Senior Data Scientist with a GenAI focus

Welcome to an exciting opportunity where ambitious individuals are invited to join a team of inquisitive minds and supportive peers, all driven by a shared passion and diverse skills aimed at creating value for businesses through data. 
**Please note that this position is open as either a permanent or a contractor agreement.
 

About Us   

We are Ascent! and we help our customers solve problems, elevate, and do existing things better. We are on a mission to help our customers connect data, software, and purpose to create extraordinary outcomes. You could say we are a digital transformation business. 

We specialize in software product development, analytics, data science, IoT solutions, machine learning, DevOps optimization, and modernization of applications, data, and platforms. 

We work with incredible clients in all types of industries such as smart home devices, space exploration, beer manufacturing, finance, ecology, and logistics. We work with some of the sharpest minds in the brightest businesses and we employ the sharpest minds too! 

At Ascent, we also believe in fostering a vibrant office community where collaboration thrives and connections flourish. With our hybrid approach, we prioritize hiring individuals who reside in close proximity to our central offices in Bristol and London. Our aim is to cultivate a positive atmosphere and sense of belonging by facilitating easy access to the office. However, we welcome applicants from all other areas in the UK, as we value diversity and recognize the unique perspectives each individual brings to our team. Join us in shaping a workplace where proximity enhances collaboration while inclusivity strengthens our community.  

About the role 

Join our rapidly growing Data Practice as we build cutting-edge Generative AI solutions for clients across industries. In this role, you’ll work hands-on with multi-disciplinary teams to design, prototype, and deliver AI solutions that tackle real business challenges. You’ll collaborate closely with clients, taking them on the journey from early adoption to full-scale deployment, blending technical expertise with a strong consultative approach.

We’re looking for someone with deep experience in NLP and Generative AI (including RAG), who can combine critical thinking, creativity, and technical skill to solve complex problems. You’ll act as a trusted advisor, translating technical possibilities into business impact while ensuring strong client relationships built on credibility and empathy.

Skills and Experience required

• Proven experience in LLM / Generative AI and RAG projects, ideally in a leadership or senior delivery role.

• 4+ years in a data science or related role, with hands-on NLP experience.

• Fluent in Python, capable of rapidly prototyping solutions and delivering production-ready code.

• Familiarity with Azure data services and cloud-based AI infrastructure.

• Knowledge of best practices in model tuning, drift monitoring, and optimization.

• Strong consulting and stakeholder management skills; able to break down complex business problems and propose clear technical solutions.

What you will do

• Collaborate with clients to understand business needs and identify where Generative AI can add value.

• Lead prompt engineering and chain-of-thought reasoning to build LLM-based solutions.

• Implement Resource-Augmented Generation (RAG) solutions, optimizing chunking, metadata, and retrieval processes.

• Ensure all solutions follow Responsible AI principles.

• Rapidly develop demos to showcase the potential of Generative AI.

• Contribute to the development of Ascent’s GenAI methodology, frameworks, and accelerators.

• Be an active member of Ascent’s Data Science and Generative AI communities, helping to evolve our capabilities and share knowledge across the organization.

Working at Ascent

At Ascent we promote a healthy work-life balance by offering flexibility in where you work.  We also promote well-being and provide access to Well Being Coaches.  

Your development and learning will be taken seriously, and we'll support your professional development with training and certification, with regular feedback and review. It is a fun, supportive and modern workplace where we really live by our company values of Empathy, Energy and Audacity! Ascent also offers a variety of benefits in each of our countries. 

Ascent is an equal opportunities employer. We take intentional steps to ensure inclusion and belonging are something real here, not just something we talk about. No person will be treated less favourably because of their gender, pregnancy, and maternity status, marital or civil partnership status, sexual orientation, race, nationality, ethnic origin, age, religion or belief, or disability status. If you require any reasonable accommodation, please let us know when you apply.