Data Scientist Apprenticeship - Level 6 - Research & Development - London

Contract Type: Fixed-Term Apprenticeship, Full-time for 36 months

Department: Research & Development 

Location: London - The Light House

Salary: £24,650 (+£5,441 London Weighting)

COULD A BBC APPRENTICESHIP BE THE NEXT ROLE FOR YOU?

Join us as an apprentice at the BBC to give yourself the opportunity to kick-start your career in a job you'll love. We’re committed to your skills and talent development. You’ll learn on-the-job, developing your knowledge and skills in an area that interests you, whilst working towards your apprenticeship qualification with one of our learning providers.

WHY JOIN THIS SCHEME?

Data Science is evolving the way the BBC operates. Our data scientists help us to better understand the customers we serve, and the content served to them, turning raw data into valuable insights and products to better serve audience needs. Whether audiences are watching on BBC iPlayer, listening on BBC Sounds, reading BBC News and BBC Sport articles or learning on BBC Bitesize, behind the scenes data scientists are at work...fancy being one of them?!  

Want to find out more? Watch recordings from our webinar series on our Life at the BBC YouTube playlist to learn more about this scheme and other opportunities we offer, and hear from current apprentices about their experiences.

WHY JOIN THE TEAM?

BBC R&D’s goal is to explore the capabilities of the technologies needed to support the BBC's mission, creating IP, developing technical capabilities, and shaping the environment through partnerships and standards-setting. R&D comprises around 130 staff working to improve access to sustainable innovation for the BBC and the creative industries more widely.

The Media ARA is conducting research to prepare the BBC for the transition from traditional broadcast to an IP-only future.

We are focussed on establishing industry-standard, high-performance workflows that work across multiple platforms in a resilient, reliable, and scalable way. We’re also investigating the benefits that an IP-only future could bring, across production, distribution, and audience experiences.

This is a very exciting time to join our team and a fantastic opportunity to kick-start your career, building the world's most in-demand skillset! 

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT

As a Data Scientist (DSD27) apprentice, this is brilliant opportunity to learn, grow, and contribute – you will:   

• Learn about the value of data to organisations like the BBC. 
• Discover how the BBC uses data to both improve its connection with audiences and improve internal tooling and workflows. 
• Be part of a team using data to enhance the way the BBC operates, using AI and machine learning approaches to deliver valuable audience insights and products. 
• Learn about and contribute to all aspects of the Data Science lifecycle from inception to production deployment and beyond, including aspects such as cleansing and validating data and building and evaluating predictive models.   

You’ll study for your industry recognised apprenticeship qualification, learning both on and off the job. This means you’ll spend at least one day a week studying for a BSc (Hons) in Data Science with BPP University remotely studying topics including:   

• Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning   
• Machine Learning  
• Data Infrastructure & Tools 
• Data Visualisation & Dashboards   

For more information on what you will study during the scheme, please see the Data Scientist degree apprenticeship standard.

YOUR SKILLS AND ELIGIBILITY

We’re interested in your passion for working at the BBC and your enthusiasm for delivering world-class content and operational excellence to our audiences. We’re not focused on your qualifications; instead, we look for potential and offer you the opportunity to apply your transferable strengths and experience to work in different ways. 

If you can bring some of these skills and experiences, along with transferable strengths, we’d love to hear from you and encourage you to apply:

• Have a love of maths  and a passion for data, machine learning and AI 
• An excitement to embrace the latest AI and Machine Learning Technologies responsibly to transform working practices 
• Have brilliant non-technical skills such as problem-solving, organisation and negotiation 
• Flexibility and adaptability including a calm and focused approach to working within an evolving technical landscape and workplace.   
• Can manage multiple deadlines and demands on your time  
• Bursting with fresh ideas to introduce new perspectives with a keen interest in the BBC, it’s public service mission and values. 

This scheme is aimed at non-graduates . If you have a degree and you’re interested in similar roles at the BBC, we recommend applying for jobs at the BBC careers site or having a look at our other apprenticeship schemes. 

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

To be eligible for an apprenticeship at the BBC, you must: 

• Be 18 years old or over by the time the apprenticeship begins in September 2027.
• Have lived in the UK continuously for the last three years prior to the start of the apprenticeship.
• Be legally eligible to work full-time in the UK for the entire duration of the apprenticeship. 
• Not currently be enrolled in another apprenticeship programme, whether with the BBC or another organisation.
• Not already hold a qualification in the same subject area at the same or a higher level than this apprenticeship. 

To apply for this scheme, you must also:

• Have maths and English GCSE at Grade 4/C or above or National 5 (Scotland) at C or equivalent qualification   
• Have achieved, or expected to achieve, by the start of the scheme, a minimum of 104 UCAS points. 
• This must include A Level/Higher Maths, or an extended BTEC in Engineering with Engineering Maths, or an equivalent qualification.   

READY TO APPLY?

Don’t leave yourself wondering “what if?” this could be your chance to be part of something exciting. See yourself thriving in this role? Just click ‘Apply Now’!

You’ll create a candidate profile and answer a few questions - no CV or cover letter needed.

If you're eligible, we’ll guide you through the next steps of the process and what to expect.

You’ll need to live within a commutable distance of where this role is based. Interested in a different location? Check out our other adverts - but please only apply to one.

This is a fixed-term apprenticeship - your contract lasts for the duration of the scheme. Once you have completed your apprenticeship, you will be able to apply for any suitable open vacancies at the BBC or outside in the wider creative industry. You’ll be supported with career development, employability training, and networking opportunities to help you take your next step.

For apprenticeship opportunities, disabled applicants who choose to apply under the Disability Confident Scheme and who meet the minimum criteria for the role will normally be progressed to the next stage of the recruitment process. For most of our campaigns, this would be an online assessment designed to assess your skills, motivations and suitability for the role.  Further details can be found in the FAQs section of our careers site.

#LI-DNI