Data Scientist

We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. For 90 years we have shaped brighter futures through education, arts, culture, language, and creativity.

Working with people in over 200 countries and territories, we are on the ground in more than 100 countries.

We connect. We inspire.

Pay Band: 7
Contract Type: 2 years, fixed-term contract
Location:  Beijing, China
Right to work: As we cannot sponsor work passes, applicants must already have the right to live and work in China.
Closing Date: Sunday, 22 March 2026 - 23:59 China time (GMT+08)

Role Purpose & Accountabilities 
We are seeking a visionary Data Scientist (AI) to lead the design and integration of next-generation AI, particularly Large Language Models (LLMs), into our educational and language assessment products. This role, based in Beijing, is crucial for transforming the educational landscape through innovative technology. As the key technical authority, you will be responsible for the end-to-end design of AI solutions, encompassing model selection, data strategies, and infrastructure architecture.

You will collaborate closely with product managers, business leaders, and engineering teams to ensure that AI capabilities are not only innovative but also seamlessly integrated into our learning and assessment platforms. Your responsibilities will include overseeing the full lifecycle of AI model training and development, translating product visions into concrete technical strategies, and leading prototyping efforts to validate architectural approaches. 

Additionally, you will define model customization strategies, establish best practices for AI/ML development, and stay current with emerging AI trends to advise leadership on their strategic implications. If you are passionate about creating personalized and effective learning experiences through AI, we invite you to apply and join our mission to enhance education through technology.

Qualifications & Experience:
Essential:
•    Bachelor’s degree 
•    Proficient in English and Chinese
•    A proven track record of designing and launching complex, data-intensive systems. 
•    Hands-on experience building solutions with LLMs (e.g., GPT series, Llama, Gemini, Claude, Qwen, Doubao) and the surrounding ecosystem. 
•    Proven experience designing and implementing the full lifecycle of model training, fine-tuning, and robust evaluation frameworks (e.g., LLM-as-a-judge methodologies).
•    Experience with architectural patterns for data preparation, cleaning, and synthetic data generation for fine-tuning language models. 
•    Expertise with MLOps and deploying machine learning models in a cloud environment (particularly Azure, AWS, or GCP).

Desirable:
•    Direct experience in the Education Technology (EdTech) or assessment industry, ideally with exposure to high-stakes language testing, automated grading systems, or evaluator performance analytics.
•    Expert-level experience in designing distributed systems, microservices architectures, and cloud-native applications. 
•    Experience designing or building AI agentic systems or multi-step, tool-using AI workflows.

Benefits: 
•    22 days of Annual Leave 
•    13th Month Salary 
•    Non-consolidated bonus 
•    Comprehensive health and insurance package – includes accidental insurance, life insurance, and supplementary medical coverage 
•    Social insurance & housing fund - Coverage under national social insurance and housing fund 
•    Professional development - Ongoing learning and career growth opportunities to support your development.

A connected and trusted UK in a more connected and trusted world.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Statement

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and welcome applications from all sections of the community as we believe that a diverse workforce gives added depth to our work. The British Council is a Disability Confident Employer. The Disability Confident scheme helps challenge attitudes, increase understanding of disability and ensure staff are drawn from the widest possible pool of talent. We guarantee an interview for disabled applicants who meet the minimum role requirements. We welcome discussions about specific requirements or adjustments to enable participation and engagement in our work and activities.

Safeguarding Statement

The British Council is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults who we work with. We believe that all children and adults everywhere in the world deserve to live in safe environments and have the right to be protected from all forms of abuse, maltreatment and exploitation as set out in article 19, UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) 1989. Appointment to positions where there is direct involvement with vulnerable groups will be dependent on thorough checks being completed in line with legal requirements and with the British Council’s Safeguarding policies for Adults and Children.

If you experience any difficulties with submitting your application, please email askhr@britishcouncil.org