Data Science Manager (Metaheuristics)

Tesco Technology
Welwyn Garden City
4 days ago
Create job alert
Data Science Manager (Metaheuristics)

We know life looks a little different for each of us. That’s why at Tesco we always welcome chats about flexible working. Some people are at the start of their careers, some want the freedom to do the things they love. Others are going through life‑changing moments like becoming a carer, nearing retirement, adapting to parenthood, or something else. So, talk to us throughout your application about how we can support.


Are you an Operational Research specialist with strong Meta‑heuristics experience? Then look no further and come and join our team!


We’d love to hear from you if you have any questions about the role or our team.


About the Team: Here at Tesco we focus on solving sophisticated business problems and developing data products that can be deployed at scale to our customers and colleagues. Our teams work across multiple areas including Stores, Online, Fulfilment, Marketing Clubcard, and we encourage rotation among our Data Scientists, so they can apply their skills to different business challenges and gain deeper levels of domain expertise.


On any day you could be supporting the automation of decision‑making across the business; optimising processes for key business objectives; or conducting exploratory analysis for strategic decision‑making.


Responsibilities

  • The technical domain and leading technical engagements whilst managing a team of Data Scientists and supporting with the mentoring of others in the team on the best approaches to optimise problems and the development of Meta‑heuristics
  • Supporting teams in designing and implementing reusable components for algorithmic development for static and dynamic optimisation problems
  • Defining the strategic direction that the team should take, trading off contradicting priorities
  • Unblocking day‑to‑day technical challenges and ensuring that the daily work is aligned with the technical vision
  • You will also communicate sophisticated solutions in a clear, understandable way to non‑experts
  • Working on end‑to‑end developments, contributing to all aspects of the product lifecycle

Qualifications

  • Be an influential Senior Data Scientist or Data Science Manager within Operational Research combined with specialist knowledge of Meta‑heuristics
  • Direct line management experience
  • High level of capability in a programming language, preferably Java or another OOP language, and experience of mentoring others whilst partnering with teams in the areas of scheduling, vehicle routing or bin‑packing on technical developments

Benefits

We’re all about the little helps. That’s why we make sure our Tesco colleague benefits package takes care of you – both in and out of work.



  • Annual bonus scheme of up to 20% of base salary
  • Holiday starting at 25 days plus a personal day (plus Bank holidays)
  • Private medical insurance
  • 26 weeks maternity and adoption leave (after 1 year of service) at full pay, followed by 13 weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay or Statutory Adoption Pay, we also offer 4 weeks fully paid paternity leave
  • Free 24/7 virtual GP service, Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for you and your family, free access to a range of experts to support your mental wellbeing

About Us

Our vision at Tesco is to become every customer’s favourite way to shop, whether they are at home or out on the move. Our core purpose is ‘Serving our customers, communities and planet a little better every day’. Serving means more than a transactional relationship with our customers. It means acting as a responsible and sustainable business for all stakeholders, for the communities we are part of and for the planet. We are proud to have an inclusive culture at Tesco where everyone truly feels able to be themselves. At Tesco, we not only celebrate diversity, but recognise the value and opportunity it brings. We’re committed to creating a workplace where differences are valued, and make sure that all colleagues are given the same opportunities. We’re proud to have been accredited Disability Confident Leader and we’re committed to providing a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process. For further information on the accessibility support we can offer, please click here. We’re a big business and we can offer a range of diverse full‑time & part‑time working patterns across our many business areas, which means that we can find something that works for you. We work in a more blended pattern – combining office and remote working. Our offices will continue to be where we connect, collaborate and innovate. If you are applying internally, please speak to the Hiring Manager about how this can work for you – Everyone is welcome at Tesco.


Recruitment Fraud Notice

We never ask for money during our hiring process. Any request for payment made in the name of Tesco is not legitimate. Please report suspicious activity to


Seniority level

Mid‑Senior level


Employment type

Full‑time


Job function

Engineering and Information Technology


Industry

Retail


#J-18808-Ljbffr

Related Jobs

View all jobs

Data Science Manager

Data Science Manager

Data Science Manager

Data Science Manager

Data Science Manager

Data Science Manager

Subscribe to Future Tech Insights for the latest jobs & insights, direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of service.

Industry Insights

Discover insightful articles, industry insights, expert tips, and curated resources.

Machine Learning Jobs for Career Switchers in Their 30s, 40s & 50s (UK Reality Check)

Are you considering a career change into machine learning in your 30s, 40s or 50s? You’re not alone. In the UK, organisations across industries such as finance, healthcare, retail, government & technology are investing in machine learning to improve decisions, automate processes & unlock new insights. But with all the hype, it can be hard to tell which roles are real job opportunities and which are just buzzwords. This article gives you a practical, UK-focused reality check: which machine learning roles truly exist, what skills employers really hire for, how long retraining realistically takes, how to position your experience and whether age matters in your favour or not. Whether you come from analytics, engineering, operations, research, compliance or business strategy, there is a credible route into machine learning if you approach it strategically.

How to Write a Machine Learning Job Ad That Attracts the Right People

Machine learning now sits at the heart of many UK organisations, powering everything from recommendation engines and fraud detection to forecasting, automation and decision support. As adoption grows, so does demand for skilled machine learning professionals. Yet many employers struggle to attract the right candidates. Machine learning job adverts often generate high volumes of applications, but few applicants have the blend of modelling skill, engineering awareness and real-world experience the role actually requires. Meanwhile, strong machine learning engineers and scientists quietly avoid adverts that feel vague, inflated or confused. In most cases, the issue is not the talent market — it is the job advert itself. Machine learning professionals are analytical, technically rigorous and highly selective. A poorly written job ad signals unclear expectations and low ML maturity. A well-written one signals credibility, focus and a serious approach to applied machine learning. This guide explains how to write a machine learning job ad that attracts the right people, improves applicant quality and strengthens your employer brand.

Maths for Machine Learning Jobs: The Only Topics You Actually Need (& How to Learn Them)

Machine learning job adverts in the UK love vague phrases like “strong maths” or “solid fundamentals”. That can make the whole field feel gatekept especially if you are a career changer or a student who has not touched maths since A level. Here is the practical truth. For most roles on MachineLearningJobs.co.uk such as Machine Learning Engineer, Applied Scientist, Data Scientist, NLP Engineer, Computer Vision Engineer or MLOps Engineer with modelling responsibilities the maths you actually use is concentrated in four areas: Linear algebra essentials (vectors, matrices, projections, PCA intuition) Probability & statistics (uncertainty, metrics, sampling, base rates) Calculus essentials (derivatives, chain rule, gradients, backprop intuition) Basic optimisation (loss functions, gradient descent, regularisation, tuning) If you can do those four things well you can build models, debug training, evaluate properly, explain trade-offs & sound credible in interviews. This guide gives you a clear scope plus a six-week learning plan, portfolio projects & resources so you can learn with momentum rather than drowning in theory.