data science frameworks or establishing analytical capabilities within a growing team
• Familiarity with SQL and data visualisation tools such as Power BI or Tableau
• Relevant degree in Data Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science or related discipline, or equivalent practical experience

What we offer

For all the expertise and experience you bring to help us make a difference, it’s only sustainable if we support you to build your career and be your best self so we offer competitive company benefits, centred around promoting positive well‑bring and work‑life balance. We also believe in fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment, where all team members perspectives and contributions are valued. Initiatives in place which promote a diverse and inclusive culture and healthy work life balance include hybrid working, Sport & Social Clubs and Diversity and Inclusion networks.

As an employee of SMBC you have access to a host of both useful and exciting benefit offerings. See below some of the benefits on offer to you:

• Hybrid and flexible working
• Competitive paid leave days
• Benefits to support your physical wellbeing, including private medical insurance and life and invalidity insurance
• Various policies to support your mental wellbeing, including a robust behavioural health network with counselling and coaching services
• Access a wide range of learning and development opportunities and career progression opportunities

So, if you like a challenge and want to continuously grow and develop in a role where you will be supported along the way by a dynamic and diverse team,

We recognise our role as a bank to support social change and welcome all applications, including those from groups often under‑representated in financial services. We value the uniqueness of professional and personal, backgrounds and perspectives as they play a vital role in continuing the sustainable growth of our organisation. We’ll ensure reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process are offered due to a disability or long‑term condition whenever requested.

We are committed to transparent and equitable pay practices. Compensation is determined using objective criteria, including skills, experience, and role responsibilities, and applied consistently throughout our recruitment processes. We do not request candidates' pay history and are committed to preventing unjustified pay disparities.

About SMBC

A trusted partner for the long term
United by a sense of purpose towards our customers - to be a trusted partner for the long-term - and our universal banking platform in EMEA, we deliver a full suite of corporate finance products and solutions to our customers, including corporate, structured and trade finance, leveraged finance, loan market and treasury products. We can also provide investment banking and advisory services and a range of innovative solutions in global capital markets.
Find out more about what we do and who we are at https://www.smbcgroup.com/emea/careers