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Junior Data Scientist

  • Centre for European Policy Studies
Brussels, Belgium
Full-time
Published:
Application Deadline: December 8, 2024
  • Centre for European Policy Studies
Brussels, Belgium
Full-time
Published:
Application Deadline: December 8, 2024
Apply now

Apply for this job

To apply for this position, please send your CV and cover letter to: applications@ceps.eu


ABOUT US:

Founded in Brussels in 1983, CEPS (Centre for European Policy Studies) is a leading think tank and forum for debate on EU affairs, which has been consistently ranked among the world’s top 10 best think tanks. One of CEPS’ distinguishing featuresisitsstrong in-house research capacity and an extensive international network of partner institutes. CEPS’ funding comes from a variety of sources, mainly research grants and service contracts, but also from membership and conference fees.

The CEPS data science team leverages applied AI and data science tools to address a wide range of public policy challenges. Led by Chief Data Scientist Pierre-Alexandre Balland, the team operates at the interface of technical and policy expertise. It generates actionable insights for decision-makers on complex societal issues, including EU competitiveness, innovation and industrial policy, AI strategy, the Ukraine reconstruction, the future of work, and climate change. To transform policy problems into data science solutions, the team is actively building a suite of innovative digital tools and web platforms. The team collaborates closely with policymakers, industry leaders, and academic institutions to shape Europe’s digital and policy future.

MAIN TASKS:

  • You will become a member of CEPS’ staff and work in the data science unit;

  • You will conduct research activities in the field of applied machine learning and data science;

  • You will participate in international research teams that carry out projects for the European Commission and other funding organisations;

  • You will give presentations on the above-mentioned issues at project meetings and external events;

  • You will support senior team members by gathering, cleaning, and preparing data, ensuring accuracy for CEPS research projects;

  • You will conduct preliminary analyses, such as descriptive statistics and simple models, supporting ongoing research and policy studies;

  • You will assist in the writing of interim and final project reports;

  • You will assist in the acquisition of new research projects.


YOUR BACKGROUND AND QUALIFICATIONS:

  • You are a researcher who is about to defend or has recently obtained a Master’s degree in data science, or a related field (e.g. industrial engineering), with a minimum of 1 year of professional experience in applied work;

  • You have a good knowledge of Python (libraries like pandas, numpy) and R (dplyr, tidyr);

  • You have experience with SQL for database querying and basic cloud storage (e.g. AWS S3, Google Cloud Storage);

  • You are familiar with Git for version control, regular expressions for text data cleaning, and Jupyter Notebooks or R Markdown for creating reproducible reports;

  • You have basic knowledge of data visualization principles and tools, including D3.js for interactive web-based visualizations;

  • You are able to critically read and comment on research reports and academic publications;

  • You have a proven record of writing and presentation skills;

  • You are willing and able to organise, moderate and contribute to events at CEPS and its partners;

  • You are willing to assist in writing funding proposals and in carrying out externally funded projects;

  • You have an excellent command of English, both orally and in writing, and you have an excellent knowledge of at least one other EU official language.


PROFILE OF THE IDEAL CANDIDATE:

  • You can work in a research team involving junior and senior colleagues and can organise your own workload;

  • You are willing to develop insights into ongoing legislative and policy debates;

  • You are eager to invest in building and maintaining a growing research network;

  • You can respect deadlines and juggle multiple tasks and changing priorities;

  • You possess a high level of accuracy and attention to detail;

  • You are proactive, self-motivated, result-oriented, creative and enthusiastic;

  • You are kind with a deep respect for diversity, and a strong sense of empathy towards colleagues;

  • You enjoy teamwork and are open to giving and receiving feedback;

  • You are enthusiastic to contribute not only towards the success of the data science team but also the whole of CEPS as an organisation.


WHAT CEPS CAN OFFER:

We initially offer full-time employment for 12 months. The contract is renewable. The salary will be in accordance with your previous experience as well as the CEPS salary scale. We also offer a benefits package (group and hospitalisation insurance, meal tickets, public transport reimbursement, 20 dayslegal holiday entitlement per year plus an additional two weeks during the Christmas-New Year period when CEPS is closed, as well as the possibility to telework in Belgium, plus 20 days per calendar year of teleworking from abroad).

We would like the preferred candidate to ideally start on 1 March 2025. The role will be based in Brussels.

CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROSPECT:

CEPS offers a Learning and Development Programme for all staff to develop the necessary skills for their position.

MORE INFORMATION:

Further information about the position can be obtained from Pierre-Alexandre Balland, Chief Data Scientist, Pierre Alexandre.Balland@ceps.eu.

APPLICATION AND DEADLINE:

CEPS strongly values and actively pursues diversity. We encourage applications especially from female, LGBTQ+ candidates and candidates belonging to ethnic groups that are under-represented at CEPS.

Applicants are requested to send

  • A letter of motivation, explicitly describing point-by-point their relevant experience and linking it to the requirements for the position, indicating their salary expectations and where they came across our advert, in one page maximum;

  • A CV, including a list of your publications, specifying your role in previous research projects and the names and contact details of at least two referees (including your current or last employer). For the CV, please use the Europass template (https://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/).


Please send the documents (drafted in English) to applications@ceps.eu by 8 December 2024, 23:59 CET with ‘Junior Data Scientist – Data Science’ in the subject line. Shortlisted candidates may be asked to produce one or two letters of recommendation.

Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible, as applications will be assessed on a rolling basis.

Pre-selected candidates are invited to a short online interview in the week of 9 December 2024. Based on these first interviews, shortlisted candidates will be invited to an in-person interview in the week of 16 December 2024.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview. CV and personal data of non-selected candidates are not shared with anyone outside CEPS and will be deleted immediately after the recruitment process. For more information, read our privacy policy available on the CEPS website.

Even if you do not strictly have all the necessary competences for this role but you believe your experience and skills could be valuable and enable you to fulfil the tasks required, we would still highly recommend that you submit an application.

If you are successful but not an EU citizen, CEPS will work closely with you to ensure that all relevant documentation and immigration processes are completed to enable you to work in Belgium.
Apply now

Apply for this job

To apply for this position, please send your CV and cover letter to: applications@ceps.eu

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