SC Cleared Data Scientist - Contract Rate: Up to £650 per day (Inside IR35) Location: London or Manchester (1-2 days per week on-site) Contract: 6 months Clearance: Active SC requiredWe''re hiring an experienced SC-cleared Data Scientist to support a high-profile central government programme delivering advanced analytics and machine-learning solutions. This role is focused on turning complex datasets into predictive insight and deployable models that directly inform policy and operational decision-making.You''ll work within a multidisciplinary data team, partnering with data engineers, architects, and analysts to design, build, and productionise machine-learning models using modern Python and MLOps practices across secure cloud environments.Key RequirementsActive Security Clearance (SC) - must be current and transferableProven experience as a Data Scientist in central government or regulated environmentsStrong hands-on experience with Python for data science and machine learningSolid understanding of machine-learning techniques (supervised, unsupervised, model evaluation)Experience with MLOps practices, including: Model versioning and deploymentCI/CD for ML workflowsMonitoring and performance managementExperience working with cloud-based data platforms (AWS and/or Azure)Strong statistical knowledge and ability to explain complex models to non-technical stakeholdersResponsibilitiesDesign, build, and evaluate machine-learning models to solve real-world government problemsUse Py