Senior Data Scientist

Team
Digital & Tech
Store
London Support Office
Location
London, Greater London
Contract type
Permanent
Position type
Full Time
Salary
Competitive + Benefits
Closing date: 22nd November 2024

How We Hire

Everyone is welcome at M&S. No exceptions. It’s your background, abilities and differences that make you, uniquely you. And when you’re part of M&S, that individuality has the potential to make waves.

About the role

This section tells you all you need to know about the position and its responsibilities, outlining everything we hope to see in a successful candidate.

All the details

Summary

As part of the M&S Data Science team, you’ll be joining a well-loved historic brand, working on solutions that serve millions of loyal customers and thousands of colleagues! With ethical values that run right through the company’s core and technology leaders that truly understand the value of data, it’s an exciting time as we’re redefining ourselves into a digital first and data-led organisation, with the quality of our Data Science team being a key differentiator.

We are seeking a passionate Senior Data Scientist to deliver machine learning models and other data science components of digital products that improve business outcomes aligned to business and function strategy. Being creative, curious and proactive, you will be an integral part of our data science team and help drive value to the business through AI.

You will play a key role in driving our ambition to create a best-in-class data science team, environment, and culture. We are looking for people to join our community of data experts to drive this transformation, build a modern digital ecosystem using exciting technologies and do the best work of their careers.

What’s in it for you

Being a part of M&S is exactly that – playing your part to bring the magic of M&S to our customers every day. We’re an inclusive, dynamic, exciting, and ever evolving business built on doing the right thing and bringing exceptional quality, value, service to every customer, whenever, wherever and however they want to shop with us.

Here are some of the benefits we offer that make working for M&S just that little bit more special…

  • After completing your probationary period, you’ll receive 20% colleague discount across all M&S products and many of our third-party brands for you and a member of your household.
  • Competitive holiday entitlement with the potential to buy extra holiday days!
  • Discretionary bonus schemes awarded based on how you achieve your personal objectives and our performance as a business.
  • A generous Defined Contribution Pension Scheme and Life Assurance.
  • A dedicated welcome to our teams with a tailored induction and a wide range of training programmes to develop your skills.
  • Amazing perks and discounts via our M&S Choices portal to maximise your financial and personal wellbeing.
  • Industry-leading parental, adoption and neonatal policies, providing support and flexibility for your family.
  • Access to a fantastic range of wellbeing support for all colleagues including access to our 24/7 Virtual GP and PAM Assist to support you and your family.
  • A charity volunteer day to support a charity or cause you're passionate about through a dedicated day away from work.

What you'll do

The Senior Data Scientist role is the embodiment of ‘driving value to the business through AI’ with key responsibilities as follows:
▪ Contribute to and own delivery of data science work that supports the development of customer or colleague facing products as an independent contributor, with the support of the Head of Data Science where necessary
▪ Coach and support Graduates and Data Scientists in the team, contributing to their technical and personal development
▪ Progress work consistently without significant need for support from more senior colleagues, using deep data science expertise
▪ Help develop data science models employing best practice
▪ Contribute to the technical implementation and productionisation of end-to-end machine learning systems
▪ Active engagement in and delivery of projects according to agile principles by taking on tickets and ensuring that progress is documented appropriately
▪ Create and submit regular Pull Requests for colleagues to review, and review Pull Requests of others to ensure that best practice is being followed
▪ Active participation and contribution to the data science community at M&S by presenting work at internal and external meetings
▪ Support and contribute to the evaluation, scoping and ideation of new data science projects
▪ Actively collaborate with colleagues, including those outside data science, to develop solutions that address customer requirements and improve value for the organisation
▪ Adopt best practice, embrace improvement opportunities, using feedback to learn and develop new technical and non-technical skills, and share knowledge with team members
▪ Coach, mentor and develop others in the team by providing knowledge, guidance and assets to less experienced members

Who you are

  • Passionate about data science with strong experience and skills, and a keen interest to grow, learn and develop new skills
  • Advanced programming skills in python
  • Advanced SQL
  • Advanced knowledge of statistics and machine learning methods.
  • Practical understanding and experience of version control principles
  • Intermediate understanding of the data science and machine learning product life-cycle including model deployment and monitoring
  • Advanced analysis and data story-telling skills

Everyone’s welcome

We are ambitious about the future of retail. We’re disrupting, innovating and leading the industry into a more conscientious, inspiring digital era. We’re transforming how we work together and offering our most exciting opportunities yet. Marks & Spencer strives to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers and suppliers. Join us and make change happen.

We are committed to building diverse and representative teams, where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and be at their best. We support each other and work together to win together.

If you feel you'd benefit from any support or reasonable adjustments during any stage of the recruitment process, please don’t hesitate to let us know when completing your application. This information will be picked up by our team, so we can try and put steps in place to help you be at your best through this process.

