At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead innovative data projects using AI and machine learning to transform healthcare.
- Company: Join Bupa, a health-focused company dedicated to making a positive impact.
- Benefits: Enjoy flexible working, competitive salary, health insurance, and generous holiday allowance.
- Other info: Be part of a diverse team that champions inclusivity and personal growth.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in healthcare while advancing your career in data science.
- Qualifications: Experience in machine learning, strong programming skills, and a passion for AI.
The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 £ per year.
About the Role
At Bupa, we're harnessing the power of data, machine learning and artificial intelligence to transform healthcare and insurance for our customers. We're looking for a Senior Data Scientist to join our Applied AI team and play a leading role in delivering innovative, data-driven solutions across our UK Insurance operations and healthcare management functions. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced data scientist who combines deep technical expertise with strong commercial awareness. You'll work with large, complex datasets, including claims, pre-authorisation and service interaction data, helping to uncover insights, develop predictive models and deliver AI solutions that make a tangible impact on our business and customers. You'll also be a key advocate for Applied AI across the organisation, helping to shape opportunities, influence strategy and develop future talent.
What You'll Be Doing
As a Senior Data Scientist, you'll take ownership of projects from concept through to business delivery, combining advanced analytics, machine learning and AI to solve complex business challenges. Key responsibilities include:
- Designing, building and deploying machine learning models and AI solutions across the full lifecycle, from data preparation and model development through to deployment, monitoring and optimisation.
- Delivering actionable insights from complex healthcare and insurance datasets, presenting findings to stakeholders at all levels, including senior leadership.
- Leading projects from initial problem definition through to implementation and business adoption.
- Building and maintaining robust MLOps frameworks, governance processes and best practices.
- Partnering with IT architects, platform teams and solution designers to ensure cloud environments support analytical and AI workloads.
- Conducting ad hoc analysis using large-scale datasets including claims, pre-authorisation and customer service data.
- Developing and maintaining strong stakeholder relationships across the business.
- Coaching and mentoring junior team members and potentially supporting summer interns.
- Championing coding standards, quality assurance and analytical best practice.
- Working within Agile teams where appropriate.
- Ensuring all work complies with regulatory requirements and maintains the highest standards of data security and governance.
- Supporting the development of Generative AI solutions, including Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), semantic search, agentic workflows and LLM orchestration.
- Contributing thought leadership in Data Science, Machine Learning, AI and Generative AI to help position UK Insurance Data & Analytics as a centre of excellence.
What We're Looking For
We're seeking a highly analytical and commercially minded professional with a passion for turning data into meaningful outcomes.
Essential Skills and Experience
- Proven experience delivering end-to-end machine learning solutions, including model development, deployment, monitoring and continuous improvement.
- Experience implementing MLOps frameworks and operationalising machine learning at scale.
- Strong track record of generating actionable insights from data, ideally within healthcare, insurance or another regulated industry.
- Hands-on expertise with supervised and unsupervised machine learning techniques, including: XGBoost, LightGBM, Random Forests, Clustering techniques, Regression analysis, Correlation analysis, Multilevel modelling.
- Strong programming and data engineering skills using Python, SQL and/or SAS.
- Experience building automated machine learning pipelines and working with large enterprise data environments.
- Strong experience with the Microsoft Azure ecosystem, including: Azure Machine Learning, Azure AI Studio, Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), MLOps and model monitoring capabilities.
- Experience developing Generative AI solutions using Azure AI Foundry, OpenAI technologies or Google Vertex AI.
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence and engage stakeholders at all levels.
- Demonstrated experience coaching, mentoring and developing colleagues.
- Experience working within Agile delivery environments, using tools such as Azure DevOps.
Desirable Skills and Experience
- Experience with advanced Generative AI and Agentic AI solutions, including: Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), Embeddings and vector search, Evaluation frameworks, LLM orchestration.
- Hands-on experience with frameworks such as: LangChain, LlamaIndex, CrewAI, AutoGen, Google ADK, Similar AI frameworks.
- Bachelor's degree in Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science or another quantitative discipline.
- Master's degree in Data Science, Statistics, Epidemiology or a related field.
About You
You'll be someone who:
- Thrives on solving complex business problems using data.
- Can independently lead projects from concept through to implementation.
- Balances technical excellence with commercial impact.
- Communicates complex analytical concepts in a clear and engaging way.
- Builds strong relationships across technical and non-technical teams.
- Enjoys mentoring and supporting the development of others.
- Has a genuine passion for the future of AI and data science.
