Data Scientists – Data Scientist/Researcher/Research Coordinator Ref. 2431

Mind Achieving Impact AwardSocial Mobility Foundation AwardThe Times Top 100Disability confident leaderThe Prince's Responsible Business

Technology Roles
Manchester
Permanent
Flexible
£42,139 – £59,210 Salary dependent upon skills and experience and the package includes basic salary, concessionary payment and job related skills payment. We may also offer you an additional one-off recruitment bonus.

About Us
We are GCHQ, we unlock the complex world of communications to make a real difference to the safety of the nation.  We work closely with our partners in the intelligence community to safeguard Britain’s people, interests, and businesses from threats such as serious organised crime, people and drugs trafficking, terrorism, and cyber-attacks.

We offer a strong work-life balance & benefits, training and certifications and we are remote-working friendly. Our culture is centred on embracing a growth mindset, equality and encouraging teams and leaders to bring their best each day.

We believe diverse teams really are the best teams, so, if you are excited about working with us and think you can do much of what we are looking for but aren’t sure if you are 100% there yet... why not just give it a go!  

Roles
We’re currently recruiting talented researchers to join our diverse team of experts, you’ll be working alongside world class operators in their field who are tackling complex and interesting real world problems that you just won’t find anywhere else.

Apply your academic skills and knowledge whilst continuing to learn and grow through an inclusive collaboration of intellectual minds. Exploring your academic outer limits, technical creativity is at the heart of what we do. You’ll be innovating and creating new techniques where none exist and implementing those techniques in a real-world context.  

If you’re looking for a unique, challenging yet extremely rewarding opportunity to implement your technical creativity and continued academic research then we’re looking for you.

Data Scientist
Operating on mission-critical systems, you’ll work closely with specialists using your knowledge and experience to contribute to the creation of scalable artificial intelligence, machine learning and data science capabilities. It’s rewarding and challenging work that you just won’t find anywhere else.
You’ll assess communications, collaborate in research and pioneer the next generation of such capabilities. Some positions will involve leading teams by delivering consistent and relevant messages to all and informing strategy. It’s expected you’ll give back to the community by building understanding through mentoring and supporting junior colleagues.  A positive team player, you’ll be supportive and active in creating an environment that embraces difference and capitalises on that advantage.

Requirements:
•    Knowledge of and experience working in both data science and software engineering and talking to experts in both fields.
•    Deep knowledge of machine learning training, deployment, and maintenance.
•    A thorough understanding of exploratory data analysis, statistical reasoning, communicating about data, and data-driven decision making.
•    Familiarity with modern software engineering best practices (e.g. agile) and know how they can be applied to data science projects.
•    The technical knowledge to take a prototype ML capability (e.g., in a Jupyter notebook) and build it into a functional system component.
•    Proficiency with essential technologies including but not limited to – Python, R, Kubernetes, Docker, JavaScript, Java.
•    Familiarity with other useful technologies- ELK, AWS (essential in 2+ years).
        
Data Science Research Coordinator
We are seeking a talented and organised data scientist who can use their skills to bridge the gap between research and business management to ensure our research has maximum impact. Using your broad knowledge of data science techniques you’ll work closely alongside the Technical Director and research leads to plan, enable and deliver our data science research. You’ll be working with stakeholders ranging from academics to mission customers, seeking out new opportunities for collaboration and exploitation of research outcomes.  You’ll have the opportunity to contribute your own research to the work of the team and help to build a diverse, supportive and effective Data Science Research community, through developing and mentoring the next generation of data scientists.

Within your work you will be reviewing academic research to identify alignment with our work and identify collaboration opportunities. You will be communicating the research portfolio and progress to stakeholders whilst supporting commercial and business teams in managing research delivery. You will be researching new data science techniques, either theoretical (developing new algorithms), or experimental (writing code to test ideas).

Requirements:
•    Experience of working with researchers and business teams to manage research tasks.
•    Broad expertise in data science, machine learning or AI.
•    The ability to capture customer requirements and use them to shape our future research direction
•    The ability to effectively communicate research direction and outcomes to a wide range of audiences.
•    Experience liaising with academia to guide their research.
•    Solving complex problems through personal research, individually or as part of a team.
•    Helping to build a diverse, supportive and effective Data Science Research community.

Data Science Researcher
We are looking for talented researchers to help us stay at the cutting edge of data science, machine learning and AI.  We have positions available to match a range of experience levels, but you will have a strong background in one or more Data Science disciplines. You’ll be using your technical expertise to develop new approaches to complex problems that you won’t find anywhere else.  With a diverse set of customers from across our mission no two projects are the same and you’ll be delivering high-quality research either individually or as part of a team.  You’ll work closely with other agencies, organisations, and commercial partners; as well as working with organisations that contribute to our corporate social responsibility agenda which may include the environment and inspiring future generations. A positive team player, you’ll help to build a diverse, supportive and effective Data Science Research community, and develop and mentor the next generation of data scientists.

Requirements:
•    Experience working in artificial intelligence, machine learning or data science in a research capacity.
•    A deep understanding of one or more relevant technologies, e.g neural networks, statistical methods etc.
•    The ability to solve complex problems, both through personal research and leadership of research teams.
•    Experience working with academia, implementing and building on published research.
•    Proficiency with essential technologies, ideally Python and common data science libraries, e.g. PyTorch.
•    The ability to work with customers to turn research into mission applications and identify new opportunities for research.

