Senior Data Scientist

BBC; Salford; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

BBC in Salford/GB is seeking a Senior Data Scientist to join the Data Science - Media Tech team. You will help design and implement large-scale ML solutions that power personalised experiences across BBC platforms, including iPlayer and BBC Sounds.

You will collaborate with engineers, product managers, and data scientists to deliver robust, production-grade systems while advancing data science practices across the organisation. Flexible hybrid working is available.

Qualifications

• Extensive hands-on data science and ML experience.
• Experience developing information retrieval/recommender systems.
• Strong Python coding skills and experience deploying models.
• Ability to communicate clearly with technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience working in cross-functional teams and delivering ML in production.

Responsibilities

• Deliver value to BBC audiences by building scalable ML products.
• Impact the wider BBC through cross-functional collaboration.
• Contribute as hands-on member in prototype, experiment, and implementation of ML approaches.
• Apply ML algorithms to solve complex user and business problems.
• Engage with BBC Data Science community and external groups.

Skills

Python

Information retrieval

Recommender systems

Cross-functional teamwork

Communication

Deployment

Tools

AWS

Job description

JOB DETAILS

BAND: D

PROPOSED SALARY RANGE: £60,000 - £70,000 depending on relevant skills, knowledge and experience. The expected salary range for this role reflects internal benchmarking and external market insights.

CONTRACT TYPE: Fixed-term - Full Time (19 months duration)

DEPARTMENT: Data Science - Media Tech

LOCATION: Salford, Glasgow, Newcastle, London - Hybrid

We're happy to discuss flexible working. Please indicate your choice under the flexible working question in the application. There is no obligation to raise this at the application stage but if you wish to do so, you are welcome to. Flexible working will be part of the discussion at offer stage.

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

The BBC has been serving audiences online for decades. Across our flagship products - BBC iPlayer, Sounds, News, Sport, and more - we educate, inform, and entertain millions of people every single day.

We are now accelerating our shift towards experiences that are shaped around our audiences: more personal, more relevant, and more responsive to their needs.

At the heart of this transformation is the Recommendations team. We design and build large scale ML/AI systems that help audiences discover the right content at the right moment. Our work already powers experiences across the BBC, including personalised recommendations on iPlayer and BBC Sounds.

We're now looking for a Senior Data Scientist to help us in this next stage of our journey.

WHY JOIN THE TEAM

As a Senior Data Scientist, you'll play a key role in building the recommender systems used by millions of people each day. You'll be a hands on contributor - prototyping, experimenting, and implementing technical approaches for complex ML solutions at true BBC scale.

Working in a cross-functional team, you'll partner closely with engineers, product managers, and data scientists to deliver high impact systems that help audiences connect with the BBC's breadth and depth of content.

Beyond your immediate team, you'll be an active member of the wider BBC Data Science community. You'll have opportunities to share your work, influence the development of data science and AI practices across the organisation, and engage with external communities to continue your own learning and development.

Your Key Responsibilities And Impact

• You'll use your technical skills to deliver value to BBC audiences, blending a breadth and depth of data science expertise.
• You'll have impact within your immediate team and beyond, across the wider BBC, instrumental in developing scalable ML products.
• You'll bring experience of being an effective contributor in a cross-functional team, working with others to overcome the challenges of delivering ML in production.
• You'll apply your knowledge of machine learning algorithms to solve complex user and business problems in a robust and scalable way.
• You'll join the wider BBC Data Science community, with internal and external opportunities to get involved and share your knowledge.

Essential

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Extensive hands-on experience in data science and machine learning, with a proven track record of contributing to technical machine learning projects.
• Experience developing and deploying information retrieval systems, ideally recommender systems.
• Strong coding skills (Python), with knowledge of code management and deployment.
• Ability to clearly communicate to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Ability to work effectively in a cross-functional team, including the ability to prioritise and work in a structured manner.

DESIRABLE

• Experience with model lifecycle management and MLOps, including model deployment, versioning and monitoring.
• Good knowledge of cloud services, ideally AWS.
• Knowledge and understanding of best practices such as testing, code management and deployment.
• Mentorship and/or supervision of other team members.
• A proven track record of delivering value in production.

This role is currently advertised as internal only. Freelancers are eligible to apply if they have been on a Worker Contract (more info here) continuously for 6 months. If less than 6 months (or they have had a break of 3 weeks or more between engagements), they must seek Divisional HR approval to apply.

Before your start date, you may need to disclose any unspent convictions or police charges, in line with our Contracts of Employment policy. This allows us to discuss any support you may need and assess any risks. Failure to disclose may result in the withdrawal of your offer.

Disclaimer

This job description is a written statement of the essential characteristics of the job, with its principal accountabilities, incorporating a note of the skills, knowledge and experience required for a satisfactory level of performance. This is not intended to be a complete, detailed account of all aspects of the duties involved.

Please note: If you were to be offered this role, the BBC will conduct Employment screening checks which include Reference checks; Eligibility to work checks; and if applicable to the role, Safeguarding and Adverse media/Social media checks. Any offer made is conditional on these checks being satisfactory.

Before your start date, you may need to disclose any unspent convictions or police charges, in line with our Recruitment policy. This allows us to discuss any support you may need and assess any risks. Failure to disclose may result in the withdrawal of your offer.

For any general queries, please contact: [e-mail]

Redeployment

The BBC is committed to redeploying employees seeking suitable alternative employment within the BBC and they will be given priority consideration ahead of other applicants. Priority consideration means for those employees seeking redeployment their application will be considered alongside anyone else at risk of redundancy, prior to any individuals being considered who are not at risk.