Benefits
Our benefits are designed to make health happen for our people. Viva is our global wellbeing programme and includes all aspects of our health – from mental and physical, to financial, social, and environmental wellbeing. We support flexible working and have a range of family friendly benefits. Joining Bupa in this role you will receive the following benefits and more:
- 25 days holiday, increasing through length of service, with option to buy or sell.
- Bupa health insurance as a benefit in kind.
- An enhanced pension plan and life insurance.
- Annual performance-based bonus.
- Onsite gyms or local discounts where no onsite gym available.
- Various other benefits and online discounts.
Why Bupa?
We’re a health insurer and provider. With no shareholders, our customers are our focus. Our people are all driven by the same purpose – helping people live longer, healthier, happier lives and making a better world. We make health happen by being brave, caring and responsible in everything we do. We encourage all of our people to “Be you at Bupa”, we champion diversity, and we understand the importance of our people representing the communities and customers we serve. That’s why we especially encourage applications from people with diverse backgrounds and experiences. Bupa is a Level 2 Disability Confident Employer. This means we aim to offer an interview/assessment to every disabled applicant who meets the minimum criteria for the role. We’ll make sure you are treated fairly and offer reasonable adjustments as part of our recruitment process to anyone that needs them.
Senior Data Scientist employer: Bupa
Bupa Mindplace in Dartford is an exceptional employer, offering a supportive work culture that prioritises employee wellbeing and professional development. With flexible shifts and a focus on delivering high-quality therapy, employees benefit from a dynamic environment that encourages growth and collaboration, making it an ideal place for those passionate about mental health care.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Data Scientist
✨Get Involved in Data Science Meetups
Tap into local data science meetups or workshops to connect with fellow enthusiasts and professionals. These events are goldmines for networking, and sometimes even lead directly to job openings at companies like Bupa!
✨Show Off Your Projects
Start building a public portfolio showcasing your data science projects on platforms like GitHub or personal websites. Highlight unique analyses or models you've developed. This not only demonstrates your skills but also gets your name out there for roles like Senior Data Scientist at Bupa.
✨Leverage Professional Networks
Join professional bodies related to data science, like the Data Science Society or similar organisations. Getting involved can lead to mentorship opportunities and insider knowledge about full-time positions at companies like Bupa.
✨Apply Directly through Our Website
When you find a suitable opening like Senior Data Scientist at Bupa, make sure to apply directly through our website. It gives you an edge and shows you're keen to join our team. Plus, who doesn’t love a direct application? It’s easier than navigating through job boards!
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Data Scientist
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Projects:In the world of data science, your projects can speak volumes about your skills. Make sure to showcase a few key projects in your CV or portfolio, especially those that highlight your ability to work with data sets, build models, or use relevant tools like Python, R, or SQL. Don’t forget to include links to any GitHub repositories if applicable!
Quantify Your Achievements:Employers love numbers! When drafting your CV, highlight your achievements with quantifiable results. For instance, mention how your data analysis led to a certain percentage increase in efficiency or revenue at a previous job or project. These details can really make your application pop!
Craft a Tailored Cover Letter:For a full-time role at Bupa, your cover letter should reflect your passion for data science and your excitement about the specific projects or values of the company. Dive into why you’re a good fit, how your skills align with their needs, and any unique perspectives you can bring to the team.
Stand Out with Relevant Courses and Certifications:Although experience talks, relevant courses or certifications can be your ticket to impressing hiring managers at Bupa. Mention any standout courses you've completed that equipped you with essential skills, such as machine learning certifications or data visualisation courses. This shows your commitment to continuously developing your skills in the field!
How to prepare for a job interview at Bupa
✨Brush Up on Your Statistics
For a data science role, we need to seriously sharpen our statistics skills. Get ready to tackle technical questions on probability distributions, hypothesis testing, and regression analysis. These are often the bread and butter of data science interviews, so don't just skim over them!
✨Showcase Your Projects
Prepare a killer portfolio showcasing your data science projects. We should include details about the datasets used, the tools and techniques applied, and the impact of your findings. If we can walk them through a particularly challenging project or a cool visualisation that had real-world implications, it’ll really make us stand out!
✨Get Comfortable with Python and R
Most data science positions require us to be proficient in programming languages like Python and R. We should practice common libraries like pandas, NumPy, and scikit-learn, and be ready for live coding exercises or algorithm questions. Showing off our coding chops can really impress the interviewers at Bupa!
✨Prepare for Case Studies
Expect to encounter real-world case studies during the interview. We might be asked how we’d approach a data problem or analyse a dataset to extract insights. It's essential to think out loud and demonstrate our problem-solving process so that the interviewer can see our logical thinking in action.
