Data Science Analyst

About Us

When you join Western Power Distribution you become part of our team of over 6,600 professional and support staff looking after our extensive electricity distribution network.  We serve over 7.8 million customers across the Midlands, South Wales and South West.

We cover highly populated urban centres such as Nottingham, Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff, beautiful remote locations including the Brecon Beacons, Dartmoor and the Peak District and everything in between!

You will become integral to a company offering many benefits and a supportive working environment.  We are committed to investing in the latest technologies and working methods to improve service to customers.

We know that our people are at the heart of this success and work hard to create a working environment that all our employees can be proud of.

Job Introduction

Do you want to be at the forefront of harnessing digital technologies to create the network of the future today?  At Western Power Distribution we are transforming all aspects of our business as we work towards a modern, digitalised energy system. We’re also playing our part in delivering net-zero targets by providing increased access to the right data at right time within our organisation and through open access to our customers and interested stakeholders.

Our Data Science Analysts are responsible for the whole project life cycle from exploratory data analysis to translating data in to value for the business and third parties. The diverse team drive analytical discussions and influence analytical processes throughout the business.  Finally it’s their job to deliver insight and intelligence from existing and emerging data to improve the performance and operation of the business. 

Are you passionate about the future of the electricity and wider energy industry?  Are you dedicated to playing an active role in the support of the transition to a modern, digitalised energy system? Are you excited by the opportunities about providing and using large network datasets?  If so, we’d love you to join us in Western Power Distribution. 

It’s a great place to work and commensurate with such a critical role we will reward you with a salary in the range £37,183 to £46,940, dependant on skills and experience (don’t worry if you don’t have all the skills we’d still like to hear from you and might start you on a development grade initially). The base location for this position could be Bristol (BS2 0TB) however as you’d expect with the UK’s largest DNO there is some business travel required.

If you are offered a position, you will be required to complete and provide a satisfactory basic DBS check that shows any unspent convictions or conditional cautions.

Main Responsibilities

• Translate data into value for the business and third parties by identifying and using appropriate analytical techniques, including data improvement and open data access;
• Deliver data output in line with emerging Data Governance processes;
• Recognise and exploit business opportunities to ensure more efficient and effective performance of the organisation through improved data access and understanding;
• Understand and employ a range of data analysis skills;
• Develop and work within agreed data standards for the business;
• Maintain the appropriate metadata and data dictionary repositories for all data to enable the business and third parties to better under existing and future datasets;
• Communicate effectively across all WPD business areas and externally, ensuring all required areas are engaged to support and deliver timely and effective data outputs

The Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate will have a passion for data and the digitalisation of the energy system. They will have experience of delivering data related output and activity in an agile and dynamic manner. Demonstration of excellent interpersonal and communication skills are essential. 

An appetite to challenge the ‘norm’ and do things differently is essential as well as acting as a positive disrupter within our business and the wider industry.

A minimum of a HNC/HND in a relevant subject (engineering, economics, ICT, data science, or other) is required (a degree is preferred) along with:

• Strong ability to identify issues, and enjoy tackling them and coming up with solutions;
• You're comfortable getting hands-on and taking a step back to think strategically;
• Proven team player whom your colleagues can rely on;
• A solid working knowledge in SQL and Python;
• You are happiest exploring data, making discoveries and understanding their implications;
• You can manage multiple stakeholders with competing priorities;
• Experience of working in an agile and dynamic manner.

If you are offered a position, you will be required to complete and provide a satisfactory basic DBS check that shows any unspent convictions or conditional cautions.

Recruitment correspondence is usually sent by email, so please do check your email account including spam/junk folders regularly after the closing date

About The Company

If this is your opportunity to join us, you’ll find we offer a supportive, rewarding and friendly working environment where you’ll be empowered to build a career. Along the way, you’ll be invested in, be enabled by the latest technology and find that we’re always interested in evolving our systems and processes so that we get even better, every day.

You will enjoy a package of benefits designed to reward your hard work and incentivise your ambition. Everyone here enjoys a competitive salary, generous annual leave allowance, company pension scheme, protective clothing where required, an Employee Assistance Programme and a managed back care programme.

Western Power Distribution is an equal opportunities employer, a Disability level 1 Employer and a corporate signatory of WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) programme. Our desire is to bring in more employees from diverse backgrounds to build further on our inclusive culture. We value and celebrate individual difference and we believe that an inclusive culture will help the business grow as a positive, strong and innovative company.