Senior Data Science & Automation Manager, Cancer Research
£63-69k
SQL
AWS
Python
Google Analytics
Power BI
Snowflake
Sagemaker
Senior and Expert level
London
More information about location
1-2 days a week in office (Stratford, London)
Cancer prevention, awareness and research charity
Posted today
Cancer prevention, awareness and research charity
1001+ employees
HealthcarePersonal healthCharitySocial ImpactMedTech
Posted today
£63-69k
SQL
AWS
Python
Google Analytics
Power BI
Snowflake
Sagemaker
Senior and Expert level
London
More information about location
1-2 days a week in office (Stratford, London)
1001+ employees
HealthcarePersonal healthCharitySocial ImpactMedTech
Company mission
To prevent, control and cure cancer through ground-breaking research.
Role
Who you are
- If you are a Data Science & Automation Manager who has designed and implemented robust Data Science and MLOps processes and led a data analysis & modelling function in a large B2C marketing-led organisation, we’d love for you to join our mission
- Experienced Data Science & Automation Manager who has led a data analysis & modelling function in a large, complex B2C marketing-led organisation with a digital-first approach
- We welcome applicants who meet the advertised criteria from the following backgrounds: data science, decision-science, decision-intelligence, advanced analytics, predictive analytics, data & AI, and robotic process automation (RPA)
- Expertise in technical coding language and data visualisation tools (e.g. SQL, Python, Snowflake, PowerBI, Databricks, GA) with experience implementing best practices, guidance, and standards
- Strategic and audience-focused mindset with experience using statistical analysis to understand and drive value from consumer behaviour
- This includes setting up supervised & unsupervised learning models, covering data cleaning, data analytics, feature creation, model selection, performance metrics, and visualisations
- Successful track record of productionising and managing a suite of models with a solid grounding in the principles and application of MLOps (e.g. Snowpark, MLFlow, and Github)
- Solutions-driven and continuous improvement mindset with experience creating high performing experimentation analytical support (such as test and learn approaches, multivariate testing, Machine Learning optimisation, and automation)
- Has successfully built credible and collaborative cross-functional stakeholder and senior leadership relationships with excellent interpersonal, communication, influencing, and coaching skills
- Significant experience in managing, leading, and developing high-performing teams of data scientists (c. 4+ direct reports)
What the job involves
- Contract: Permanent
- Hours: Full time 35 hours per week
- As a Senior Data Science & Manager, you will play an essential role in helping us achieve this mission to place data and audiences at the core of our decision-making process by leading our newly created Data Science & Automation team
- You will provide strategic leadership for data science and build Machine Learning and AI capabilities to enhance our supporter experience across the organisation
- This will involve identifying opportunities to apply data science across the supporter lifecycle, championing a culture of statistical rigour and high-performance, and implementing industry best practices, methodologies, and tools across data science, Machine Learning Operations (MLOps), and modelling initiatives
- You’ll have the opportunity to collaborate with stakeholders and senior leaders, while managing and developing a talented team of four Data Scientist
- Furthermore, you will play an influential role in creating and nurturing a strong data science culture across our Marketing, Fundraising & Events (MFE) directorate and the wider organisation as part of the largest transformation programme in the history of the UK’s charity sector
- Establishing and leading Cancer Research UK’s newly formed Data Science & Automation team as part of our Marketing, Fundraising & Engagement (MFE) directorate
- Building the organisation’s Machine Learning and AI capabilities to enhance our supporter experience through highly sophisticated personalisation
- This includes driving data-driven decisions that place our audiences at the core of our decision-making process across the charity
- Providing strategic leadership for data science across the organisation, developing our long-term roadmap for AI and Machine Learning across Cancer Research UK
- Championing for data science across the organisation, using a science-led experimentation mindset to ensure trust is built on sound statistics and performance
- Being a Machine Learning Operations (MLOps) expert and leader, which involves:
- Coaching and developing the Data Science & Automation team on all aspects of this process and best practices
- Provide expertise and guidance as a subject matter expert across the organisation
- Collaborating with stakeholders across MFE to:
- Identify opportunities for applying machine learning and AI across the supporter lifecycle
- Utilise data science as a key performance differentiator and to enable innovation, improve performance, and unlock deeper supporter insights to help accelerate our mission
- Providing senior technical expertise and guidance across data and modelling initiatives, leveraging the latest industry best practices, methodologies, and tools in alignment with internal compliance frameworks
- Leading the design, development, and implementation of robust MLOps processes for the team—covering the full lifecycle from data ingestion and model development to deployment, ongoing monitoring, and performance optimisation
