Data Scientist

About us

You’ve probably heard of Auto Trader, but do you know what we’re all about?  

We’re the UK’s leading automotive marketplace, a heritage brand, and a tech darling of the stock market. We bring together vehicle buyers and sellers to give them real choices. Cars may be what we're best known for but we’re also the place for pretty much everything else on wheels, from e-bikes to caravans. 

In the automotive world, change is a constant, that’s why we take our job of untangling the complex car-buying journey very seriously. 
 
At our core, we’re all about people. We go our own way while embracing diversity and celebrating our differences. We dedicate ourselves to the idea that we work better together. 

Auto Trader is a beautiful, surprising, and vibrant place to work. We might not be for everyone, but we could be perfect for you. 

About the job

At Auto Trader, we are looking for a talented Data Scientist to join our highly successful data science team. Over the past 10 years, we have invested heavily in building our data science capability, growing a team of 35+ data scientists and analysts, many with PhD and postdoctoral research experience. In this time, we have developed and deployed a wide range of machine learning-driven products and tools, impacting every area of the business, from consumer search to forecourt management and internal tools.

As a Professional Data Scientist, you will join a cross-functional collaborative squad focused on a set of products or services. Working with a large amount of autonomy, your role will require you to utilise your knowledge of Data Science techniques to find the best scientific approach to the problem, working on critical projects. 
You will collaborate with others in your team on the best solution, have a particular focus on developing ML solutions for production, and will work on all stages of the ML lifecycle. 

Our Data Scientists are currently focused on several important projects. They're creating personalised recommendations to engage buyers better, improving our search algorithm for a better buyer experience while helping sellers stand out, developing AI tools for tasks like creating listings and ads, studying how competition impacts seller performance, and upgrading our customer data platform for targeted marketing. 

As part of our broader analytical community, Data Scientists collaborate closely with Data Analysts and Digital Analysts. Together, they foster a culture of shared insights, continuous learning, and mutual support through regular showcases, feedback sessions, mentorship programs, and skill-based workshops. You can find out more about our analytics group in this blog.

We have invested heavily in a Data Platform that supports industry-leading Data Science. These are some technologies that our Data Scientists use (we don't expect you to have experience with all of these): 

• Python and Databricks  
• Spark, MLFlow, and Airflow for ML Workflows 
• Google Cloud Platform for our analytics infrastructure 
• dbt and BigQuery for data modelling and warehousing 

Some examples of our data science work can be found in our engineering blog: 
Image catergorisation 
Moving to a A(/B) Bayesian World
Scoring adverts quickly but fairly 
Life Cycle of Our Package Uplift Model

What we're looking for

• Experience delivering data-science solutions in a commercial or research (e.g. PhD) environment 
• A strong understanding of Data Science techniques, including ML algorithms and statistical methods 
• Proficient in building ML pipelines with Python
• An enthusiasm for engaging with non-technical stakeholders and establishing scientific rigour in teams 
• Experience collaborating on Data Science projects and working with other disciplines like software engineers
• At Auto Trader, we believe that every candidate brings a unique blend of talents. If you find yourself ticking some, but not all, of the requirement boxes, we'd still love to hear from you 

Benefits

We’re offering a salary of £40,000 – £60,000 plus an additional 10% of your salary awarded to you in shares each year. These awarded shares will become yours in yearly instalments over the next three years, and you can choose to either sell them or keep them as shares. 

You'll have 28 days holiday per year, and that's in addition to bank holidays and half-day closures on Christmas and New Year's Eve.

That’s not all. We have employee pension contributions up to 7%, comprehensive private medical cover, enhanced family leave provisions, a car salary sacrifice scheme, share-save options, and much more. 

We always want to give you the support you need and help prioritise your wellbeing, that’s why we provide access to 24/7 online GP and dentist, as well as specialist support for assisted fertility, gender dysphoria, menopause, period care plans and lots more.  

On top of all that, our hybrid model, Connected Working, combines the best of both worlds – office and home working. You’ll have two fixed weekly office days for team collaboration and one more of your choice to suit your work-life balance.  

Additionally, we have our remote-first periods at set times during summer and winter. During these periods, you can work remotely anywhere in the UK and from certain locations abroad.
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