AI Data Scientist in Manchester

Ready to shape the future of data? Matillion is the intelligent data integration platform. We are changing how the world works with data – and we need driven, curious people who think big and move fast. We built the Data Productivity Cloud to supercharge data productivity, and now we’re shaping the future of data engineering with Maia – our AI-powered virtual data engineers that help teams design, build, and manage data pipelines at unmatched speed. Join #TeamGreen, where the mission comes first, collaboration drives us forward, and everyone pulls in the same direction to make a dent in the universe bigger than ourselves.

About the role

At Matillion, we’re redefining what’s possible in the world of data engineering by embedding cutting‑edge AI into every layer of our platform. Our Data Science team—part of the Product organisation—is dedicated to two vital missions: bringing impactful machine learning capabilities into our products, and learning from real user behaviour to make them even better. As a Data Scientist, you’ll play a hands‑on role in optimising and evolving the AI systems that power the Maia Foundation. From boosting the accuracy of our natural language interface to enabling AI‑driven pipeline creation, your work will directly empower data engineers to process the most complex and unstructured data with ease. If you are passionate about experimentation, emerging research, and building real‑world AI features at scale—this is your opportunity to lead that charge.

We value in‑person collaboration here at Matillion, therefore this role will follow our hybrid work structure where employees work 2 days a week in the Manchester office.

What you will be doing

• Experiment & Optimise: Run structured evaluations to improve performance, speed, and cost‑efficiency of large language models (LLMs).
• Empower Through AI: Enhance our agentic copilot system to more accurately generate data pipelines from natural language inputs.
• Advance AI Evaluation: Evolve our testing frameworks to better measure quality, reliability, and usability of generative outputs.
• Drive Real Impact: Collaborate with engineering teams to expand the reach of AI features and prepare for AI‑to‑AI interaction scenarios.
• Explore & Innovate: Stay ahead of research trends and propose proof‑of‑concept ideas that could level up our product.
• Mentor & Educate: Share your expertise to raise the collective intelligence of the team and build a world‑class AI capability at Matillion.

What we are looking for

• Deep AI Knowledge: MSc, PhD, or equivalent experience in ML, NLP, or a related discipline, with strong understanding of LLM internals.
• Toolbelt Ready: Proficient in Python and LLM tools like Hugging Face, LangChain, or OpenAI API.
• Prompt‑Savvy: Comfortable with prompt engineering, model evaluation, and structured analysis of generative systems.
• Experimentation First: Experience (or interest) in fine‑tuning, instruction tuning, RAG architectures, or guardrail implementation.
• Collaborative Communicator: Able to bridge the gap between research and product, working across teams to translate ideas into features.
• Curious & Agile: Thrives in fast‑paced, changing environments and eager to keep up with the latest advancements in AI and ML.
• Preferable: Knowledge of Java and/or Software Development.

Join us at Matillion and work on some of the most exciting AI challenges in the SaaS space. You’ll get to explore cutting‑edge techniques, build real user‑facing features, and help create a future where data engineering is powered by intelligence—not friction.

At Matillion, we are committed to providing competitive salaries in line with market standards. Our estimated compensation range for this position is £68,640 - £102,960, but the final salary will be based on your relevant skills, experience and qualifications demonstrated in the hiring process.

At Matillion, we’re here to do something hard - change the way the world works with data, and build a great company along the way. Big, bold goals aren’t for the faint‑hearted, and we don’t shy away from them. But we don’t do it alone. No egos, no politics - just great people working together, guided by our six core values:

• Confidence without arrogance
• Working with integrity
• Customer obsessed
• Innovate and demand quality
• Bias for action
• We care

We operate a flexible working culture that promotes work‑life balance, with benefits including:

• Company Equity
• 30 days holiday + bank holidays
• 5 days paid volunteering leave
• Health insurance
• Life Insurance
• Pension
• Access to mental health support

More about Matillion

Thousands of enterprises including Cisco, London Stock Exchange Group, EDF and Slack trust Matillion for a wide range of use cases from insights and operational analytics, to data science, machine learning and AI. We are a truly global workforce, dual headquartered in Manchester, UK and Denver, Colorado, with expanding offices in Hyderabad, India, along with valuable remote colleagues around the world.

We are keen to hear from prospective Matillioners, so even if you don’t feel you match all the criteria please apply and a member of our Talent Acquisition team will be in touch. Alternatively, if you’re interested in Matillion but don’t see a suitable role, please email talent@matillion.com.

Find out more about life on #TeamGreen here. Matillion is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all of our team. Matillion prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type. Matillion does not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by law.