Data Science & AI Specialist

Job Description – Data Science & AI Specialist

Why BT Group?

BT Group was the world’s first telco and our heritage in the sector is unrivalled. As home to several of the UK’s most recognised and cherished brands – BT, EE, Openreach and Plusnet, we have always played a critical role in creating the future, and we have reached an inflection point in the transformation of our business.

Over the next two years, we will complete the UK’s largest and most successful digital infrastructure project – connecting more than 25 million premises to full fibre broadband. Together with our heavy investment in 5G, we play a central role in revolutionising how people connect with each other. 

While we are through the most capital-intensive phase of our fibre investment, meaning we can reward our shareholders for their commitment and patience, we are absolutely focused on how we organise ourselves in the best way to serve our customers in the years to come. This includes radical simplification of systems, structures, and processes on a huge scale. Together with our application of AI and technology, we are on a path to creating the UK’s best telco, reimagining the customer experience and relationship with one of this country’s biggest infrastructure companies.

Change on the scale we will all experience in the coming years is unprecedented. BT Group is committed to being the driving force behind improving connectivity for millions and there has never been a more exciting time to join a company and leadership team with the skills, experience, creativity, and passion to take this company into a new era.

Why this job matters

We are looking for a Data Science & AI Specialist to obtain value from the full range of all BT data sets using advanced DS and AI models. In this role, you will be responsible for designing and implementing AI applications, while working closely with cross-functional teams. You goal will be to create and implement solutions that supports group’s data strategies, strategic decision making and align with business objectives - to boost operational efficiency, improve network performance, customer experiences, prevent network problems proactively, and streamline operations.

What you’ll be doing – your our accountabilies

Leads the extraction and analysis of big data through the application of Data Science & AI techniques to generate insight from data to support decision-making across the business or to embed in new products and services. 

Drives model development, including data exploration, training data, feature extraction, validation and scoring.

Drives the development of insightful visualisations to make sophisticated analyses accessible to a broad audience. 

Drives initiatives related to fairness, ethics, interpretability, safety, robustness, and privacy in the context of artificial intelligence and machine learning. 

Mentors other Data Science & AI professionals, helping to improve the team’s abilities by acting as a technical resource. 

Champions, continuously develops and shares with team knowledge on emerging trends and changes in machine learning and artificial intelligence.

The skills you’ll need to succeed

Story-telling with data: strong skills in building the case for change, drawing on data and analytical techniques where appropriate, and communicating this to business audiences ?

Graduate and/or postgraduate degree in a relevant discipline (e.g. Maths, Statistics, ML, AI, Computer Science but not exclusively) or equivalent experience.

Certifications in cloud platforms (AWS) or AI/ML specialisations.

Systems thinking: technical expertise to evaluate the impacts and links between structure, people, process and technology.

Business acumen: Knowledgeable in business strategy and the drivers of organisational performance, including people drivers of performance and financial literacy (e.g. business KPIs, business cases) 

Be agile: You identify opportunities to use collaborative approaches and continuous improvement. You contribute to projects as a subject matter expert or content owner.

Leadership accountabilies

Solution Focused Achiever -This behaviour sits within the connected to customers part of the Connected Leaders Model. Being a Solution-focused Achiever means that you always deliver your ambitious goals, outcomes and timelines. It also means that you cut through complexity and obstacles to get to the right ethical solution at the right time. 

Change Agent - This behaviour sits within the connected to people part of the Connected Leaders Model. Being a Change Agent means that you identify, create and lead smooth business changes. It also means that you adapt quickly and perform effectively – even when there’s ambiguity. 

Team Coach - This behaviour sits within the connected to people part of the Connected Leaders Model. Being a Team Coach means that you coach and develop your people.

Experience you’d be expected to have

2-3 years+ of proven success at applying Data Science approaches or developing and shaping AI algorithms and models. (Mandatory) 

Cloud Platforms - Experience with AWS cloud services for scalable AI & data solutions. (Mandatory) ? Experience in programming languages such as Python/Java and strong knowledge of AI/ML libraries. (Mandatory)

Solid understanding of software architecture, data modeling, and various data structures. 

Knowledge of data governance practices to ensure data quality, security, and compliance. 

Demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of ethical considerations related to artificial intelligence and possesses the capability to develop and implement fair and responsible AI solutions.

Research skills to stay up-to-date with the latest AI trends and continue to learn new techniques. 

Excellent communication – the ability to listen and to share ideas clearly to a range of audiences. 

Experience in leading, managing and/or coaching others – particularly those in technical roles, whether as a line manager or not.