At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead advanced analytics and AI-driven insights for one of the UK's busiest rail companies.
- Company: Join GTR, an award-winning rail company with a focus on innovation.
- Benefits: Enjoy free travel, discounts, and a family-friendly benefits package.
- Other info: Collaborate closely with senior stakeholders and drive strategic insight development.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by transforming data into actionable insights in a dynamic environment.
- Qualifications: Experience in analytics, machine learning, and a degree in a related field.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
GTR are recruiting an Insights Lead based out of Monument Place. This is a great opportunity for an individual with a proven track record to work for one of the country's busiest and award-winning rail companies.
Job Purpose
As Insight Lead, you will lead the development and application of advanced analytics, machine learning and AI-driven insight across GTR, ensuring data is used ethically, effectively and in line with robust governance. You will partner closely with senior stakeholders to translate operational, safety and commercial priorities into impactful analytical models and interventions. You will provide strategic oversight of insight development on top of the DataHub platform, ensuring consistent standards for model development, validation, deployment and benefits realisation, while acting as a key interface between the central Data & AI function and the wider business. This role requires deep professional expertise in analytics and machine learning, combined with sufficient organisational understanding to apply these techniques effectively within GTR's operational and safety critical context.
Key Accountabilities
- Provide strategic leadership for advanced analytics, machine learning and AI use-cases across GTR, ensuring alignment to the Data & AI strategy.
- Accountable for the quality, robustness and limitations of insight produced, and for clearly communicating these to decision-makers; ownership of strategic direction for Data & AI remains with the Head of Data & AI.
- Operate effectively in ambiguous problem spaces where analytical approaches, data availability or outcomes are not fully defined, exercising judgement in developing appropriate modelling and insight techniques.
- Lead the design and delivery of predictive and prescriptive models, including (but not limited to) fraud detection, incident reduction, service exam optimisation and intervention prioritisation.
- Establish and maintain governance frameworks for models, including model lifecycle management, validation, documentation, monitoring and ethical use of AI.
- Partner with Directorates and data owners to identify high-value insight opportunities and translate these into clear, deliverable analytical products.
- Oversee the effective use of Copilot Studio and Fabric agents where appropriate to augment insight delivery and decision-making.
- Ensure insight outputs are measurable, outcome-driven and linked to tangible operational or financial benefit.
- Provide direction and oversight to Data Scientists, ensuring consistent standards, tooling and ways of working.
- Act as a senior escalation point for insight-related risks, assumptions and modelling limitations.
Context
The role sits within the central Data & AI function, working on top of GTR's DataHub platform, which ingests and curates data from core operational systems. While data engineering is centralised, insight and analysis must be delivered in close partnership with the business, particularly in safety critical and operational environments.
Knowledge
- Strong understanding of advanced analytics, machine learning and applied AI in operational environments.
- Knowledge of data governance, model governance and responsible AI principles.
- Understanding of rail or safety critical industries is desirable.
Skills
- Strong ability to translate complex analytical techniques into clear business insight and decision support.
- Excellent stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence at senior levels.
- Strategic thinking combined with hands-on analytical capability.
- Comfortable operating in ambiguous, evolving problem spaces.
Experience
- Experience delivering data engineering solutions in an enterprise or large-scale environment.
- Experience supporting reporting and analytics platforms (e.g. Power BI).
- Experience working within formal delivery, governance and change management processes.
- Degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics or related discipline or equivalent experience.
Benefits
- Final salary pension.
- Free travel on GTR and sister groups for you and your family.
- 75% off travel on other train operating companies for you, and leisure for your family.
- Discounted Oyster Card.
- GTR offers maternity, paternity and adoption leave and time off for prenatal care, as well as shared parental leave - all part of our commitment to family friendly policies.
- StarHub – our great benefits package which, for example, includes discounts with many retailers.
Insights Lead employer: Govia Thameslink Railway
GTR is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment at Monument Place where innovation meets operational excellence. As an Insights Lead, you will benefit from a strong commitment to employee growth through strategic leadership opportunities in advanced analytics and machine learning, alongside a comprehensive benefits package that includes free travel for you and your family, ensuring a rewarding work-life balance. Join a collaborative culture that values ethical data use and empowers you to make impactful contributions within one of the UK's busiest rail companies.
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We think this is how you could land Insights Lead
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We think you need these skills to ace Insights Lead
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!
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Craft a Tailored Cover Letter:For a full-time role at Govia Thameslink Railway, 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 Govia Thameslink Railway. 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 Govia Thameslink Railway
✨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!
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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 Govia Thameslink Railway!
✨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.
