Data Scientist

Job description

Job Title: Data Scientist

Band: 4

Salary: £48,027 - £54,751

(plus allowance up to £6,000 per annum depending on technical assessment)

Available Locations: Liverpool or Birmingham

Contract Type: Permanent

Hours: Full Time

Closing Date: 24-11-26

Interview Date(s): W/C 9th December (subject to change)

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Ready to transform UK public services through data and drive key government decisions? Billions in public funds depend on data for efficiency and value, yet fragmented systems and poor data quality hinder insight. As a Data Scientist, you will modernise analytics infrastructure and deliver actionable insights across the Government Commercial Function (GCF) and Government Grants Management Function (GGMF). You will empower leaders, contracting authorities, and citizens to guide £160bn in grants and £400bn in procurement spend, ensuring transparency, value for money, and improved public services.

Job Summary

The Data Scientist sits within Data & Analytical Services, within our Reporting & Analytics Pillar. Our team exists to drive grants and commercial data transformation and deliver analytical solutions to internal teams, contracting authorities and citizens, enabling better decision-making and enhancing public transparency. We foster a supportive culture focused on innovation, professional growth, and technical expertise. Recent achievements include delivering new search capabilities within Find a Tender Service, developing new internal dashboards and measuring the impact of functional initiatives.

Key Accountabilities:

• Project Leadership: Leading data science projects by drawing on technical and analytical standards from across Government and industry;
• Analysis & Insights: Scoping and leading proactive analysis and technical tasks on priority areas, creating data science products which achieve significant impact;
• Data Services & Pipelines: Working with our digital team to map, produce, transform and test new data services, drawing on the most appropriate tools and techniques.
• Analytics Products: Developing new analytics products to provide deeper insights to senior stakeholders based on a broad range of data sets;
• Technical Expertise & Innovation: Providing technical expertise on how data science techniques can be used to drive more value from our data, and support the team in adopting innovative approaches and infrastructure;
• Automation & Efficiency: Developing and automating processes to drive greater efficiency in analytical processes, and enabling the retirement of legacy products and infrastructure.

• Ad-Hoc Delivery: Lead ad-hoc analytical projects to support strategic priorities;
• Quality Assurance & Communication: Ensure that analysis is robust and communicated effectively.
  

Essential Criteria (to be assessed at application stage):

• Qualification. Degree of minimum 2:1 in a numerate subject.
• Applied maths, statistics and data science. Proven capability to apply quantitative techniques (e.g. time series analysis, machine learning, natural language processing) and statistical tools to discover insights, build data science solutions, and support organisational decision-making.
• Data engineering, programming, and build. Ability to write complex scripts (e.g. Python, R), apply testing methodologies, deploy code, and collaborate with data engineers and data analysts to design and deliver products.
• Data ethics, privacy, and governance. Skilled in identifying and addressing ethical and privacy concerns, assessing policies, and ensuring compliance within the wider organisational context.
• Delivering business impact and product delivery. Strong understanding of Agile/Waterfall delivery methods, defining minimum viable products, building data science capability, and communicating insights effectively to diverse stakeholders.
  

Success Profiles (to be assessed at interview):

Behaviours:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions
  

Technical

• Applied maths, statistics and scientific practices - Lead success profile
• Programming and build
• Delivering business impact
  

(A link to the Civil Service Success Profiles Framework is provided below)

Success Profiles Framework

Valuing our people:

• Competitive salary
• Generous pension scheme
• A discretionary non-contractual performance related bonus
• Working remotely in addition to working in advertised office location
• Flexi time scheme (available for B1-B6)
• Minimum 25 days annual leave to a maximum service related 30 days excluding bank holidays

Want to make a difference? Find out more about the rewarding work that we do in our candidate pack.

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.

We want to make our recruitment process accessible to everyone, so if there is any way that we can support you, please contact recruitment@gca.gov.uk

Working flexibly, delivering outcomes

GCA operates a smarter working model that balances flexibility with collaboration. Successful candidates are expected to spend at least 26 days per quarter (approximately 2 days per week, pro-rata) at their contracted office, another GCA site, or off-site for meetings. For the remainder of the time, you may work from home or another suitable location that meets business needs.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection Process

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months, which the Civil Service may use to fill future suitably similar vacancies across government for candidates who are considered appointable following interview. Should you be placed on a reserve list and want to be removed please contact recruitment@gca.gov.uk.

Please note that as part of this recruitment process, if you are unsuccessful at the interview stage but are close to the benchmark score you may be considered for and offered a role at a lower pay band within the same job family.

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Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

Complaints Procedure

Our recruitment processes are underpinned by the principle of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles details of which can be found at https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment/recruitment-principles/

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact recruitment@crowncommercial.gov.uk in the first instance.

If you remain unsatisfied with the response you receive you can then contact the Civil Service Commission at info@csc.gov.uk

Internal candidates should apply using their Workday account. Please use the careers hub for your application.

About Us

Government Commercial Agency (GCA) is the largest public procurement organisation in the UK. With over 800 staff, we help thousands of public and third sector buyers in the UK with billions of pounds of spending each year. We have a wide range of commercial agreements to help our customers buy what they need, when they need it - saving time and money.

Why join GCA? We offer fantastic benefits as well as career development opportunities, have an inclusive culture that values work-life balance and offers flexibility in how you work.