Senior Data Scientist, British Intelligence Agencies
GCHQ
£45.8-52.1k
Cheltenham £45,841 (includes £2,758 concessionary payment); London £52,091 (includes £6,250 London Weighting and £2,758 concessionary payment). Additionally, you could qualify for a specialist skills payment starting from £4,420. Skills revalidation is required every three years
More information about location
4-5 days a week in office
UK's domestic and foreign intelligence services
Be an early applicant
UK's domestic and foreign intelligence services
1001+ employees
Be an early applicant
£45.8-52.1k
Cheltenham £45,841 (includes £2,758 concessionary payment); London £52,091 (includes £6,250 London Weighting and £2,758 concessionary payment). Additionally, you could qualify for a specialist skills payment starting from £4,420. Skills revalidation is required every three years
More information about location
4-5 days a week in office
1001+ employees
Company mission
MI5, MI6 and GCHQ work together to protect the UK from a range of national security and overseas threats, keeping citizens safe.
Role
Who you are
- A Science, Technology, Engineering or Maths (STEM) or computer science-related degree, or an equivalent qualification, will be beneficial. If you don’t have a degree but possess relevant experience, please apply, as your experience is as valuable as a professional qualification.
- Ideally, you’ll have a deep understanding of machine learning, including training deployment, and maintenance. Additionally, you should be proficient in exploratory data analysis, statistical reasoning, and data driven decision-making
- Your experience in data science or software engineering enables you to communicate effectively with experts in both fields. This background has also shaped you into an effective manager, with a history of mentoring and supporting colleagues. Beyond these skills, you’re adept at leading teams and working with internal and external partners, as well as end users
- Technically, you’re well-versed in the entire lifecycle of machine learning projects, capable of transforming a prototype capability (such as one in a Jupyter notebook) into a functional system component. Additionally, you’re proficient in a range of technologies, including but not limited to some of Python, Kubernetes, Docker, JavaScript, and Java
- To work at GCHQ, you need to be a British citizen or hold dual British nationality. You can read our full eligibility criteria - https://www.gchq-careers.co.uk/how-to-apply.html?adhoc_referrer=57296110020
What the job involves
- As a Senior Data Scientist, you’ll leverage data science to advance our mission and inform policy and strategy decisions. While this role is data-centric, collaboration is at its heart
- In this role, you’ll collaborate with data scientists and mission teams to utilise our services for problem-solving and discovering new applications. You’ll work with project teams to research and implement both established and novel models, and adapt AI techniques into our microservice architecture. Supporting our Development Operations (DevOps) team, you’ll explore innovative Machine Learning Operations (ML Ops) tools and learn to host large language models across multiple Graphic Processing Units (GPUs). After a year in this role, you’ll have opportunities to manage data scientists and engineers
- You understand the power of data for a business, and at GCHQ, we know how to use it for good. Every bit of data you work on is mission-critical and not driven by commercial gain, so you can be confident that your work makes a positive impact
- There may be annual opportunities for overseas travel for collaboration, conferences, and training
Application process
- Online Situational Judgement Test (SJT) rating the appropriateness of your response to a series of short scenarios. The SJT tests criteria important for all roles in our organisation
- CV and application question sift
- A competency based and technical interview – assessing your motivation for the role and your understanding of data science
- If successful, you will receive a conditional offer of employment
Salary benchmarks
Our take
The British Intelligence Agencies - GCHQ, MI5 and MI6 play crucial roles in protecting the nation from a range of security threats. By focusing on counterterrorism, espionage, and cyber threats, the unified force works to safeguard the public and support law enforcement agencies. Its work, largely behind the scenes, is pivotal in ensuring national security.
With origins dating back to the 19th century, each of the British Intelligence Agencies plays a specific role within the security services. GCHQ focuses on signal intelligence gathering and information assurance, MI5 on counterterrorism and national security, whilst MI6 is focused on foreign intelligence and overseas security. This evolution into three specific organisations reflects the agency's ability to stay ahead of emerging security challenges, adjusting its strategy and operations as needed.
As technology and global threats change, the British Intelligence Agencies' approaches continue to evolve, ensuring the UK's security remains a top priority. With its deep expertise and ongoing adaptation, they are major key players in protecting national and international interests, whilst responding to complex security dynamics.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Company
Company benefits
- Merit awards – we have a merit award system to recognise exceptional contributions by individuals or team
- Flexible working – opportunities to work part-time, compressed hours or as a job share are available, dependent on the role and business needs
- Pension – we understand the importance of saving for retirement and offer a desirable pension scheme, which gives you a guaranteed pension based on career average earnings
- Annual leave – our employees are entitled to 25 days annual leave, rising to 30 days after five years’ service. In addition to this, employees are entitled to public and privilege holidays. Part-time employees receive the same entitlement calculated on a pro-rata basis
- Maternity and paternity leave – we offer maternity and paternity leave over and above the statutory entitlements
- Voluntary service leave – we offer special leave for our employees who wish to undertake voluntary work
- Rented accommodation loan – moving house to take up an offer of employment can be expensive. We offer new joiners the opportunity to take out an interest-free loan of up to £2,500, via our benevolent fund, to assist with the financial burden of relocating into privately rented accommodation. You will be sent an application for the loan at the point of receiving a final offer of employment
- Season ticket loan – we recognise that travel expenses from your home to the office can be significant, so we offer an interest-free season ticket loan which can be used for travel, car park costs or the purchase of a bicycle
- On-site facilities – there is a gym, restaurant, and coffee bar at some locations
- Clubs and societies – we offer a range of sports clubs, fitness classes, societies, and language training facilities
- Childcare Vouchers – we offer two childcare voucher schemes which provide a simple and cost-effective way for employees to receive help towards the cost of childcare
- Eye Voucher Scheme – we offer eye care vouchers and a financial contribution towards prescription glasses
- Physiotherapy – we offer subsidised in-house physiotherapy
- Personal learning – all our staff can undertake professional development to improve their skills and performance in the workplace
Company HQ
Manchester, UK
Articles
Leadership
Ken McCallum
(Director General)An MI5 Officer with over 25 years of experience in national security and intelligence. Their career has spanned roles in counterterrorism, cyber security, and leading MI5's strategic response to major incidents. They were appointed Director General in 2020 and previously served as Deputy Director General and Director General of Strategy.
Blaise Metreweli
(Chief)Blaise joined the Service in 1999 and has had a range of roles, most recently Director General Technology & Innovation (Q). She has spent most of her career operationally in the Middle East & Europe.
Anne Keast-Butler
(Director)Became the first female Director of GCHQ in May 2023. Previously served as Deputy Director General at MI5, where they led operational and investigative work, including responding to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. With over 30 years in national security, they have held key roles in MI5, GCHQ, and Whitehall, including launching the National Security Programme.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at British Intelligence Agencies
- At the Intelligence Agencies, 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, ages, 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 underrepresented in our workforce, such as women, those from ethnic minority backgrounds, people with disabilities, and those from low socio-economic backgrounds. Find out more about our culture, working environment, and diversity on our website: https://www.gchq-careers.co.uk/life-at-gchq/diversity-inclusion.html
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