Data Scientist

This is a perfect opportunity for ambitious individuals to join a team of curious minds and support peers with a passion and the skills for creating value for businesses using data.  

About us  

Ascent is a design-led software, data and cloud business that specialises in advanced analytics and AI.  We are an engineering business. We design, build and manage cloud-native products, solutions, platforms & experiences on Azure.  

Our pan-European community of engineers, architects, data scientists and digital consultants helps customers take on challenges and opportunities, so they can do something new, or do existing things better.  

From global insurance, pharma, healthcare and retail to smart home devices, space exploration and cricket - we get to work with some of the sharpest minds in the brightest businesses.  

At Ascent, we also believe in fostering a vibrant office community where collaboration thrives and connections flourish. With our hybrid approach, we prioritize hiring individuals who reside in close proximity to our central offices in Bristol and London. Our aim is to cultivate a positive atmosphere and sense of belonging by facilitating easy access to the office. However, we welcome applicants from all other areas in the UK, as we value diversity and recognize the unique perspectives each individual brings to our team. Join us in shaping a workplace where proximity enhances collaboration while inclusivity strengthens our community.


The Role  

Here at Ascent, we believe that using data in the right way doesn't just help companies perform better; it transforms entire industries. You'll help world-leading brands transform the way their industries work and be at the heart of our growing business.  

As a Data Scientist, you will work as part of a team that designs and implements data science solutions for our customers, providing opinionated view and a consultative approach to drive the best outcome for the customer, using suitable methodology, programming languages and infrastructure, confidently assuming responsibility for technical specifications. You will have the opportunity to:  

• Work as part of a multi-skilled delivery team on customer engagements  
• Impact solutions and demonstrate your value to the customer  
• Quickly learn and apply skills to real business challenges  
• Contribute to a collective knowledge pool and gain appreciation   
• Work on a variety of businesses and problems, with data of all shapes and sizes  
• Be supported by the wider teams and a collective knowledge pool  
• Keep up to date on the latest technologies, techniques and best practices  
• Work with the latest Azure offerings and get certified  
• Attend and present in high-profile conferences  
• Contribute to open-source projects  

Responsibilities  

Primary Duties  

• Become a trusted consultant for the customer, and go beyond a "developer" or "engineer" mindset in all engagements  
• Implement data science solutions and support end-to-end pipelines  
• Challenge solution design and methodology with innovative ideas  
• Apply statistical rigor and computational efficiency in project delivery  
• Communicate progress and challenges proactively with team and project leads  
• Present work to technical and non-technical audiences  

Other  

• Promote Ascent publicly via blogging, conferencing and professional social media  
• Share knowledge internally  
• Keep up to date with relevant technologies and current trends  
• Travel for work as required  

Requirements  

A successful candidate will demonstrate these traits:  

• Curious and inquisitive  
• Thoughtful  
• Consultative and business-minded  
• Detail orientated  
• Pragmatic approach to problem-solving  
• Sense of responsibility  
• Critical and constructive thinking  
• Logical and methodical reasoning  
• Communicate with clarity and purpose  

• Fluent in R, Shiny  
• Experienced in R package development  
• Familiar functional programming practice   
• Fluent in SQL (any flavour) for analysis; data modelling, management, DBA experience are desirable   
• Experienced in applying some of the data science techniques to project work, including data visualisation, package development, machine learning, NLP, Shiny / Dash, optimisation, deep learning, reinforcement learning  
• Some knowledge of MLOps, implementation experience in MLOps is desirable  
• Daily use of git is highly desirable  
• Experience with cloud platforms, Azure is desirable  
• Software development experience is desirable  
• Data architecture knowledge is desirable  
• API design and deployment experience is desirable  
• Big data (e.g. Spark) experience is desirable  
• NoSQL DB experience is desirable  

Qualifications  

• 2+ years of data science experience  
• Right to work in the UK and/or EU  
• Azure Data Science Associate Certificate is desirable   

Working at Ascent    

At Ascent we promote a healthy work-life balance by offering flexibility in where you work.  We also promote well-being and provide access to Well Being Coaches.   

Your development and learning will be taken seriously, and we'll support your professional development with training and certification, with regular feedback and review. It is a fun, supportive and modern workplace where we really live by our company values of Empathy, Energy and Audacity! Ascent also offers a variety of benefits in each of our countries.   

Ascent is an equal opportunities employer. We take intentional steps to ensure inclusion and belonging are something real here, not just something we talk about. No person will be treated less favourably because of their gender, pregnancy, and maternity status, marital or civil partnership status, sexual orientation, race, nationality, ethnic origin, age, religion or belief, or disability status. If you require any reasonable accommodation, please let us know when you apply.  

If you have any questions contact our Talent Acquisition team on ta.admin@ascent.io.

For more details about life at Ascent, check out our Life Page here.