#LI-Hybrid

Meet the Team

digital_thumbnail.jpg
A group of colleagues gathered around a table, smiling and discussing work with laptops open in a modern office setting.

Being an in-person business

We're at our best when we're close to customers, and for many of us at M&S, that means working in store every day.

To stay close to customers, our support teams are in the office three days a week as we believe that skills are developed through collaboration, and that spending time together makes us more creative and connected. It also means we can solve problems as soon as they arise, learn and grow as a team, build trust, and get closer to our colleagues.

Click to skip quote slider carousel
Halford Head of Technical Program Management
Janak Staff iOS Engineer
Deepak Data Scientist

Being in third-party brands, working on things M&S hasn’t done before… that plays to my sweet spot. I’ve worked in many organisations throughout my career, and it’s rare to see such cause and effect in your work. The way we’re structured means you’re encouraged to solve problems and you have the autonomy to make progress quickly.

Halford (He / Him) | Head of Technical Program Management Read full story

I think all engineers just love solving puzzles and problems. At M&S, we’re constantly learning new things, whether it’s mastering Swift UI or understanding how customers interact with technology. But this is also a business that listens to engineers and values what we bring to the table. That’s different, believe me.

Janak (He / Him) | Staff iOS Engineer Read full story

At M&S, we have Data Scientists, Analysts, and Technical Product Managers, who all share a genuine passion for harnessing data to improve people’s lives. And we’re in a unique position where we can actually help many different kinds of people, from our customers to our colleagues in store and in our support centre.

Deepak (He / Him) | Data Scientist Read full story

Make Your Mark

Upcoming projects

Take part in our M&S Digital & Tech team days. Grow your digital and data skills through our BEAM Academy. Or challenge yourself at one of our business-wide hackathons. We also partner with Women in Data, Databricks and Cajigo to increase opportunities for women in digital and data.

Opportunities to be heard

Your voice and your ideas matter here. Our 8 colleague networks are places to find support, listen to each other and encourage debate. You can pitch ideas ‘Straight to Stuart’, our CEO, or get involved in our BIG (Business involvement Group).

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Colleague Networks

We want you to feel supported, no matter what.

The LGBTQ+ Network

Open to all members of the LGBTQ+ community and spectrum (and their allies), we promote equality, celebrate inclusivity and diversity, and encourage everyone to be themselves - whatever their sexual or gender identity.

The Family & Carers Network

This group represents the different types of families that exist. We act as a support network and sounding board for ideas which help our colleagues as parents or carers. We also run an interactive blog, where you can write your own posts or hear about others' experiences.

The Gender Equality Network

This group is focused on helping to create a workplace where gender-related challenges are addressed. They raise awareness of common barriers faced and offer support. They also challenge the business to act and empower individuals to ensure that everyone has equal access to opportunities.

The Culture and Heritage Network

Celebrating all faiths, cultures and ethnicities, this group promotes racial and religious equality. We create space to discuss, challenge and take action. And we mark key calendar moments  - like Black History Month - to remember the past, promote the present and build for the future. 

The Cancer Network

This is a network driven by personal experiences, with the purpose of ensuring that anyone in the M&S family affected by Cancer feels supported and has access to the information they need.

The Health and Wellbeing Network

This network helps colleagues manage their own mental and physical health. We also support people with disabilities or health conditions throughout M&S. We're a safe place to share your personal journey, coping strategies and top tips.

The Menopause Network

Here, our colleagues can share their concerns, as well as interesting facts and articles. Our aim is to help everyone feel comfortable talking openly about the menopause - providing a listening ear and finding positives in the experience.

Forces Community Network

A community of colleagues who are affiliated with the Armed Forces in various ways. We work to support colleagues readjusting to civilian life, to be there for those who have friends or family members in the forces, and to make M&S attractive to those leaving the forces. 

Benefits

How to Apply

Here’s what to expect at each stage of the application process. This can change depending on the role you’ve applied to. If you need any reasonable adjustments made at any stage, let us know and we can help.

Send us your application

Fill in our short application form and hit submit.

Online assessment

Depending on the role you are applying for, you may be invited to do an assessment. Your Talent Acquisition Partner will guide and inform you along the way.

Interview

We'll invite you to join us for an interview. This could be remote or in person. Here, we'll ask you some role based technical questions and examine the behaviours we're looking for. 

Decision

After we’ve made our decision, we’ll be in touch. If you’ve been successful, we’ll officially invite you to join the team and let you know the next steps.

Senior Data Scientist

Team
Digital & Tech
Store
London Support Office
Location
London, Greater London
Contract type
Permanent
Position type
Full Time
Salary
Competitive + Benefits
Closing date: 22nd November 2024
Reference: 89995