At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and develop data-driven applications and pipelines for innovative rail inspection systems.
- Company: Join Sperry Rail, a leader in revolutionising railway safety with cutting-edge technology.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, health benefits, remote work options, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Dynamic team culture focused on innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
- Why this job: Be part of a mission to transform railway safety and work with advanced technologies.
- Qualifications: Proficiency in Python, experience with data pipelines, and strong analytical skills required.
The predicted salary is between 55442 - 67762 £ per year.
Sperry Rail is on a mission-critical journey to revolutionize the Rail Flaw Detection industry.
Through the continuous development of cutting-edge diagnostic technologies and AI-assisted analysis, we are transforming railway safety worldwide.
Our global engineering teams work collaboratively to develop step-change technologies that define Sperry as the unparalleled market leader.
For nearly a century, we have repeatedly modernized and improved rail diagnostics through our relentless pursuit of improvement.
Determined is an understatement.
We are obsessed with advancing science and raising the bar on what’s possible with our ever-improving suite of products and service offerings.
Emboldened through the shared values of honesty, accountability, passion, integrity, and teamwork, we are driven by the challenge and bridging concepts with fruition.
Each technologist entering Sperry imprints themselves into our brand and further galvanizes a culture of innovation and advancement.
Allow us to be clear, Thought Leaders are welcome!
We are agile and hungry and invite those with similar passions to join us in challenging the status quo and bringing new ideas to the market.
Fast-paced, high-touch with a distinct sense of purpose.
We offer more than a job; we offer an opportunity to be part of something different.
Role Summary
We are looking for Full Stack Engineers with a data science focus to design, build, and maintain the data-driven applications and pipelines behind Zula 2.0, the platform that ranks and fuses the output of our rail inspection systems.
You will work across the full stack with a strong emphasis on backend data processing, analytics, and machine learning workflows, all hosted on AWS cloud infrastructure.
These seats sit close to the ranking and fusion logic itself, so the work is as much about understanding what the system should surface and in what order as it is about serving it.
Zula 2.0 is the critical path for the team through the end of the year.
What We Expect From You
We expect an exceptional level of drive and ambition.
You think beyond today's work to what the team and organisation need next, champion bold ideas, and see them through.
Your hunger is infectious – it inspires those around you to aim higher.
You should be someone who puts the team first.
You share credit openly, admit when you are wrong, and welcome feedback as an opportunity to grow.
You are comfortable saying "I don't know" and asking for help when needed.
Strong interpersonal skills are important for this role.
You should have good instincts for working with different people, listen actively, navigate disagreements constructively, and communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical audiences.
This role requires a high degree of self-direction.
You will manage complex work with minimal oversight, identify problems and solutions proactively, and may lead workstreams or small teams.
You make well-reasoned technical decisions and only escalates when there is genuine business or architectural impact.
Strong analytical thinking is critical.
You will need to decompose ambiguous, multi-faceted problems, reason about complex distributed systems and data flows, and anticipate the downstream consequences of design decisions.
You translate business problems into elegant technical solutions.
Key Responsibilities
- Design and develop data pipelines, ETL processes, and backend services using Python
- Build and maintain APIs and microservices that serve data products to internal and external consumers
- Work with large-scale rail inspection datasets including ultrasonic, electromagnetic, and operational data
- Implement and deploy machine learning models and statistical analyses in production environments
- Architect and manage AWS cloud infrastructure for data workloads (S3, Lambda, Glue, Athena, Sage Maker, Step Functions)
- Collaborate with domain experts to translate rail inspection requirements into technical solutions
- Write clean, tested, well-documented code following engineering best practices
- Participate in code reviews, sprint planning, and technical design discussions
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams including inspection engineers, data scientists, and product managers
- Contribute to a culture of continuous improvement, knowledge sharing, and technical excellence
- Required Skills & Qualifications
- Strong proficiency in Python (Num Py, Pandas, Scikit-learn, or similar)
- Experience building data pipelines and working with structured and unstructured data
- Solid understanding of SQL and relational and non-relational databases
- Experience with AWS cloud services (S3, Lambda, EC2, RDS, Glue, or similar)
- Strong applied mathematics – statistics, probability, linear algebra, or signal processing
- Demonstrated ability to read, understand, and extend complex algorithms and dense business logic written by others
- Understanding of software engineering principles (testing, code quality, design patterns)
- Familiarity with version control (Git), CI/CD pipelines, and agile development practices
- Strong problem-solving skills and ability to learn new technologies quickly
- Good communication skills – able to explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders
- A collaborative, team-first mindset aligned with our values of being Humble, Hungry, and Smart
- Exposure to time-series data, geospatial data, or Io T data streams
- Experience with ranking, scoring, or data fusion systems
- Familiarity with frontend technologies (React, Type Script)
- Experience in rail testing, NDT, or sensor-based inspection industries (ultrasound, eddy current, electromagnetic, etc.)
- Experience with infrastructure-as-code (Cloud Formation, CDK, Terraform)
- Knowledge of containerisation (Docker, ECS/Fargate)
- #J-18808-Ljbffr
Full Stack Engineer- Data Science Focus employer: Sperry Rail, Inc.
At Sperry Rail, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer that fosters a culture of innovation and collaboration. Our commitment to employee growth is evident through our emphasis on continuous learning and the opportunity to work with cutting-edge technologies in a fast-paced environment. Located at the forefront of railway safety advancements, we offer a unique chance to make a meaningful impact while being part of a passionate team that values integrity, accountability, and teamwork.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Full Stack Engineer- Data Science Focus
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
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✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
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✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
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We think you need these skills to ace Full Stack Engineer- Data Science Focus
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Sperry Rail, Inc..
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Sperry Rail, Inc. and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Sperry Rail, Inc.
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Sperry Rail, Inc. uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.