Data Science Operations - Data Science Lead - Houghton Regis

Data Science Operations – Data Science Lead – Houghton Regis Our Data Science Lead roles represent an opportunity to drive innovation in business logic/process through the application of advance data science techniques. Working closely with functional, transformation, data & technology teams, this role can unlock material revenue growth and/or cost reduction opportunities across any part of Whitbread, and depending on project focus, has the potential to enhance customer/team member experience, drive commercial performance or enhance operational efficiency. Role: Data Science Lead Package: £65,000 + 30% company performance bonus Contract Type: Full-Time and Permanent Location: Whitbread Court, Dunstable and a hybrid way of working with a minimum of 3 days a week in the office. Why You’ll Love It Here Healthcar e: Individual & Family BUPA healthcare 10% matched pension Discounts : Up to 60% discount on Premier Inn stays and 25% discount on our Restaurant brand Check out all our benefits here: https://www.whitbreadcareers.com/about-us/benefits/ What you’ll be doing: You\’ll identify and prioritise opportunities to leverage data and advanced machine learning techniques to optimise business decisions and outcomes. You\’ll design and implement sophisticated data analytics pipelines to extract actionable insights that inform and refine model architecture and deployment strategies. You\’ll develop, train, and optimise custom machine learning models and algorithms to enhance predictive accuracy, scalability, and performance in real-world applications. You\’ll prototype and operationalise advanced systems and workflows that integrate predictive models into business processes, ensuring robust and reliable performance. You\’ll establish and evangelise best practices in machine learning and data science, including experimentation, reproducibility, and model governance. You\’ll mentor and guide junior machine learning engineers and data scientists, fostering technical growth and encouraging innovation within the team. What you’ll need: Proven experience (3+ years) in data science, machine learning, and statistical analysis, with a strong focus on digital marketing and/or operational optimisation within the hospitality industry. Comprehensive knowledge of machine learning techniques and their practical limitations when applied within real-world business processes in the hospitality sector. Adept at formulating hypotheses and business cases for change, translating them into actionable analytical workplans that drive measurable improvements. Advanced proficiency in analytics, statistics, and modelling, with extensive experience utilising programming languages such as R, Python, SQL, and VBA to solve complex business challenges. Expertise in software development practices, including functional programming, testing and validation frameworks, as well as MLOps and LLMOps methodologies, with a focus on robust deployment frameworks. Optional: Experience working with the Azure cloud technology stack, leveraging tools and services such as Azure Machine Learning, Azure Databricks, and Azure DevOps to design and deploy scalable solutions. Be part of our Commercial Team at Whitbread Our brands speak for themselves, but that’s down to the work that our Marketing team put in. Creativity and innovation allow us to elevate our brands, gain new guests and keep our regulars coming back for more. From producing branded adverts that showcase our ever-changing hotel rooms, right through to promoting new launches, B2B and collaborating with Media agencies to deliver different digital campaigns, you’ll be there using insight, data and strategy to get our brands noticed. We encourage your application. Apply today or contact our recruitment team for more information.