Data Scientist (KTP Associate)

Salary: 43000 - 47000 (plus substantial training budget) per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work with excellent benefits including great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you
Please note this vacancy adopts the working hours and annual leave of the host partner as set in job description

Closing Date:14 June 2026

The Role

One Utility Bill Limited and Newcastle University are offering an exciting opportunity to develop a data driven software model that accurately predicts the energy usage for every residential property in the UK - for use in utility bill management. The modelling will utilise time series analysis and machine learning methods.

One Utility Bill are a third-party intermediary (TPI) that simplifies household billing with transparent bundled utility packages for renters and homeowners. OUBs flagship offering is an unlimited energy package through which they provide customers with a fixed energy cost based on current market tariffs and projected consumption over the contract term.

Based at One Utility Bill you will be supported by an interdisciplinary team from Newcastle University led by Prof. Hongsheng Dai who has expertise in statistical methodology and statistical applications. You will be also supported by a senior supervisor from One Utility Bill with expertise in financial control.

Candidates should have a first degree in statistics data science computer science mathematics or a related discipline as well as a higher degree (ideally PhD) in statistics data science optimisation or artificial intelligence.

Benefits:

Develop managerial skills and attend two residential managerial workshops (each of one-week duration)
4000 personal training budget
The opportunity to lead a project develop project management skills and improve long-term career prospects
Mentoring by a Knowledge Transfer Network Adviser
Full access to university resources to complete the project
Ability to work in a largely self-determined way across the industry-academic partnership
Opportunities to develop both technical understanding and commercial awareness
The possibility of studying for a higher degree or undertaking professional development

The KTP Associate will be an employee of Newcastle University but will spend most of their working time at the companys premises at One Utility Bill 5 Media Exchange Coquet Street and when required at Newcastle University.

The KTP Associate will follow One Utility Bills working hours and holiday procedure.
Your working week will be 40 hours per week with a shift pattern of Monday- Friday 9:00am-5:00pm.
Annual Leave applicable to this role is 25 days plus bank holidays.

Although the contract is fixed term for a duration of 2 years more than 70% of KTP staff gain a permanent job offer from their KTP company.

For more information or informal enquiries please contact Prof Hongsheng Dai at or Prof Kevin Wilson at

For further details on the Faculty of Science Agriculture & Engineering please visit our web page at: further details about Knowledge Transfer Partnerships please visit the web page at: Tasks
Anomaly and outlier detection using advanced statistical techniques.
Develop and apply statistical models (such as seasonal ARIMA models) under a Bayesian framework and machine learning models (such as LSTM) to forecast energy usage at the household level.
Develop advanced forecasting algorithms by incorporating external variables (e.g. weather EPC rating) missing data and heterogeneous data patterns
Translate outputs into pricing strategies
Disseminate findings through reports research papers and conferences
Work with colleagues in One Utility Bill to successfully integrate a range of data sources and developed algorithms into a single platform
Communicate high level technical concepts to non-specialists

The Person

Knowledge Skills and Experience

Strong theoretical and applied knowledge in time series analysis
Strong theoretical and applied knowledge in Bayesian inference and computational statistics including advanced methods such as Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) and Sequential Monte Carlo (SMC)
Good theoretical and applied knowledge in artificial intelligence and statistical learning models
Knowledge in data engineering (missing data imputation outlier detection)
Excellent experience in R/Python programming

Desirable
Strong foundation in theoretical statistics with the ability to apply rigorous statistical principles to complex modelling problems
Knowledge of optimisation
Experience of project management the ability to manage multiple deadlines

Attributes and Behaviour
Excellent organisational and planning skills
The ability to work to deadlines
The ability to work independently and collaboratively with colleagues
Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate at all levels to different stakeholder groups in both academia and industry
Good attention to detail
A natural problem solver
Excellent verbal written and presentation skills

Qualifications / Experience

Candidates should have:
A first degree in statistics data science computer science mathematics or a related discipline
A higher degree (ideally PhD) in statistics data science optimisation or artificial intelligence

To apply please attach your CV and a cover letter that demonstrates how you meet the essential criteria for the position as outlined in the Person Specification of the Job Description. Any requested additional documents required as part of your application should be included within the same file as your cover letter. The total file size must not exceed 10MB.

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a GoldAthena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Race Equality CharterBronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC. We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.

Requisition ID: 29380

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