Senior Data Scientist

Boots UK; Nottingham; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Boots Retirement Savings Plan with up

Employee discounts

Enhanced leave

Job summary

Boots UK in Nottingham is seeking a Senior Data Scientist to lead the development of data science products across commercial marketing, supply chain and healthcare modelling. You’ll translate business needs into analytic solutions and deliver production-ready models.

You will own end-to-end ML projects, collaborate with engineering and MLOps, and mentor junior colleagues while ensuring robust data governance and documentation.

Qualifications

• Numerate degree in maths, statistics, data science, CS, engineering, physics or economics.
• 3+ years of experience as a Data Scientist.
• Strong Python and SQL skills.
• Practical experience training machine learning models.
• Experience with Git and collaborative development practices.
• Experience translating business requirements into analytical solutions.
• Strong stakeholder-management and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Shape business opportunities into clear data science requirements.
• Develop and deploy ML models from scratch or fine-tuned.
• Train and evaluate different model types (classification, forecasting, regression).
• Define metrics, baselines, and experiments.
• Build scalable solutions using Python, SQL, Databricks and PySpark.
• Create automated Databricks workflows and deploy through Asset Bundles.
• Structure codebases using Git, testing and peer review.
• Work with engineering and MLOps teams to move models to production.
• Monitor and improve live data products.
• Explain data science to non-technical stakeholders.
• Maintain documentation, security and data-protection standards.
• Provide guidance to junior colleagues.

Skills

Python

SQL

ML models

Git

Stakeholder management

Communication

Education

Numerate degree

Postgraduate qualification

Tools

Databricks

PySpark

Spark

Azure DevOps

Job description

Join Our Team as a Senior Data Scientist at Boots in Nottingham!

Role: Senior Data Scientist

Shift Pattern: Full Time

Contract: 12M FTC

Location: Nottingham

Are you ready to make a real impact in one of the UK’s largest retailers? At Boots, we’re on the lookout for a Senior Data Scientist to join our dynamic Digital team in Nottingham, Beeston. This is your chance to lead the development of innovative data science products that will shape the future of our business across various domains, including commercial marketing, supply chain, and healthcare modelling.

Why Boots?

At Boots, we believe in building a brilliant workplace for our people. Our Employer Value Proposition is simple: we work every day to empower our colleagues to make a difference for our customers and each other. Here’s what you can expect:

• We’re more together: Join a team that values collaboration and collective impact.
• We believe in you: Your work will have meaning and impact, and you’ll be trusted to drive progress.
• We make progress: Embrace a learning mindset and be supported in your growth.
• We’re with you: Your contributions matter, and you’ll have the tools and mentorship to thrive.
• We belong here: Help create an inclusive culture where everyone feels valued.

What You’ll Do

• Shape business opportunities into clear data science requirements.
• Develop and deploy both from scratch and fine-tuned ML models.
• Train and evaluate different model types (classification, forecasting, regression GBMs, MLPs).
• Define suitable accuracy metrics, baselines and experiments.
• Build scalable solutions using Python, SQL, Databricks and PySpark.
• Create automated Databricks workflows and deploy through Asset Bundles.
• Structure codebases using Git, testing and peer review.
• Work with engineering and MLOps teams to move models into production.
• Monitor and continuously improve live data products.
• Explain data science clearly to non-technical stakeholders.
• Maintain appropriate documentation, security and data-protection standards.
• Provide technical guidance and support the development of less experienced colleagues.

Essential Skills

• A numerate degree, such as mathematics, statistics, data science, computer science, engineering, physics, or economics.
• At least three years of experience as a Data Scientist.
• Strong Python and SQL skills.
• Practical experience training machine learning models.
• Experience with Git and collaborative development practices.
• Experience translating business requirements into analytical solutions.
• Strong stakeholder-management and communication skills.

Desirable Skills

• A postgraduate qualification in a numerate subject.
• Databricks notebooks, workflows and Declarative Automation Bundles (AKA Asset Bundles).
• Spark or PySpark.
• Training machine learning models in Databricks.
• Time-series forecasting and classification models.
• Applied large language model experience.
• Azure DevOps Repos, Boards and Pipelines.
• Experience deploying models at scale and promoting them through environments.
• Retail, e-commerce, CRM or Loyalty data science experience.

Experience with Databricks model training and inference, Databricks Apps, Lakebase or LLM fine-tuning would be beneficial.

What’s in It for You?

• Boots Retirement Savings Plan with up to 12% company contribution.
• Generous employee discounts for you and a family member.
• Enhanced maternity/paternity/adoption leave pay.

If you’re excited about the opportunity to make a difference and grow your career with Boots, we want to hear from you!

What’s next?

Our team will be in touch to discuss your application and the next steps. We’re committed to creating a supportive and inclusive environment, so if you need any adjustments during the application process, just let us know.

Be brilliant with Boots!