Geospatial Data Scientist

We are MHCLG

Here at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), we work on things that make a real difference to peoples lives. Whether it's through the homes we live in, the work of our local councils, or the communities were all a part of, our work is at the top of the political agenda.

We have ambitious and far-reaching outcomes to achieve this year and, if youre thinking of joining us, theres never been a more exciting time. The Geospatial Data Scientist will be part of our Digital Planning Programme at MHCLG.

The Digital Planning Programme is transforming Englands planning system through modern, user-centred digital services, shared technology capabilities and better use of data. Through this programme, MHCLG is also supporting the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) on the development of the ALIGN tool: a single digital platform bringing together strategies, data, models and tools, including AI, to identify local infrastructure needs for housing, industrial growth and land use scenarios. Our aim is to strengthen the local evidence base for the 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy and improve the way in which key decisions on place-based infrastructure investments are informed by spatial data, analysis and evidence.

As Geospatial Data Scientist, you will collect data, build and maintain geospatial data pipelines, conduct high-quality geospatial modelling and analysis, create engaging visualisations and develop place-based insights, all to inform critical decision making through the Planning Data and ALIGN tool projects. Depending on your background and professional aspirations, you will be responsible for delivering various geospatial data models related to digital planning and spatial infrastructure. You will also work closely with colleagues in MHCLG, NISTA, No10, other government departments, regulators, industry and academia.

You can find out more information about the ALIGN tool here and also explore our Planning Data platform.

Find out more about our Digital teams and what they are working on through our MHCLG Digital blog.  Please note that MHCLG do not offer visa sponsorship and applicants will need a valid visa for the duration of your employment.

Responsibilities of role:

As the Geospatial Data Scientist, youll:

• apply advanced geospatial techniques to build, improve, run and interrogate existing and new geospatial models and AI tools, including analysis of current and future local infrastructure need, in collaboration with cross-governmental modelling teams
• apply appropriate statistical techniques, including forecasting and geospatial analysis, to available data to discover new relations and offer place-based insights
• write complex programs and scripts in Python, applying exploratory data analysis, hypothesis testing and modelling to test methodologies and deploy code, using best-practice code management techniques
• draw on modelling expertise to quantitatively assess the performance of policy options and identify synergies/trade-offs between them. This will involve data processing, running specialised programs and drawing together findings in a logical way
• build automation of the flow of data from source to products, including establishing and documenting reproducible analytical pipelines. You will also have opportunities to use AI techniques to improve efficiencies
• use a range of specialist geospatial technologies, formats, standards and APIs to work with complex spatial data, for example PostGIS, Apache Sedona, GeoPackage, GeoJSON, GeoParquet, WFS and ArcGIS APIs
• communicate effectively and present analysis, place-based stories and visualisations tailored to your audience, including producing analytical reports, developing innovative, clear and engaging products such as interactive visualisations in Python and/ or JavaScript
• establish and maintain strong networks across government relevant to your area

Person Specification and Essential Criteria:

As the Geospatial Data Scientist, youll have:

• strong interest in use of data and evidence to drive better outcomes with a commitment to continuous improvement
• experience in applying various geospatial modelling, analytical, data science and/ or AI techniques ideally in the housing, planning, economic (water, energy, transport, etc.) and social infrastructure sectors
• high level of numeracy with strong programming skills in Python
• strong skills in processing, analysing and transforming large and complex spatial datasets, including building reproducible analytical pipelines, optimising geospatial queries and writing data tests; experience in PySpark is desirable
• good problem solving, including identifying innovative solutions, decision making and scientific reasoning skills
• experience working on multi-stakeholder projects, delivering results to tight deadlines
• good interpersonal skills with the ability to work collaboratively, as part of a virtual team or cross-functional teams, and independently
• ability to understand and communicate complex technical concepts to different audiences