Senior Data Scientist

We’re 1st Central, a market-leading insurance company utilising smart data and technology at pace. Rapid growth has been based on giving our 1.4 million customers exactly what they want: great value insurance with an excellent service. And that’s the same for our colleagues too; we won Insurance Employer of the Year at the British Insurance Awards 2024 and our Glassdoor score is pretty mega too!

Are you an experienced Data Scientist with a passion for Python and machine learning? Do you have a track record of building and training models to solve real-world problems? If you’ve worked in a data science role and are ready to take the next step, we’d love to hear from you. Experience in the Insurance industry or with Databricks is a bonus, but not essential.

We’re looking for a Senior Data Scientist to join our Underwriting team either working remotely or based in our Salford Quays, Manchester or Haywards Heath, West Sussex offices. 

In this role you’ll work as part of a team of Data Scientists and other specialists to help deliver a portfolio of innovative services, discovering and creating value from the Company’s vast array of information assets. Your main focus will be to work individually and with others by applying data science techniques and solutions to deliver this value.

You will work with large amounts of data from a range of sources and in a variety of structured and unstructured formats, applying critical thinking and problem-solving skills to analyse and interpret data.

You will also help build predictive models and generate machine learning algorithms to extract actional insights, proposing solutions to business challenges, and collaborating with other teams to implement these solutions.

Recognising the dependencies Group companies have on technology provided in-house, you’ll work collaboratively and seamlessly with the Group’s in-house technology provider along with data presentation/delivery teams located in multiple locations.

We’re all about people and we’re passionate about continuous improvement, so you’ll share your thoughts with the team to continually progress our methods and team knowledge. 

Core skills we’re looking for to succeed in the role:

• Experience using Python
• Ability to build and train machine learning models
• Previous Data Science experience in a relevant role

Nice to have skills, but optional:

• Insurance industry experience
• Databricks knowledge

What’s involved:

• Scope out and develop data services, including; deep learning, predictive analytics and machine learning, that help to solve business problems
• Perform data analysis and data collection processes that effectively support these services
• Continuously develop data sources through testing of external data
• Work individually and with team members, other teams and suppliers to deliver data science solutions. Review output of junior team members
• Help to identify opportunities across the organisation where data science can add value
• Adhere to good coding practices, work within existing risk controls, identify and report potential risks.
• Comply with the requirements, and act in accordance with, the Group Code of Conduct and Fitness and Propriety policies at all times
• Ensure compliance with Company Policies, Values and guidelines and other relevant standards/ regulations at all times.
• Any other reasonable duties

Experience & knowledge

• Proven experience in data science and data analysis
• Good understanding of statistical techniques and their application, including GLMs, decision trees, random forest, boosting, natural language processing, distributions, clustering, simulation and scenario analysis
• Knowledge of data platforms, and data processing including batch and real-time automation
• Knowledge of data structures and schemes, data preparation and cleansing
• Experience of machine learning techniques and libraries
• Knowledge of data science toolkits and languages, such as R, Python, Scala
• Experience of data exploration and visualisation tools
• Good knowledge of data query languages, such as SQL, HiveQL, scripting
• Knowledge of data integration services and ETL
• Analytical and problem-solving aptitude
• Understanding of a service based approach to professional services.
• Experience delivering through Agile change framework
   

Skills & qualifications

• Good communication skills, both verbal and written
• Good time management and organisation skills
• Proven analytical and statistical modelling skills
• Degree in Data Science or other quantitative field

Behaviours

• Self-motivated and enthusiastic with the desire to meet or exceed targets
• Determined and passionate, particularly regarding data and technology
• A decision maker with an ability to work on own initiative or as part of a team
• A flexible approach and positive attitude
• Strives to drive business improvements contributing to the success of the business
• An organised and proactive approach

So, if you’re up for the challenge and would like to join our vibrant and busy team, we want to hear from you today.

We pride ourselves on being a great place to work. Check out our Glassdoor page to see what our colleagues think about working here.

What can we do for you?

People first. Always. We’re passionate about our colleagues and know the best people deserve an extraordinary working environment. We owe it to them so that’s what we offer. Our workplaces are energetic, inspirational, supportive. To get a taste of the advantages you’ll enjoy, take a look at all our perks in full here. 

Intrigued? Our Talent team can tell you everything you need to know about what we want and what we’re offering, so feel free to get in touch.