Lead Data Scientist

Faculty
London
6 months ago
Create job alert

About the role

As a Lead Data Scientist, you'll take on a pivotal, entrepreneurial role, functioning as the technical expert who thrives on complexity and commercial impact. You will be responsible for setting the technical direction and ensuring the high-quality, scalable delivery of our most challenging, high-impact projects.

This position combines deep expertise in machine learning with strategic oversight to define project roadmaps, manage technical risk, and architect reliable solutions. Your focus will be on driving innovation, mentoring cross-functional teams, and actively shaping both our technical standards and long-term customer relationships.

What you'll be doing:

Setting the technical direction for complex, business-critical projects and expertly balancing trade-offs between speed, innovation, and reliability.

Designing and implementing reliable, production-grade technical solutions, ensuring comprehensive documentation of architectures and specifications.

Defining project problems, developing clear roadmaps, and overseeing end-to-end delivery across multi-disciplinary workstreams.

Leading technical scoping and feasibility studies for high-value sales opportunities and strategic customer engagements.

Managing relationships and communications with demanding clients, fostering trust and aligning technical solutions with shared long-term commercial goals.

Driving the adoption of best practices, shared resources, and robust technical processes across the wider Data Science craft.

Mentoring and developing other data scientists and team members, actively contributing to the growth and technical excellence of the organisation.

Who we're looking for:

You bring depth of expertise in at least one machine learning domain and strong technical breadth across the entire data science landscape.

You are a skilled technical leader, proficient in mentoring individuals, managing teams (including other managers), and rolling out impactful tools and workflows.

You have proven project management expertise, capable of dividing complex, ill-defined problems into actionable, clearly defined workstreams with timelines you can defend.

You are adept at managing ill-defined, high-risk tasks, consistently delivering innovative and practical outcomes under commercial pressure.

You possess strong customer leadership skills, able to act as a trusted technical advisor and drive long-term strategic relationships with demanding clients.

You excel at cross-functional collaboration, effectively aligning technical strategy with Engineering, Commercial (BD), and Infrastructure teams.

You have experience extending technical oversight to business unit-level initiatives, using your vision to influence and contribute to organisational success.

Our Interview Process

Talent Team Screen (30 minutes)

Introduction to the team (30 minutes)

Take Home Technical Assessment

Technical Interview (90 minutes)

Commercial Interview (60 minutes)

Our Recruitment Ethos

We aim to grow the best team - not the most similar one. We know that diversity of individuals fosters diversity of thought, and that strengthens our principle of seeking truth. And we know from experience that diverse teams deliver better work, relevant to the world in which we live. We’re united by a deep intellectual curiosity and desire to use our abilities for measurable positive impact. We strongly encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, religions and sexual orientations.

Some of our standout benefits:

Unlimited Annual Leave Policy

Private healthcare and dental

Enhanced parental leave

Family-Friendly Flexibility & Flexible working

Sanctus Coaching

Hybrid Working

If you don’t feel you meet all the requirements, but are excited by the role and know you bring some key strengths, please don't hesitate in applying as you might be right for this role, or other roles. We are open to conversations about part-time hours.

Related Jobs

View all jobs

Lead Data Scientist

Lead Data Scientist - Remote

Lead Data Scientist - Remote

Lead Data Scientist - Deep Learning Practitioner

Lead Data Scientist / Deep Learning Practitioner

Lead Data Scientist / Deep Learning Practitioner

Subscribe to Future Tech Insights for the latest jobs & insights, direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of service.

Industry Insights

Discover insightful articles, industry insights, expert tips, and curated resources.

New AI Employers to Watch in 2026: UK and Global Companies Reshaping AI Careers

The artificial intelligence job market in the UK is evolving at an extraordinary pace. With record-breaking investment, government backing, and a surge in enterprise adoption, the landscape of AI employers is shifting rapidly. For candidates exploring opportunities on ArtificialIntelligenceJobs.co.uk, understanding who is hiring next is just as important as understanding what skills are in demand. In this article, we explore the new and emerging AI employers to watch in 2026, focusing on organisations that have recently secured funding, won major contracts, or expanded their UK footprint. From cutting-edge startups to global giants doubling down on Britain, these companies represent the next wave of AI career opportunities.

How Many AI Tools Do You Need to Know to Get an AI Job?

If you are job hunting in AI right now it can feel like you are drowning in tools. Every week there is a new framework, a new “must-learn” platform or a new productivity app that everyone on LinkedIn seems to be using. The result is predictable: job seekers panic-learn a long list of tools without actually getting better at delivering outcomes. Here is the truth most hiring managers will quietly agree with. They do not hire you because you know 27 tools. They hire you because you can solve a problem, communicate trade-offs, ship something reliable and improve it with feedback. Tools matter, but only in service of outcomes. So how many AI tools do you actually need to know? For most AI job seekers: fewer than you think. You need a tight core toolkit plus a role-specific layer. Everything else is optional. This guide breaks it down clearly, gives you a simple framework to choose what to learn and shows you how to present your toolset on your CV, portfolio and interviews.

What Hiring Managers Look for First in AI Job Applications (UK Guide)

Hiring managers do not start by reading your CV line-by-line. They scan for signals. In AI roles especially, they are looking for proof that you can ship, learn fast, communicate clearly & work safely with data and systems. The best applications make those signals obvious in the first 10–20 seconds. This guide breaks down what hiring managers typically look for first in AI applications in the UK market, how to present it on your CV, LinkedIn & portfolio, and the most common reasons strong candidates get overlooked. Use it as a checklist to tighten your application before you click apply.