Training and Development
At GCHQ, we’re proud to offer an inclusive and supportive working environment that encourages open minds and attitudes. As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we are committed to helping you fulfil your potential. You’re not expected to come to us with a wealth of knowledge or skills on day one. We value your ability to learn and adapt to new challenges, we’ll invest in your skills and the way you like to learn, from books, study, courses, and conferences to stretching work with support of the team.  We’ll support and encourage you, helping you to master the art of software and become part of our world-class engineering team.   
On top of your starting salary you will receive other benefits including:


-    25 Days Annual Leave automatically rising to 30 days after 5 years' service, and an additional 10.5 days public and privilege holidays.
-    Opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme
-    Personal Learning Budget.
-    Opportunities to work flexibly, subject to business needs
-    Interest-free season ticket loan
-    Excellent pension scheme
-    Cycle to work scheme
-    Paid parental and adoption leave

Culture and Working Environment
As part of our team, you’ll discover an inclusive workplace that’s welcoming, supportive and encouraging. You’ll be part of an organisation where people want to support one another and make a difference. Aside from fostering an open culture, we’ve got a range of growing affinity groups.
For example: 

 
•    Ethnic Minority and gender equality networks.
•    Groups supporting wellbeing, mental health, neurodiversity, and disability.
•    Faith/No Faith communities for staff to come together.
•    LGBTQ+ support networks.

You’ll also find a variety of sports, activity, interest, and social groups to help you settle in and connect with people with similar interests.

Before You Apply to work at GCHQ, you need to be a British citizen. We do have a strict drugs policy, so once you start your application, you can’t take any recreational drugs and you’ll need to declare your previous drug usage at the relevant stage.
Honesty and integrity are really important if you want to work at GCHQ. Take some time to read about the vetting process and make sure you meet the criteria in the vetting pages of the ‘How to Apply’ section. The process can take some time, but this is just because it’s thorough. Giving misleading information and omitting or concealing information during the recruitment and vetting process is viewed very seriously.

The role is based in Cheltenham or Manchester, so you’ll need to live within a commutable distance of these locations. Please consider any financial implications and practicalities before applying.
Please note, you should only launch your application from within the UK. If you are based overseas, you should wait until you visit the UK to launch an application. Applying from outside the UK will impact on our ability to progress your application.

Equal Opportunities
At GCHQ, diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission. To protect the UK, we need a truly diverse workforce that reflects the society we serve. This includes diversity in every sense of the word: those with different backgrounds, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ways of thinking and those with disabilities or neurodivergent conditions. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including those from groups that are under-represented in our workforce.

We’re Disability Confident
GCHQ are proud to have achieved Leader status within the DWP’s Disability Confident scheme. This is aimed at encouraging employers to think differently about disability and take action to improve how they recruit, retain and develop disabled people.  Being Disability Confident, we aim to ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the minimum criteria for this position will be offered an interview where practicable; this is known as ‘Offer of an Interview’.

Eligibility Criteria
You must meet our nationality, residency, and security requirements, you can find more details here.

To be eligible to apply, you must be a British Citizen. One of your parents must be a British Citizen or must have the nationality or citizenship from our approved list of countries (for more info link to website / JD). If you hold dual nationality, of which one component is British, you will nonetheless be considered. (for more info link to website / JD). Candidates must normally have been resident in the UK for seven out of the last ten years. This is particularly important if you were born outside the UK. You can apply at the age of 17 years and 6 months, if successful you will not be offered a start date prior to your 18th birthday. Discretion is vital. You should not discuss your application, other than with your partner or a close family member. Please note, you should only launch your application from within the UK. If you are based overseas, you should wait until you visit the UK to launch an application. Applying from outside of the UK will impact on our ability to progress your application. Further information on our eligibility criteria can be found on the Applying section.

What to Expect
Our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and based on merit. Once you have completed your application, should you meet the eligibility criteria and are suitable for the role you will be invited for an interview. Due to COVID 19 many of our interviews are being conducted online.
Please note, you must successfully pass each stage of the process to progress to the next. Your application may take around 6 - 9 months to process including vetting, so we advise you continue any current employment until you have received your final job offer.

Our Vetting
To work in this role, you will need the highest security clearance, known as Developed Vetting (DV). It’s something everyone in the UK Intelligence Community must go through and it can take some time. As part of the DV process you will be asked to fill in a detailed questionnaire and attend an interview with a vetting officer. In your interview the vetting officer will have a thorough, compassionate, and honest discussion with you about you as a person and your life experiences, to ensure holding a DV clearance is right for you. You don’t need to do any preparation for your vetting interview, just be honest and be yourself. All applicants for DV are treated impartially and consistently, irrespective of gender, race, disability, religion, age, sexual orientation, and other protected characteristics.

Right to Withdraw Statement:
Please be aware that we withhold the right to bring forward the closing date for this role from the original closing date once a certain number of applications have been received. Please be mindful of this and submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.





This Program / Vacancy is closed to applications.