Senior Data Scientist (Tesco Mobile)

Tesco; Welwyn Garden City; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus up to 20%

Private medical insurance

Maternity & adoption leave

Job summary

Tesco Mobile is seeking a Senior Data Scientist to shape smarter, more personalised experiences for customers. This role combines hands-on modelling with real-world impact in a hybrid UK office setup, based in Welwyn Garden City or Slough.

You will own end-to-end data science solutions, including propensity models and time-series forecasting, and translate findings into business actions. Collaborative stakeholder engagement and mentoring will be key as you deploy robust pipelines using Python,

Qualifications

• Demonstrated ability to solve ambiguous problems and deliver end-to-end analytical solutions
• Strong grounding in applied statistics (hypothesis testing, experiment design, uncertainty analysis)
• Proven experience with both static and time series modelling
• Advanced skills in Python, SQL, and PySpark, with a focus on clean, testable, reproducible code
• Experience deploying models in cloud environments (Azure preferred), including CI/CD and monitoring
• Strong communication skills—able to simplify complex ideas for non-technical audiences
• PhD or Masters Degree

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end delivery of data science solutions—from problem framing, feature engineering, monitoring, evaluation and deployment
• Design and execute hypothesis-driven analysis and statistical testing (e.g., experiment design where applicable, assumption checking, uncertainty quantification) and translate results into clear business recommendations
• Build and productionise propensity models to support targeting, next-best-action and other decisioning use cases
• Build and productionise time series forecasting models for demand and stock perspectives; perform back-testing and continuously improve forecast accuracy
• Partner with stakeholders to define success metrics and deliver meaningful outcomes
• Build, validate and optimise robust data pipelines and model code (testing, performance, reproducibility, documentation and security considerations)
• Contribute to team growth through knowledge sharing, mentoring, and best practice

Skills

End-to-end analytics

Applied statistics

Time-series modelling

Python

SQL

PySpark

Communication

Education

PhD or Masters Degree

Tools

Azure

MLflow

PyTorch

Databricks

Graph databases

Job description

Why Join Us?

At Tesco Mobile, we’re passionate about connecting people—and data is at the heart of everything we do. We’re looking for a Senior Data Scientist to join our team and help shape smarter, more personalised experiences for our customers.

If you enjoy solving complex problems, building scalable models, and seeing your work drive real-world outcomes, this could be the perfect next step for you and we’d love to meet you.

About the role

At Tesco Mobile, we’re passionate about connecting people—and data is at the heart of everything we do. We’re looking for a Senior Data Scientist to join our team and help shape smarter, more personalised experiences for our customers.

If you enjoy solving complex problems, building scalable models, and seeing your work drive real-world outcomes, this could be the perfect next step for you and we’d love to meet you.

Why Join Us?

• Work on high-impact projects that influence real business outcomes
• Be part of a collaborative, forward-thinking team
• Combine deep technical work with real-world application
• Grow your expertise in a supportive and innovative environment

This role can be based in Welwyn Garden City or our Slough office with occasional travel required.

• Team collaboration is key—you’ll attend a fortnightly team meeting (typically in Slough or London)
• We embrace hybrid working, with a minimum of 2 days per week in the office

You will be responsible for

In this hands‑on role, you’ll work on both static and time series data (including propensity models and forecasting models), developing innovative models that enhance customer experiences and drive business performance. From personalised communications and marketing optimisation to customer lifetime value, churn reduction, and demand forecasting, your work will directly influence key decisions.

You won’t just build models—you’ll bring them to life, owning the journey from concept to deployment and beyond.

• Own end‑to‑end delivery of data science solutions—from problem framing, feature engineering, monitoring, evaluation and deployment
• Design and execute hypothesis‑driven analysis and statistical testing (e.g., experiment design where applicable, assumption checking, uncertainty quantification) and translate results into clear business recommendations
• Build and productionise propensity models to support targeting, next‑best‑action and other decisioning use cases
• Build and productionise time series forecasting models for demand and stock perspectives; perform back‑testing and continuously improve forecast accuracy
• Partner with stakeholders to define success metrics and deliver meaningful outcomes
• Build, validate and optimise robust data pipelines and model code (testing, performance, reproducibility, documentation and security considerations)
• Contribute to team growth through knowledge sharing, mentoring, and best practice

You will need

We’re looking for someone who is both technically strong and commercially minded, with the ability to translate data into impact.

Essential experience:

• Demonstrated ability to solve ambiguous problems and deliver end‑to‑end analytical solutions
• Strong grounding in applied statistics (hypothesis testing, experiment design, uncertainty analysis)
• Proven experience with both static and time series modelling
• Advanced skills in Python, SQL, and PySpark, with a focus on clean, testable, reproducible code
• Experience deploying models in cloud environments (Azure preferred), including CI/CD and monitoring
• Strong communication skills—able to simplify complex ideas for non‑technical audiences
• PhD or Masters Degree

You’ll stand out if you also have:

• Experience with tools such as MLflow, PyTorch, Databricks, or graph databases
• A passion for continuous improvement and sharing knowledge
• A collaborative mindset with excellent stakeholder engagement skills

Whats in it for you?

We’re all about the little helps. That’s why we make sure our Tesco colleague benefits package takes care of you – both in and out of work.

• Annual bonus scheme of up to 20% of base salary
• Holiday starting at 25 days plus a personal day (plus Bank holidays)
• Private medical insurance
• 26 weeks maternity and adoption leave (12 months service required at the qualifying date) at full pay, followed by 13 weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay or Statutory Adoption Pay, we also offer 6 weeks fully paid paternity leave
• Free 24/7 virtual GP service, Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for you and your family, free access to a range of experts to support your mental wellbeing

The above information is a shortened summary, refer to our policies for full details

About Us

A 50-50 joint venture between Tesco and VMO2 that was established back in 2003, Tesco Mobile has gone from strength to strength as we’ve launched into new services and markets. With more than 5 million customers, we’re the largest mobile virtual network operator in the UK. We’re proud to have an inclusive culture that’s uniquely Tesco Mobile, with a strong sense of community, plus all the benefits of working for one of the shareholders.

We care for human connection and we keep our customers at the heart of everything we do, which is why we’ve embraced the Agile way of working. Agile is more than just a methodology – it’s a liberating journey that puts customers and purpose first. It empowers us to self‑organise, collaborate, co‑create and rapidly inspect and adapt everything we do – allowing us to respond at pace to our customers’ needs. It encourages variety of thought and enables us to thrive, both individually and collectively.

We are proud to have an inclusive culture at Tesco where everyone truly feels able to be themselves. At Tesco, we not only celebrate diversity, but recognise the value and opportunity it brings. We're committed to creating a workplace where differences are valued, and make sure that all colleagues are given the same opportunities. We’re proud to have been accredited Disability Confident Leader and we’re committed to providing a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process. For further information on the accessibility support we can offer, please.

We’re a big business and we can offer a range of diverse full‑time & part‑time working patterns across our many business areas, which means that we can find something that works for you. We work in a more blended pattern -combining office and remote working. Our offices will continue to be where we connect, collaborate and innovate. If you are applying internally, please speak to the Hiring Manager about how this can work for you - Everyone is welcome at Tesco.