Affinity Water has an opportunity for a Senior level Data Scientist to join a passionate collaborative team defining and delivering our Data Strategy and Data Operations function within Technology and Transformation where the right individual can make a real impact and transform our business through data science.
You will work on groundbreaking projects that will be transforming our organisation. From machine learning to generative AI, you'll gain exposure to all our data including Customer behaviour data sets, through to Water Supply and Demand projects, supporting projects that optimise the business performance of it's infrastructure
The Data Scientist will work with a team of data professionals ranging from data analytics to data governance across all business areas to identify and deliver transformational data science models and analytics solutions to drive key business decisions and strategies. The successful candidate will possess a deep understanding of advanced statistical methods, machine learning techniques, and big data technologies to deliver innovative solutions. Through meticulous analysis, strategic thinking, and continuous learning, you will connect to multiple data sources and domains to unlock new opportunities, solve critical challenges, and contribute to a culture of informed decision-making and continuous improvement.
Principal Accountabilities:
Data Collection and Analysis:
- Perform initial discovery and data analysis, collaborating with Data Analysts, Data Engineers, and business SMEs.
- Ensure data integrity, quality, and security principles and best practices in collaboration with the Data Governance Lead.
- Develop and maintain automated data pipelines and workflows for data collection, analysis, and reporting.
Model Development and Evaluation:
- Utilise machine learning, deep learning, NLP, generative AI, and other advanced statistical methods to build predictive and descriptive models.
- Validate and refine models to ensure accuracy and reliability.
Business Engagement & Problem Solving:
- Collaborate with stakeholders across all business functions to understand challenges and objectives.
- Communicate findings and recommendations to non-technical stakeholders through clear visualisations.
- Identify opportunities for leveraging data to drive business strategies.
Innovation & Research:
- Stay updated with the latest advancements in data science and machine learning.
- Conduct research to explore new methodologies and applications in the water sector.
Governance, Ethics and Compliance:
- Ensure data practices adhere to ethical standards and regulatory requirements.
- Implement best practices for data management, governance, and quality assurance.
Assurance & Support:
- Provide 2nd / 3rd line support for data science models in production environments.
- Support the administration, installation, and configuration of existing data science models and infrastructure.
- Handle incidents and requests efficiently, ensuring thorough documentation and knowledge transfer to colleagues.
Person Specification:
Qualifications / Knowledge / Experience:
- Proficient in Python, R, shell, and SQL.
- Extensive experience with machine learning & deep learning frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch, Scikit-learn).
- Experience in connecting to and building APIs for processing large and complex data sets.
- Ability to present data insights to a range of technical and non-technical audiences.
- Skilled in building credible statistical models and using best coding practices.
- Knowledge of various learning algorithms (supervised, unsupervised, reinforcement).
- Experience with AWS services and deployment methodologies.
- Competent in handling large datasets, both structured and unstructured.
- Thorough understanding of open data sources and big data sets in the water industry.
- Experience with MLOps practices is desirable.
- Understanding of data governance and data management frameworks is desirable.
Personal Skills and Key Competencies:
- Degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, or related field.
- Minimum of 5 years’ experience in data science, with a proven track record in leading and managing projects.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent communication and presentation skills.
- Experience in agile project delivery.
- Self-motivated, flexible, team player with a positive approach.
- Continuously seeking to expand technical and leadership skills.
- Exposure to water industry data and systems is advantageous.
- Leadership experience in stakeholder and team management, project oversight is desirable.
Benefits include:
- Salary dependant on experience
- Hybrid working, two days per week expected in the office in Hatfield
- Annual leave 26 days, plus a celebration day, plus bank holidays, rising with length of service
- A generous pension scheme that doubles the contributions you make, up to a maximum of 12%
- We offer enhanced Maternity, Adoption and Shared Parental Leave. We also have a Carers policy and Menopause policy to help us support our people through different stages of their lives.
- Company bonus scheme
- Access to our Wellbeing Centre with support for looking after your physical and mental health
- Join a diverse and inclusive team where your ideas are valued. Collaborate with experts across various domains to deliver impactful solutions.
You can find out what it’s like to work at Affinity Water through our career site https://www.affinitywatercareers.co.uk/ where our colleagues share their career development stories and you can get a feel for our company culture.
Affinity Water recognises the benefits of greater diversity in our workforce to better reflect the communities we serve. We are committed to building a more inclusive culture where every member of our workforce can thrive.
How to Apply: If you are passionate about data science and eager to contribute to a data-driven future at Affinity Water, we encourage you to apply. Please submit your CV and a cover letter detailing your relevant experience and why you would be a great fit for this role.
