The Pensions Regulator
Senior Data Scientist
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Role title: Senior Data Scientist
TPR grade & pay group:
Grade 7 & Digital
Directorate:
Digital, Data & Technology
Salary:
£63,213.00 Per Annum
Contract type:
Fixed Term Contract: Until March 31st 2027
Location:
Brighton: Hybrid (6 days per month in the office)
The Role And Responsibilities
The role is to show leadership and task manage one or two Junior Data Scientists, in combining advanced analytical capability with software skills and maths/stats knowledge, to drive and develop business operations on a data led trajectory. The role holder will be recognised as contributing to the vision for data science and AI at TPR, highly innovative and continuously improve opportunities for how the business can adopt data products, in line with developments in the field. They will need to be confident working closely with senior technical and non-technical leaders and be able to play a leadership role across TPR, representing the Analytical Profession. This includes collaborating with a range of diverse teams, driving strategic change and nurturing a culture of continuous improvement.
- The delivery of advanced analytics, including Machine Learning (ML); Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Natural Language Programming (NLP) – either directly or supervising Junior / Apprentice / Intern Data Scientists.
- Work closely with the AI Strategic Lead, and the AI Accelerator team to identify opportunities to enable responsible use of AI across TPR
- Deliver advanced analytical products to internal and external stakeholders.
- Role model the use of a range of programming languages and statistical techniques to manipulate large, complex and unstructured datasets, and produce robust statistical and econometric models.
- Provide quality checking and sign off for high profile analytical projects.
- Develop Junior Data Scientists through specifying and overseeing discrete work packages, aligned with the current stage in their development plan.
- Collaborating to build peer relationships across the organisation including digital, IT, operations, strategy and policy, in order to understand the business challenges/constraints. Then using data science understanding to identify opportunities and advocate for data science to be implemented at TPR.
- Facilitate the programme management and ongoing professionalism of the team as a hub of expert advanced analytics and ensure the team and the wider organisation is up to date with latest developments.
- Taking responsibility for the quality and consistency of our analytics initiatives (including data, tooling and processes) within their team that deliver a critical business outcome;
- Nurturing strong relationships between analytical peers at TPR encouraging innovation, reuse and avoiding duplication;
- Contributing to the appropriate safeguards to ensure all work adheres to key privacy, security and data protection regulations (in line with TPR governance frameworks) and also set procedures for ethical considerations.
Essential Criteria
- Very strong academic background – Post Grad qualification in highly numerate subject (e.g. data science / computer science / statistics / mathematics / physics) or equivalent professional experience.
- 2+ years’ experience of working as a Data Scientist within a commercial, government or regulatory environment.
- Expert level track record of designing, developing, and implementing data science led interventions that have improved business performance.
- Experience of managing the day-to-day needs of building and developing a early career Data Scientist.
- Expert storytelling ability: represent complex analytics in a clear and cogent manner, appropriate to the audience at hand; referenced against business need; and succinctly explain its relevance/significance/value.
- Expert/Practitioner IT awareness and toolset experience, including Microsoft Power BI (or similar); SQL; R or Python. Wider toolset experience (e.g. Linux, Azure) of additional benefit.
- Expert/Practitioner knowledge of the techniques/approaches (theory & practice) of Data Science fields.
- Expert/Practitioner knowledge of Git, Azure DevOps (or similar), and AGILE or Dev/DataOps methodologies.
- Practitioner influencing skills and the capability to build relationships across different analytical cultures and with key stakeholders, and experience of commissioning and assuring work from 3rd party suppliers.
- Practitioner curiosity and thought leadership; challenging perceived wisdom and developing best practice.
- Expert/Practitioner ability to work through complex issues and demonstrate mastery of the detail, whilst holding the bigger picture, including interpreting and embedding the data strategy into team BAU.
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The team
TPR Offers
- Genuine opportunities for learning and development.
- A values-led, inclusive environment.
- Hybrid working and flexible patterns.
- A vibrant workplace with employee networks (Disability, Family, LGBT+, Minority Ethnic, Mental Health, Women’s).
Reward And Benefits
- We offer 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, a hybrid working model, 35 hour working week (full-time), flexible working patterns, and flexitime.
- We also provide competitive parental leave, as well as a Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%.
- Our dedicated benefits portal (Edenred) offers retail, gym, tech and restaurant discounts, and a cycle to work scheme.
Find Out What Benefits a Civil Service Pension Provides
Our culture
TPR strives to be a high-performing organisation, and we prioritise our people's growth and well-being. We offer various learning, secondment and development opportunities, support flexible working, and foster a diverse and inclusive environment.
Equality, diversity and inclusion is very important to us and we strive to make sure everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed. Our modern Brighton offices are in Telecom House overlooking Preston Park, they are over two floors of a shared building facility and when designed in 2023 we followed the government’s workplace design guide to ensure accessibility by design was achieved for our section.
We're proud to have a range of networks and opportunities to bring people together with supportive and safe spaces to connect with one another.
About The Pensions Regulator
With a career at TPR, you’ll be joining an organisation with real purpose and who are proud of their diverse range of skills and experience that positively impact on millions of people. Everyone at TPR plays an important role in helping to keep more than £2trn of savings safe.
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Our Corporate Strategy outlines a bold and challenging vision of how pensions regulation should continue to evolve to keep pace with a change in the scale and nature of the pensions landscape. We believe diversity and inclusion are vital to good decision-making for positive saver outcomes. We’re committed to creating a supportive, inclusive, and dynamic work environment where everyone can thrive; understanding the link between the work we do and its positive impact on society.
Applications
To avoid disappointment, we would invite you to submit your application as soon as possible, as we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications is received. This is to ensure that we can continue to provide a positive candidate experience, with each application being reviewed and considered. Unfortunately, once a vacancy has closed, we are unable to consider further applications.
Current TPR employees who want to apply for this vacancy should first contact their line manager to discuss their application.
We welcome applications on a part time and job share basis.
Please note that TPR is unable to offer visa sponsorship. All applicants must already hold Right to Work in the UK for the duration of their employment. For more information on Right to Work, please visit Prove your right to work to an employer: Overview - GOV.UK.
Selection and interview
If you are shortlisted for interview, we’ll be in contact with you shortly after the closing date. We aim to respond to every application however due to the large volume of applications this is not always possible. If you have not heard from us within 21 days of submitting your application, please assume you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.
As a Disability Confident Employer, we’re committed to the recruitment, employment, retention, and development of people with disabilities, and to improving their employment opportunities. Candidates who declare that they have a disability and who meet the essential criteria will be an offered an interview. Please note that if we receive a high volume of Disability Confident applicants, we reserve the right to offer an interview to those who best meet the essential criteria.
Diversity and inclusion
TPR is committed to promoting diversity, inclusion and equality in the workplace, creating an environment where everyone is encouraged to be themselves, enabling our people to feel supported, represented and do their best work.
We encourage applicants from all backgrounds and with different identities and experiences to apply for roles with TPR.
Further information
Please visit our website to find out what it is like to work at TPR, our culture, interview process and our commitment to our employees.
If you have any queries about this role, or if you have a disability and wish to request a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process, please email recruitmentteam@tpr.gov.uk.
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