- This includes predictive and propensity modelling
- Creating and embedding an experimentation and measurement approach for all data science initiatives
- Developing and implementing Large Language Modelling (LLM) capabilities into Cancer Research UK (such as summarisation tools and smart search)
- Line managing a team of four Data Scientists while coaching them to upskill in MLOps, Python via AWS, and Sagemaker/ Snowpark
- Driving efficiencies and automation across the Data, Insight & Performance department
- Reports to: Head of Data Science & Performance
- Directorate: Marketing, Fundraising & Engagement
Application process
- End Date: September 18, 2025
- Recruitment process: Two competency-based interviews (potentially with an exercise included)
- Interview date: From the week commencing 22 September 2025
- This vacancy may close earlier if a high volume of applications is received or once a suitable candidate is found, therefore we strongly recommend that you apply early to avoid disappointment
- We operate an anonymised shortlisting process in our commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion. CVs are required for all applications; but we won’t be able to view them until we invite you for an interview. Instead, we ask you to fully complete the work history section of the online application form for us to be able to assess you quickly, fairly, and objectively
Salary benchmarks
Our take
The world’s largest independent cancer research charity, Cancer Research UK (CRUK) was founded from a merger between the Cancer Research Campaign and the Cancer Research Fund in 2002. CRC and ICRF had been longstanding pinnacles of the British medical institution, their work dating back to 1902 and 1923 respectively, and the merger signalled a strong step forward for UK medical institutes’ global influence.
A multi-armed charity, CRUK uses both grant-funded researchers and its own employed staff to research the treatments and causes of cancer, whilst its striking advertising and marketing campaigns are responsible for influencing public policy on the causes, prevention, and treatment of the disease. An example of a significant public campaign was Stoptober, which appeared to have triggered a third of a million smokers at the time to try quit tobacco throughout the month of October.
Alongside its pharmaceutical efforts, in 2023 CRUK funded clinical trials for the first-ever proton beam therapy for breast cancer, indicating a focus on technological innovations in the fight against cancer. On this subject, CRUK has also taken part in a billion-pound investment in the Francis Crick Institute, a biomedical research institute that is aiming to make England an international leader in the industry.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
Led by a woman
9% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Company benefits
- Health & Wellbeing - Health and wellbeing are important to us. We want our people to have time away from work to support their different commitments, needs and interests
- Our occupational health and mental wellbeing support are accompanied by online health assessment tools, Our confidential employee assistance programme is available to all to provide support for any concerns in your work or personal life for ongoing everyday support or free counselling if you need it. We also have a team of Mental Health First Aiders supporting across the organisation
- Our occupational health and mental wellbeing support are accompanied by online health assessment tools, Our confidential employee assistance programme is available to all to provide support for any concerns in your work or personal life for ongoing everyday support or free counselling if you need it
- We also have a team of Mental Health First Aiders supporting across the organisation
- UK-wide savings - Our staff have access to a wide range of discounts, benefits and cashback deals to support you with your financial wellbeing, through our Rewards platform. We offer an online savings and discounts portal covering many widely recognised retailers and brands from electronics, groceries, home and leisure, holidays and more
- Cancer Research UK staff can take advantage of savings through a cycle to work scheme, or an interest free loan to help spread the cost of travel season tickets. Staff also enjoy great benefits in and around our head office in Stratford, London with deals at local shops, bars and restaurants
- Income Protection and Life Assurance - We provide all staff with free insurance policies, paying 50% of your salary if you are unable to work through illness, and up to 4 times your salary for your beneficiaries should the unthinkable happen and you die while in our employment
- Flexible Working - We want our people to have time away from work to support their different commitments, needs and interests. We encourage a flexible working culture, including options such as home-working, reduced or flexi-hours, job shares, job-splits, compressed and core hours
- We offer a high level of flexibility for the vast majority of our office-based roles, meaning that you’ll only be required to work from a specific location for 1 or 2 days a week on average
- Annual Leave - For the majority of our roles we offer 25 days holiday a year plus bank holidays, and an extra day for Christmas Eve. You can choose to use the religious bank holidays flexibly. On top of this, you can choose to buy up to 1 week’s additional holiday each year
Company HQ
Stratford, London, UK
Leadership
Previously Non-Executive Director of NHS England for 4 years, and Chief Executive of the MS Society for 5 years.
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