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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Data Scientist - **Company:** The Academy - **Location:** Manchester, UK (Remote available) - **Experience:** Expert - **Salary:** £30,000.0 - £40,000.0 - **Contract:** Temporary contract - **Skills:** A/B Testing, Amazon Web Services, Artificial Neural Networks, Microsoft Azure, Big Data, Cloud Computing, Data Visualization, Github, R (Programming Language), Python (Programming Language), Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, Raw Data, Tensorflow, Standard Sql, Software Engineering, SQL Databases, Data Processing, Feature Engineering, Pytorch, Deep Learning, Kaggle, Pandas, Scikit Learn, Information Technology, Machine Learning Operations, Docker - **Published:** September 10, 2026 - **Apply:** https://www.collegerecruiter.com/job/2859572819-data-scientist ## About the Role Computer science, mathematics, statistics, physics, economics or engineering all lead in. Employers care, most about programming ability (Python/SQL), statistics and a demonstrable project portfolio - the exact degree title matters less than the quantitative rigour behind it., Intensive bootcamps and self-directed study can work for career changers who already have a numerate background, provided they build a strong public portfolio (GitHub, Kaggle, real projects). Less reliable for visa-sponsored roles, which usually expect a degree., * Python and SQL (pandas, scikit-learn, PyTorch / TensorFlow) * Statistics, probability and experimental design (A/B testing) * Machine learning - supervised, unsupervised and deep learning * Data wrangling, feature engineering and pipelines * Cloud platforms and MLOps (AWS / GCP / Azure, Docker) * Data visualisation and storytelling (dashboards, notebooks) * Communicating results to non-technical stakeholders * Commercial awareness and prioritisation * Collaboration with engineering and product teams * Scientific scepticism and intellectual honesty * Continuous learning in a fast-moving field, Learn the production stack, ship supervised analyses and models, and build depth in one domain (finance, retail, health)., Lead high-impact projects, set modelling standards and influence product and strategy decisions., smoothest degree-to-work-to-visa pipelines in the UK. English-language requirements For the Skilled Worker visa you must prove English at CEFR level B1 - met by an approved test, a degree taught in English, or nationals of majority-English-speaking countries. Employers may expect higher fluency in practice given the stakeholder-communication demands of the role., What degree do I need to become a data scientist in the UK? There's no single required degree, but a quantitative one helps enormously - computer science, mathematics, statistics, physics, economics or engineering are the common backgrounds. Employers care most about demonstrable Python/SQL skills, statistics and a project portfolio. A specialist MSc in data science or machine learning is the most common accelerator for graduates from adjacent fields. Do I need a master's degree? Not strictly - many data scientists enter with a strong quantitative bachelor's plus a good portfolio, or progress from an analyst role. But a specialist MSc shortens the route, is valued by employers, and for international students provides access to the Graduate Route visa, which is why it's such a popular path. ## Description Data scientists take a business or research question - Which customers will churn? Which transactions are fraudulent? What will demand look like next quarter? - and answer it with data. The work spans the full pipeline: sourcing and cleaning data, exploratory analysis, feature engineering, training and validating models (regression, tree ensembles, neural networks), then communicating results to non-technical stakeholders and, increasingly, shipping those models into production. It sits between the data analyst (who focuses on reporting and insight) and the machine-learning engineer (who focuses on production systems). Strong data scientists pair statistical rigour with software engineering discipline and the communication skills to make a model actually get used. * Build predictive and machine-learning models from raw data * Clean, engineer and explore large datasets in Python, R and SQL * Translate business questions into experiments and measurable outcomes * Deploy models to production and monitor them alongside engineering teams, Data scientists take a business or research question - Which customers will churn? Which transactions are fraudulent? What will demand look like next quarter? - and answer it with data. The work spans the full pipeline: sourcing and cleaning data, exploratory analysis, feature engineering, training and validating models (regression, tree ensembles, neural networks), then communicating results to non-technical stakeholders and, increasingly, shipping those models into production. It sits between the data analyst (who focuses on reporting and insight) and the machine-learning engineer (who focuses on production systems). Strong data scientists pair statistical rigour with software engineering discipline and the communication skills to make a model actually get used. * Build predictive and machine-learning models from raw data * Clean, engineer and explore large datasets in Python, R and SQL * Translate business questions into experiments and measurable outcomes * Deploy models to production and monitor them alongside engineering teams Data scientists build predictive models and machine-learning systems across finance, tech, healthcare and government., Own problems end-to-end - framing, modelling, deployment - and mentor juniors. Specialise (NLP, forecasting, causal inference, MLOps)., UK visa route Skilled Worker visa · SOC code 2433 Salary vs visa threshold Data-science roles are skilled occupations eligible for the Skilled Worker visa. Even entry-level salaries (~£30,000+) generally clear the general threshold, and mid-to-senior pay clears it with a wide margin, which makes sponsorship straightforward for employers who hold a licence. Sponsor licence density Very high - Sponsor density is among the highest of any UK career: banks, technology firms, consultancies and large retailers almost all hold Skilled Worker sponsor licences and routinely recruit international data talent. Smaller startups are less likely to sponsor, so target scale-ups and established employers if you need a visa. Graduate Route considerations A UK data-science or quantitative MSc gives access to the Graduate Route, which many international graduates use to land a first data-science role and then switch to Skilled Worker sponsorship once employed. 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