Who we are

Optima Partners is an advanced data and business consultancy headquartered in Edinburgh, UK. We are a practitioner-led organisation that collaborates with top consumer brands to drive transformation and foster customer-centricity through our expertise in customer strategy, innovative design, and advanced data science and engineering.

We work with leading consumer brands to tackle and overcome complex business and customer problems, drive transformation and champion customer-centric agendas. We are proud to include leading UK and global brands among our current clients, including Lloyds Banking Group, NatWest Group, Bank of Ireland, Nationwide, Aviva, Biogen, Eon Next, OVO, Virgin Media O2, BT, HMD Global, Centrica and GSK. We are obsessive about delivering value for our clients and work in a collaborative, engaged and creative way with our colleagues and clients. We strive to support the transition of knowledge and capability into strategic teams.

The opportunity

We are looking for an Associate Consultant - Data Science to support the application of machine learning, statistical modelling and experimentation to solve complex business problems and drive measurable outcomes across our client base. Working hands-on with data, you will help develop analytical approaches, build and validate models, run tests and translate data into clear, actionable insights.

This is an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic data science professional with up to one year of commercial experience, or equivalent project experience, to develop consulting and technical skills across a variety of commercial sectors. At Optima, you will work in cross-functional teams, collaborating with experts across data science, engineering, strategy, design and consulting while gaining exposure to varied business challenges.

Optima provides an inclusive space for professional development, with a strong focus on continuous learning, mentoring and knowledge sharing. With the chance to work alongside experienced data scientists, engineers, analysts and product specialists, you will build practical skills in machine learning, statistics and experimentation while contributing to real client projects and developing a clear path for career progression.

What you will be doing

• Support the development and implementation of machine learning and statistical models to solve practical business problems.

• Work with stakeholders to understand objectives, shape analytical approaches and communicate findings effectively.

• Translate technical outputs into clear, transparent and actionable recommendations to support decision-making.

• Explore data, test hypotheses and identify opportunities to create customer and commercial value.

• Collaborate with teams across data science, engineering, strategy and design to deliver high-quality outcomes.

• Support experimentation, model validation and performance monitoring to ensure analytical outputs deliver measurable impact.

• Keep up to date with emerging data science techniques, including practical applications of Large Language Models.

What skills we would like you to have

• Strong academic background in mathematics, statistics, science, engineering or another numerate discipline.

• Minimum 2:1 degree in a STEM subject, with a postgraduate qualification in a quantitative field considered beneficial.

• Good knowledge of statistics, including experimental design, uncertainty quantification and predictive modelling.

• Some exposure to supervised and unsupervised machine learning techniques through commercial work, internships, training, personal projects or academic experience.

• Proficiency in Python and/or R, with a willingness to develop deeper capability in operationalising data science solutions.

• Ability to communicate complex analysis clearly to audiences with both technical and non-technical backgrounds.

• Awareness of commercial value drivers such as revenue, cost, profitability and customer behaviour is advantageous.

• Up to one year of commercial experience in data science, analytics, consulting or a related technical role; internships, placements, graduate schemes, bootcamps or strong project experience will also be considered.

• Some exposure to working in a team environment, client-facing environment or on collaborative technical projects is desirable.

• Awareness of Agile or Scrum ways of working is beneficial but not essential.

What you will bring

• Strong problem-solving and analytical thinking abilities.

• An inquisitive mindset, with curiosity about data, customer behaviour and commercial outcomes.

• Good communication skills, with the ability to ask clear questions, share progress and explain technical ideas in an accessible way.

• A team-oriented mindset with adaptability, independence and a willingness to learn from feedback.

This is an exciting opportunity to work directly on client projects, building practical data science capability while learning from experienced colleagues in a specialist data and AI consultancy.

What we offer

• Competitive base salary.

• Inclusion in our annual discretionary bonus plan with an on-target performance bonus of up to 15%.

• Up to 37 days holiday inclusive of personal and public allocations. Seven are fixed days for Christmas and New Year, and 30 are floating days taken at your discretion, subject to client scheduling and line manager approval.

• Private medical insurance, single cover.

• Group life and income protection insurance.

• Salary sacrifice pension scheme after three months’ employment.

• Access to over 1,000 perks and discounts via an employee discount portal.

• Dedicated development time plus tools and funding to support personal and professional development.