Bold innovation and leadership. Informed decision-making. Impacting the future.Senior Data Science & Automation Manager£63,000- £69,000 +Reports to: Head of Data Science & PerformanceGrade: M2Directorate: Marketing, Fundraising & EngagementContract: PermanentHours: Full time 35 hours per weekLocation: Stratford, London . Office-based with high flexibility (1-2 days per week in the office)Visa sponsorship: You must be eligible to work in the UK to apply for this vacancy. Cancer Research UK is not able to offer visa sponsorship.Closing date: 17 September 2025, 23:55This vacancy may close earlier if a high volume of applications is received or once a suitable candidate is found, therefore we strongly recommend that you apply early to avoid disappointment. If you require more time to apply as part of a reasonable adjustment, please contact as soon as possible.Recruitment process: Two competency-based interviews (potentially with an exercise included)Interview date: From the week commencing 22 September 2025How do I apply? We operate an anonymised shortlisting process in our commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion. CVs are required for all applications; but we won’t be able to view them until we invite you for an interview. Instead, we ask you to fully complete the work history section of the online application form for us to be able to assess you quickly, fairly, and objectively.At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer.We are professionals with purpose, beating cancer every day. But we need to go much further and much faster. That’s why we’re looking for someone talented, someone who wants to develop their skills, someone like you.Cancer Research UK has a vision to bring about a world where everybody can lead longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer. However, to achieve our mission and grow our funding, we must build even greater momentum and urgency around our cause, and engage and inspire millions of people in deeper, more meaningful ways to join our mission. Therefore, we have created a long-term and designed a bold transformation programme which aims to better harness data and digital marketing technology to deliver more relevant, trusted, and frictionless experiences for our audiences (and in turn drive growth).As a Senior Data Science & Manager, you will play an essential role in helping us achieve this mission to place data and audiences at the core of our decision-making process by leading our newly created Data Science & Automation team. You will provide strategic leadership for data science and build Machine Learning and AI capabilities to enhance our supporter experience across the organisation. This will involve identifying opportunities to apply data science across the supporter lifecycle, championing a culture of statistical rigour and high-performance, and implementing industry best practices, methodologies, and tools across data science, Machine Learning Operations (MLOps), and modelling initiatives.You’ll have the opportunity to collaborate with stakeholders and senior leaders, while managing and developing a talented team of four Data Scientist. Furthermore, you will play an influential role in creating and nurturing a strong data science culture across our Marketing, Fundraising & Events (MFE) directorate and the wider organisation as part of the largest transformation programme in the history of the UK’s charity sector.If you are a Data Science & Automation Manager who has designed and implemented robust Data Science and MLOps processes and led a data analysis & modelling function in a large B2C marketing-led organisation, we’d love for you to join our mission.What will I be doing?Establishing and leading Cancer Research UK’s newly formed Data Science & Automation team as part of our Marketing, Fundraising & Engagement (MFE) directorate.Building the organisation’s Machine Learning and AI capabilities to enhance our supporter experience through highly sophisticated personalisation.This includes driving data-driven decisions that place our audiences at the core of our decision-making process across the charity.Providing strategic leadership for data science across the organisation, developing our long-term roadmap for AI and Machine Learning across Cancer Research UK.Championing for data science across the organisation, using a science-led experimentation mindset to ensure trust is built on sound statistics and performance.Being a Machine Learning Operations (MLOps) expert and leader, which involves:Coaching and developing the Data Science & Automation team on all aspects of this process and best practices.Provide expertise and guidance as a subject matter expert across the organisation.Collaborating with stakeholders across MFE to:Identify opportunities for applying machine learning and AI across the supporter lifecycle.Utilise data science as a key performance differentiator and to enable innovation, improve performance, and unlock deeper supporter insights to help accelerate our mission.Providing senior technical expertise and guidance across data and modelling initiatives, leveraging the latest industry best practices, methodologies, and tools in alignment with internal compliance frameworks.Leading the design, development, and implementation of robust MLOps processes for the team—covering the full lifecycle from data ingestion and model development to deployment, ongoing monitoring, and performance optimisation.This includes predictive and propensity modelling.Creating and embedding an experimentation and measurement approach for all data science initiatives.Developing and implementing Large Language Modelling (LLM) capabilities into Cancer Research UK (such as summarisation tools and smart search).Line managing a team of four Data Scientists while coaching them to upskill in MLOps, Python via AWS, and Sagemaker/ Snowpark.Driving efficiencies and automation across the Data, Insight & Performance department.What are you looking for?Experienced Data Science & Automation Manager who has led a data analysis & modelling function in a large, complex B2C marketing-led organisation with a digital-first approach.We welcome applicants who meet the advertised criteria from the following backgrounds: data science, decision-science, decision-intelligence, advanced analytics, predictive analytics, data & AI, and robotic process automation (RPA).Expertise in technical coding language and data visualisation tools (e.g. SQL, Python, Snowflake, PowerBI, Databricks, GA) with experience implementing best practices, guidance, and standards.Strategic and audience-focused mindset with experience using statistical analysis to understand and drive value from consumer behaviour.This includes setting up supervised & unsupervised learning models, covering data cleaning, data analytics, feature creation, model selection, performance metrics, and visualisations.Successful track record of productionising and managing a suite of models with a solid grounding in the principles and application of MLOps (e.g. Snowpark, MLFlow, and Github).Solutions-driven and continuous improvement mindset with experience creating high performing experimentation analytical support (such as test and learn approaches, multivariate testing, Machine Learning optimisation, and automation).Has successfully built credible and collaborative cross-functional stakeholder and senior leadership relationships with excellent interpersonal, communication, influencing, and coaching skills.Significant experience in managing, leading, and developing high-performing teams of data scientists (c. 4+ direct reports).Our organisation values are designed to guide all that we do.Bold: Act with ambition, courage and determinationCredible: Act with rigour and professionalismHuman: Act to have a positive impact on peopleTogether: Act inclusively and collaborativelyWe’re looking for people who can believe in and embody these organisation values and can use them to drive forward progress against our mission to beat cancer.If you’re interested in applying and excited about working with us but are unsure if you have the right skills and experience we’d still love to hear from you.What will I gain?We create a working environment that supports your wellbeing and provide a generous benefits package, a wide range of career and personal development opportunities and high-quality tools. Our policies and processes enable you to improve your work-life balance, take positive steps in your career and achieve your personal wellbeing goals.You can explore our benefits by visiting our .Additional informationFor more information about working with us please or contact us at .For more updates on our work and careers, follow us on: , , , and .Our vision is to create a charity where everyone feels like they belong, benefits from and participates in, the work we do. We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and cultures, in particular those from ethnic minority backgrounds who are currently under-represented.We want to see every candidate performing at their best throughout the job application process, interview process and whilst at work. We therefore ask you to inform us of any concerns you have or any adjustments you might need to enable this to happen. Please contact or 020 3469 8400 as soon as possible.Unfortunately, we are unable to recruit anyone below the age of 18, so that we can protect young people from health & safety and safeguarding risks.
