Principal Data Scientist - Discoverability, Recommendations
Job Reference: 43528
Band: D
Salary: £73,000 – £83,000 (depending on relevant skills, knowledge & experience)
Contract type: Continuous
Location: Salford, Glasgow, Newcastle, London (hybrid)
Purpose of the Role
We are accelerating our shift towards experiences that are shaped around audiences – more personal, more relevant and more responsive. At the heart of this transformation is the Recommendations team, which designs and builds large‑scale ML/AI systems that help audiences discover the right content at the right moment. This role focuses on the next stage of that journey, building systems that power personalised recommendations across BBC iPlayer, BBC Sounds, and other flagship products.
Why Join the Team
As a Principal Data Scientist you’ll shape the technical direction of recommender systems used by millions daily. You’ll be a hands‑on contributor, prototyping, experimenting and guiding the technical approach for complex ML solutions at true BBC scale. You’ll work cross‑functionally with engineers, product managers and fellow data scientists to deliver high‑impact systems and will be an active member of the wider BBC Data Science community.
Your Key Responsibilities And Impact
* Use your technical skills to deliver value to BBC audiences, blending breadth and depth of data science expertise.
* Have impact within the immediate team and beyond, developing scalable ML products.
* Work effectively within a cross‑functional environment, collaborating to overcome real‑world challenges of deploying and maintaining ML in production.
* Apply machine learning algorithms to solve complex user and business problems robustly and at scale.
* Participate in the wider BBC Data Science community, sharing knowledge and mentoring colleagues.
Essential Skills and Experience
* Extensive hands‑on experience in data science and machine learning with a proven track record of contributing to technical ML projects.
* Experience developing and deploying recommender systems.
* Strong coding skills in Python.
* Clear communication ability to both technical and non‑technical audiences.
* Effective collaboration in a cross‑functional team.
Desirable Skills and Experience
* Experience with model lifecycle management and MLOps (deployment, versioning, monitoring).
* Good knowledge of cloud services, ideally AWS.
* Understanding of best practices such as testing, code management and deployment.
* Mentorship and/or supervision experience.
We value diversity and are committed to building an inclusive environment where everyone belongs.
Interview Process
* Hiring manager introductory call covering role background and candidate motivations for external applicants only.
* 1.5‑hour panel interview including a technical presentation and role‑relevant competency‑based questions.
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