Associate Data Scientist

ICF supports governments and organisations on challenges in areas such as energy, the environment, aviation, health and public policy. Our data science team works with subject matter experts to turn evidence and data into practical solutions for clients in the UK and EU.

You will join an established team and contribute to data science and AI work across varied client projects. Working with more experienced colleagues, you will prepare data, test analytical approaches, help develop prototypes and communicate what the results mean. You will gain exposure to the consulting process, learning how to turn complex client questions into practical analyses and communicate findings to a range of audiences.

What you will do

• Work with data scientists and subject matter experts to understand project questions, available data and appropriate outputs.
• Clean, combine and explore datasets, write clear Python and document your assumptions and checks.
• Build and compare straightforward statistical or machine learning models, use suitable baselines and help evaluate accuracy, limitations and potential bias.
• Contribute to prototypes using methods suited to the problem, including language models where appropriate, and test outputs carefully before sharing them.
• Prepare charts, concise written findings and presentation material, explain your work to colleagues and, with support, to clients and subject matter experts.
• Use feedback and code review to improve your work, and contribute to reproducible project files and team knowledge sharing.

• Hands-on experience applying data science through a project, research, internship or commercial work.
• Experience using Python gained through employment, an internship, research or substantial personal or academic projects.
• A grounding in statistics and common machine learning methods, such as regression or classification, and experience of training, testing and model evaluation.
• Care with data quality, documentation and clear, reproducible code, willingness to learn version control and collaborative development practices.
• Curiosity about real client problems, willingness to ask questions and ability to explain your thinking in clear written and spoken English.
• A relevant degree or equivalent practical experience in a quantitative or social science field.

Useful additional experience

• Exposure to public policy, government, research or evaluation.
• Hands-on exploration of large language models, including checking responses against source material, experience with AI agents is welcome but not required.
• Experience with Git, cloud services, data visualisation, collaborative projects or presenting technical work to a nontechnical audience.

ICF is a global advisory and technology services provider, but we’re not your typical consultants. We combine unmatched expertise with cutting-edge technology to help clients solve their most complex challenges, navigate change, and shape the future.

Candidate AI Usage Policy

At ICF, we are committed to ensuring a fair and equitable interview process for all candidates based on their own skills and knowledge. As part of this commitment, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to generate or assist with responses during interviews (whether in-person or virtual) is not permitted. This policy is in place to maintain the integrity and authenticity of the interview process.