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Who's hiring data scientists in the UK? Demand is up 74%
UK data science job ads are up 74% on last year. Here's who is hiring, what they pay and the skills they want, with live roles you can apply for today.
By Julie Fixter, Client Partnership Consultant, Future Tech Jobs
Quiet market? Not in data science.
UK permanent job ads mentioning data science are up 74% on last year. IT Jobs Watch counted 1,709 in the six months to 24 October 2026, against 984 in the same period of 2025. The median salary on those ads has risen to £75,000. Employers hiring right now include Faculty, Databricks, Imperial College London, the University of Cambridge and a social housing group in Birmingham, and you can apply to all of them on Data Science Jobs today.
So if you've been waiting for a sign, this is it. Here's who is hiring, what they pay and what they want from you.
How busy is the UK data science job market right now?
Busier than it has been for two years.
The 1,709 ads in the six months to 24 October beat the 984 from a year earlier and the 1,267 from 2024. Data science also climbed 28 places in IT Jobs Watch's ranking of permanent skills.
Look at ads with "Data Scientist" as the actual job title and the jump is even bigger. IT Jobs Watch shows 701 permanent ads in the latest six months, up from 128 in the same period last year.
And it isn't just a London story. Outside London, Data Scientist ads rose to 394 in the six months to 28 October, from 45 a year earlier. The North of England led the regions with 116 ads.
The message is clear: employers have stopped waiting and started hiring.
Who is hiring data scientists in the UK?
Here's a snapshot of employers with live roles on Data Science Jobs at the time of writing. A mix of AI firms, universities and organisations you might not expect, which is exactly the point.
Faculty, London
Faculty is hiring a Lead Data Scientist (Safety), posted on 21 October. The role leads the science behind AI safety and evaluation work with frontier AI labs, designs experiments and mentors other data scientists. The advert asks for advanced Python with NumPy and Pandas, and experience of AI evaluation frameworks such as Inspect AI.
If you've ever wanted to test the models rather than just use them, this one's for you.
Databricks, London
Databricks has 13 open roles on the board. Two stand out for data people:
A Forward Deployed Engineer (posted 28 October), building data and AI applications on site with enterprise customers. Python, SQL and production ML experience all feature, and the advert mentions travel of up to 50%.
A Manager, Marketing Insights & Operations, EMEA (posted 22 October), owning forecasting, funnel analysis and performance dashboards for the EMEA marketing team.
Imperial College London
Imperial's Clinical Trials Unit is hiring an Associate or Full Professor in Medical Statistics and Innovative Trial Design at White City. The salary is £85,873 to £98,149, and applications close on 12 November 2026.
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge Statistical Laboratory is recruiting a Faculty Position in Statistics, covering everything from theoretical statistics to the foundations of machine learning. It pays £47,389 to £59,966 and closes on 7 December 2026.
Outside London: Birmingham, Preston and Guildford
Birmingham: Michael Page is recruiting a Head of Data and Analytics for a large social housing organisation. It's a 12-month fixed-term contract at £85,000 to £95,000, posted on 30 October, leading data strategy, governance and BI.
Preston: Local Pensions Partnership Administration is hiring a Head of AI at £90,000 to £100,000, setting AI strategy and building a specialist team.
Guildford: the University of Surrey wants a Data Scientist / Research Officer for an Innovate UK project that uses acoustic monitoring to spot ill health in poultry flocks early. Yes, really. Data science now listens to chickens.
Pensions, housing, farming, clinical trials. If an organisation has data, it now wants someone who can make sense of it.
What do data scientists earn in the UK?
Short answer: more than last year.
Here's the spread from IT Jobs Watch for permanent "Data Scientist" ads in the latest six months, for anyone who likes their numbers neat:
UK median: £80,000, up from £65,000 a year earlier
10th percentile: £50,000
90th percentile: £100,000
London median: £84,250
UK outside London median: £75,000, up from £55,000
North of England median: £83,774
And the senior roles on the board above sit between £85,000 and £100,000.
The takeaway? You no longer have to move to London to earn London-ish money.
What skills are UK employers asking for?
Machine learning and AI now sit right alongside the day job.
IT Jobs Watch shows that of the Data Scientist ads in the latest six months, 48.5% also mention machine learning, 39.8% mention AI and 33.2% mention Python. Analytics comes up in 29.5%.
The live adverts above add some colour:
Python, properly. Faculty wants advanced Python with NumPy and Pandas. Databricks lists Python and SQL for building production applications.
Experiment design. Faculty and Databricks both talk about designing experiments and measuring them against clear success criteria.
Talking to humans. Databricks wants people who can explain their work to anyone from engineers to C-level executives. The Birmingham role is all about advising senior leaders.
Domain knowledge. Medical statistics at Imperial, avian data at Surrey, pensions at LPPA. Knowing the sector counts.
Models matter. The ability to explain them matters just as much.
What do data scientists actually want from a move?
Here's what I believe, and I've said it before.
In niche tech, the best candidates aren't scrolling job ads. They're choosing between offers. That puts you in a stronger position than you might think, especially with demand up this much.
So use it. Pick the companies you already know and admire, and get on their radar before the role you want is even advertised. Don't wait for the vacancy.
And be choosy about where you look. Specialist roles need a specialist audience, which is why a niche board full of data science jobs will serve you better than scrolling past a hundred unrelated listings.
The right role, the right board, the right people. That's the combination that changes careers.
How to land one of these roles
Get your CV in front of employers. Upload your CV so recruiters searching the board can find you.
Set up a job alert. New roles land every week. A job alert means you hear first.
Follow the employers you like. Create an account and follow company pages like Databricks and Cambridge to see their new roles.
Tailor every application. Match your projects to the skills in the advert: Python, experiments, stakeholder impact.
Check the closing date. Imperial closes on 12 November. Don't leave it to the last evening.
The best candidates have a choice. Be the choice.
FAQ
Is data science still in demand in the UK in 2026?
Yes. IT Jobs Watch recorded 1,709 UK permanent job ads mentioning data science in the six months to 24 October 2026, up 74% from 984 in the same period of 2025.
What is the average data scientist salary in the UK?
The median salary for permanent Data Scientist ads tracked by IT Jobs Watch is £80,000, with the 10th percentile at £50,000 and the 90th at £100,000. In London the median is £84,250.
Who is hiring data scientists in the UK right now?
Live roles on Data Science Jobs include Faculty, Databricks, Imperial College London, the University of Cambridge, the University of Surrey, Local Pensions Partnership Administration and a Birmingham social housing organisation through Michael Page.
Can I get a data science job outside London?
Yes. Data Scientist ads outside London rose to 394 in the six months to 28 October 2026, from 45 a year earlier, with a median salary of £75,000. The North of England had the most ads of any region.
What skills do I need for a data scientist job in the UK?
Python, machine learning and AI are the most common skills alongside data science in UK job ads. Employers on the board also ask for experiment design and the ability to explain results to non-technical leaders.
Find your next data science role
Lots of roles, lots of employers, lots of reasons to move. I'd love to see you land one of them, so any questions, let me know!
Companies hiring: Databricks, University of Cambridge, Local Pensions Partnership Administration
About the author
Julie Fixter is a Client Partnership Consultant at Future Tech Jobs, helping employers and recruitment partners reach specialist talent across AI, quantum, robotics, semiconductors, space and the rest of the FTJ network. She spent seven years in sales at a UK software house before joining FTJ, and trained in psychodynamic counselling, which shapes how she thinks about what candidates actually want from a move. Based in Manchester. Connect with Julie on LinkedIn.
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