Data Scientist

Package Description

Our comprehensive benefits package includes:

• An employer pension contribution of up to 10%
• 26 days’ annual leave (based on full time hours) + bank holidays and the option to buy/sell additional days
• Contributory lifestyle benefit options including discounts at hundreds of retailers, cycle to work scheme, discounted gym memberships and healthcare schemes
• Employee assistance and well-being programmes
• Learning and development tailored to your role – this could include industry recognised qualifications, coaching and mentoring
• An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join staff networks including: Women’s Network, National Disability Networks and many more.
• Family friendly flexible working arrangements, such as hybrid working, job sharing, flexi-time and compressed hours can be requested.

We welcome candidates from all backgrounds and especially welcome individuals from underrepresented groups.

If you require any reasonable adjustments at any time, please let us know by contacting us on reasonable.adjustments@bbc.co.uk with the job reference in the subject.

Job Introduction

The BBC aims to stimulate and delight audiences across the UK and the World with distinctive,creativeand trusted content. The BBC World Service is the international public broadcaster, available in 42 languages and attracting a weekly audience of over 300 million people.

OUR MISSION: To inform, educate and entertain audiences, to deliver our public purposes

OUR AIM: To reinvent the BBC for a new generation

We’ll do this through... OUR AMBITIONS: Making sure everyone gets value from the BBC, world- class creativity, global reach, financial stability and making the BBC an even greater place to work.

Data Scientists are “T-shaped”: they have strong technical knowledge in one data science area and a good general knowledge of the whole field. They are responsible for modelling complex problems, discovering insights and identifying opportunities through the use of statistical, algorithmic, and visualisation techniques. In addition to advanced analytic skills, Data Scientists are also proficient at integrating and preparing large, varied datasets, architecting specialised databases, and communicating results.

These professionals have a combination of business focus, strong analytical and problem solving skills and programming knowledge and are able to quickly cycle through hypothesis. They are able to use their excellent written and communications skills to influence a broad set of stakeholders.

Main Responsibilities

• Support the design of experiments, test hypotheses, and build models
• Conducts data analysis and helps build moderately complex algorithms
• Collaborates with subject matter experts to understand and select the relevant sources of data from across BBC divisions
• Works with team leaders and members to solve data science problems and document results and methodologies
• Works in iterative processes and validates findings, helps perform experimental design approaches to validate finding or test hypotheses
• Validates analysis by comparing appropriate samples, employs the appropriate algorithm to discover patterns under the guidance of other team members
• Uses the expected qualification and assurance of the data to quantify the accuracy metrics of the analysis
• Works on a project basis and is able to plan a project, translate objectives and scope in tasks and milestones
• Demonstrates critical thinking and has the ability to analyze complex information, evaluate findings, and develop well-reasoned solutions to research questions

Are you the right candidate?

Essential

• Bachelor’s degree in mathematics, statistics or computer science or related field, OR knowledge gained through relevant experience.
• Experience with a general-purpose programming language, ideally python
• Experience in statistics and the use of statistical packages
• Familiarity with basic principles of databases, both structured and unstructured
• Awareness of cloud environment and exposure to cloud services
• Demonstrable ability to quickly understand new concepts-all the way down to the theorems- and to come out with original solutions to mathematical issues
• Good communication and interpersonal skills
• Knowledge of one or more business/functional areas

Desirable

Contributing to the development of area of specialism or industry domain Quantitative research experience, specifically working with survey results Broadcast, production, start-up or media experience A mix of public sector and commercial experience Participation in published documents within your area of specialism Successful academic background in your specialist discipline

About The BBC

The BBC is committed to redeploying employees seeking suitable alternative employment within the BBC for different reasons 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.

We don’t focus simply on what we do – we also care how we do it. Our values and the way we behave are important to us. Please make sure you’ve read about our values and behaviours here.

Diversity matters at the BBC. We have a working environment where we value and respect every individual's unique contribution, enabling all of our employees to thrive and achieve their full potential.

We want to attract the broadest range of talented people to be part of the BBC – whether that’s to contribute to our programming or our wide range of non-production roles. The more diverse our workforce, the better able we are to respond to and reflect our audiences in all their diversity.

We are committed to equality of opportunity and welcome applications from individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief. We will consider flexible working requests for all roles, unless operational requirements prevent otherwise.

To find out more about Diversity and Inclusion at the BBC, please click here.