At a Glance
- Tasks: Transform data into impactful solutions and run experiments that shape business strategies.
- Company: Join Microsoft Frontier Company, a leader in innovative tech solutions.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible work options, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with a focus on inclusion and personal development.
- Why this job: Make a real difference by solving complex challenges with cutting-edge AI and data science.
- Qualifications: Advanced degree in Data Science or related field and experience in data management.
The predicted salary is between 50000 - 161800 £ per year.
Overview
In the Microsoft Frontier Company, you won't just build software; you'll deliver real outcomes for some of the world's most complex organizations. We are a global team of world-class engineers who have been working in a Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE) model for more than a decade, embedding directly within customer teams to solve their toughest challenges, side-by-side, and shipping production-ready solutions in days, not months. As a Principal Data Scientist, you will help transform how organizations use data, developing models, running experiments, and driving evidence-based decisions that have measurable business impact. You'll work in small, multidisciplinary crews alongside engineers, product managers, and domain experts, owning the full lifecycle from data discovery through to deployed solutions. Our work is powered by AI, applying the mindset and tooling across the entire development lifecycle to move from idea to production in days while maintaining the highest standards of security, quality, and trust.
This role offers the opportunity to:
- Work with messy, real-world datasets and turn them into scalable, production-ready solutions
- Run experiments that directly influence business strategy and customer outcomes
- Collaborate with leading global organizations across industries
- Apply the latest advancements in AI and data science to solve problems at scale
Microsoft's mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees, we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.
Responsibilities
You will oversee acquisition of the data sets necessary for your project delivery and ensure data is properly formatted and described. You will address any gaps in current data sets, and drive ethics and privacy discussions around data collection and preparation. You will evaluate your team's models using metrics tied to genuine business outcomes and recommend improvements as necessary, drive best practices for models, and develop operational models that run at scale. You'll also conduct thorough reviews of data analysis and modeling techniques and identify and invent new evaluation methods. You will research and maintain a deep knowledge of the industry, including trends and technologies, so that you can identify strategy opportunities and contribute to thought leadership in best practices. You'll also write extensible code that spans multiple features and develops expertise in proper debugging techniques. You will define business, customer, and solution strategy goals, and partner with other teams to identify and explore new opportunities. You'll also commit to a customer-oriented focus by acknowledging their needs and offering customer pragmatic solutions that align with their data capabilities. As the expert data scientist, you will also coach engineers and cross-disciplinary partners in data science best practices and scale knowledge within the cross-discipline team.
Qualifications
Required/Minimum Qualifications (RQs/MQs)
- Doctorate in Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Econometrics, Economics, Operations Research, Computer Science, or related field AND data-science experience (e.g., managing structured and unstructured data, applying statistical techniques and reporting results)
- OR Master's Degree in Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Econometrics, Economics, Operations Research, Computer Science, or related field AND data-science experience (e.g., managing structured and unstructured data, applying statistical techniques and reporting results)
- OR Bachelor's Degree in Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Econometrics, Economics, Operations Research, Computer Science, or related field AND data science experience (e.g., managing structured and unstructured data, applying statistical techniques and reporting results)
- OR equivalent experience.
Experience partnering directly with customers or internal stakeholders to deliver solutions end-to-end.
Additional or Preferred Qualifications (PQs)
- Doctorate in Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Econometrics, Economics, Operations Research, Computer Science, or related field AND data-science experience (e.g., managing structured and unstructured data, applying statistical techniques and reporting results)
- OR Master's Degree in Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Econometrics, Economics, Operations Research, Computer Science, or related field AND data-science experience (e.g., managing structured and unstructured data, applying statistical techniques and reporting results)
- OR Bachelor's Degree in Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Econometrics, Economics, Operations Research, Computer Science, or related field AND data-science experience (e.g., managing structured and unstructured data, applying statistical techniques and reporting results)
- OR equivalent experience.
Customer-facing, project-delivery experience, professional services, and/or consulting experience. Comfortable with travel up to 25% (role dependent).
Principal Data Scientist - FDE in Reading employer: Microsoft Corporation
At Microsoft AI, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, particularly for those passionate about health technology and artificial intelligence. Our inclusive work culture fosters collaboration and innovation, providing ample opportunities for professional growth while working on transformative products that impact millions. Located in the UK, our team enjoys competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, and a commitment to employee well-being, making it a rewarding place to advance your career.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Principal Data Scientist - FDE in Reading
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We think you need these skills to ace Principal Data Scientist - FDE in Reading
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 Microsoft Corporation, 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 Microsoft Corporation. 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 Microsoft Corporation
✨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
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✨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.
