Lead Data Scientist

Overview

In this senior role, you lead the data science discipline within the Strategic Value Unit and Population Health Unit to deliver advanced analytics that inform commissioning, population health management, and evaluation. You will oversee large linked datasets, develop robust models and tools, and translate findings into practical insights for senior leaders and clinicians. Collaborating with multidisciplinary teams, you will shape analytics strategy, ensure methodological quality, and drive adoption of data-driven decisions. This position offers the opportunity to build capability and impact patient outcomes at scale.

Pay / Benefits

• flexible working options
• carer-friendly environment
• inclusive workplace
• wellbeing support
• disability confidence employer
• equal opportunity recruitment

Responsibilities

• Provide professional leadership for data science and set development direction across the unit
• Lead advanced analytical programs for strategic planning, commissioning, population health management and evaluation
• Develop and apply forecasting, predictive, risk, segmentation, scenario, simulation and machine-learning methods
• Lead development and assurance of analytical tools such as population segmentation, risk stratification and case-finding
• Establish standards for programming, version control, documentation, peer review, model validation and lifecycle management
• Assess model performance, uncertainty and bias; ensure methods are transparent and reproducible
• Translate complex analyses into clear insights and actionable recommendations for senior leaders
• Embed analytical products into strategic and operational decision-making and monitor effectiveness
• Build organizational data science capability through line management, coaching, and reusable analytical assets
• Provide senior technical oversight of large, linked health datasets and ensure reliable data access
• Lead reproducible analytical practice using R and/or Python, SQL, version control, testing and automated reporting
• Communicate assumptions and limitations clearly to influence decisions and manage risk
• Line manage and develop a team including Senior Data Scientist and Data Scientist

Key requirements

• Master’s-level qualification in a quantitative discipline or equivalent experience
• Significant experience applying advanced data science or operational research methods to health/public-sector problems
• Senior technical or professional leadership experience in multidisciplinary analytics
• Strong knowledge of NHS data and large linked datasets; experience with data provenance, linkage and quality
• Experience designing, validating and implementing advanced analytical models to support decisions
• Experience leading, supervising or developing analytical staff and setting technical standards
• Proficiency in R and/or Python with strong SQL and large dataset manipulation
• Ability to implement reproducible analytics practices (structured code, version control, testing, documentation, peer review)
• Ability to interpret complex findings and draw defensible conclusions from imperfect data
• Experience deploying models in operational environments or developing shared analytical assets (cloud-based/tools)
• Familiarity with model performance assessment, uncertainty and bias monitoring
• Desirable: quantitative evaluations of services; systems modelling or OR methods

• leadership and people management
• clear communication of complex results
• collaboration with multidisciplinary teams
• R and/or Python
• SQL
• version control

…