Associate Data Scientist (HEO) – 6 month contract

About the role

ONS is creating a new early‑career data scientist talent pipeline to support the UK’s most important statistics. This 6‑month hybrid contract in Newport (or Titchfield) offers a fast‑track opportunity for candidates with foundational data science skills to gain hands‑on experience on national statistical projects.

Key responsibilities

• Prepare, clean and transform datasets for analysis.
• Run exploratory data analysis and produce visual insights.
• Build and test simple machine‑learning models under guidance.
• Contribute to data‑science projects used in national statistics, forecasting and research.
• Collaborate with Data Engineers and senior data scientists to deliver quality‑assured outputs.
• Learn new tools, techniques and technologies through structured development pathways.

Required profile

• Solid academic grounding with early hands‑on experience in data science.
• Experience using Python or R to write scripts and build basic models.
• Understanding of statistics and model evaluation metrics.
• Ability to clean, prepare and manipulate data and explain findings to technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Curious, analytical mindset with a desire to learn and grow.
• Desirable: degree in Data Science, Maths, Statistics, Computer Science or equivalent; exposure to cloud environments (AWS or Azure); familiarity with data‑visualisation tools (PowerBI, Plotly); experience with machine‑learning libraries (Scikit‑learn); basic understanding of Agile delivery methods.

Required skills

• Python
• R
• Statistical analysis
• Data cleaning and transformation
• Data visualisation (PowerBI, Plotly)
• Machine‑learning libraries (Scikit‑learn)
• Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure)
• Agile methodology