Data Scientist

£450-£500 per day - Outside IR35 6 Month Contract Occasional travel to Leeds WRK digital are proud to be the exclusive recruitment partner for an innovative industrial AI and IoT software organisation whose technology is transforming how some of the world's largest energy, utilities, pharmaceutical and manufacturing businesses use operational data. We're seeking experienced Data Scientists, AI Consultants and Machine Learning Specialists to join a major programme within the energy sector, helping deliver a safety-critical operational platform used to improve planning, compliance, decision-making and operational efficiency. This is a genuinely impactful project where you'll work on real-world industrial challenges, combining data science, automation, optimisation and AI to solve complex problems at scale. You'll play a key role in designing and building the intelligence layer of a large-scale operational solution that connects data from multiple enterprise systems into a unified data model. As the programme evolves, you'll help move the platform through several stages of maturity:

• Establishing core operational foundations
• Delivering rule-driven automation and validation
• Introducing AI-powered planning and optimisation
• Building proactive compliance and decision-support capabilities You'll work closely with technical teams, subject matter experts and end users to ensure solutions create measurable operational value. What You'll Be Doing
• Developing rule engines that automate workflows and identify unexpected changes in operational data
• Building machine learning, optimisation and AI-driven planning solutions for complex real-world scenarios
• Designing intelligent alerting and notification models to improve operational visibility without creating noise
• Creating data-driven applications and dashboards used by frontline operational teams
• Building digital forms and workflow tools that replace spreadsheet-heavy processes
• Developing historical and forward-looking planning capabilities using connected operational data
• Running workshops and engaging with stakeholders to understand business challenges and shape solutions
• Rapidly developing prototypes and proof-of-concepts that demonstrate business value What We're Looking For Essential Skills
• Strong Python development skills with experience deploying analytics or machine learning solutions into production environments
• Hands-on experience across machine learning, statistical modelling, optimisation or decision science
• Experience building dashboards, applications or user-facing analytical solutions using tools such as Power BI, Grafana, Plotly or Dash
• Strong stakeholder engagement and workshop facilitation experience
• Solid SQL skills for data exploration, transformation and analysis
• Degree in a quantitative discipline, Data Science, Mathematics, Engineering, Physics or similar Highly Desirable
• Experience working with graph databases, knowledge graphs or connected data models
• Exposure to industrial AI, operational analytics or digital transformation programmes
• Experience with Generative AI, LLMs or agentic AI frameworks
• TypeScript and React experience
• Knowledge of SHACL, SPARQL or graph validation frameworks
• Experience operating within highly regulated, safety-critical or compliance-driven environments
• Previous consulting or advisory experience