Head of Data Science

We’re on a mission to make the most successful insurance disruptor people want to stay with for life.

At Policy Expert, data is at the heart of everything we do. Our ambition is clear: our data and analytics will enrich every customer experience, optimise every business decision, and empower every colleague. The Executive and Board have committed significant investment to establish and mature our data capabilities, underpinned by a transformative Data Strategy built around three core pillars: Operating Model, Data & Analytics Platform, and Data Culture. We have five disciplines – Data Management, Engineering, Science, Analytics, and Visualisation – that collaborate with the rest of the business to drive incremental value through data, operational excellence, and business agility.

This is an exciting time for our Data Science team. We’re expanding our work across claims, operations, underwriting, and marketing – and this is only the beginning. Our models will power a best‑in‑class customer experience, from acquisition through to claims, giving us deeper insight into who our customers are and what they need. With strong support from our leadership team, we have the autonomy to move fast, make data‑driven decisions, and respond to an ever‑changing market. The next 24 months will be pivotal as Policy Expert embarks on an exciting new chapter – and our Data Science team will be at the centre of it.

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• Lead on the strategy and roadmap for using data science and ML initiatives to support our ambitious growth plans.
  
• Recruit, lead, and mentor the Data Science team, creating a community of practice to share knowledge and expertise.
  
• Work closely with the Head of Data Products, building relationships across the organisation to identify opportunities to apply machine learning and data science to drive growth, solve problems, and increase automation.
  
• Develop and own a roadmap for implementing Data Science across our business areas.
  
• Continuously improve our engineering practices across data science products to operate at pace and at scale.
  
• Champion data science and ML, communicating its value to colleagues across the business.
  
• Oversee and contribute to the development of machine learning models, working closely with Machine Learning Engineers to ensure they perform as expected in production.
  
• Collaborate with Data Engineers and Analysts to source data needed from our systems and third‑party suppliers.
  

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• Customer focused, balancing outcome delivery with technical excellence.
  
• Experience leading and managing Data Scientists while also performing hands‑on work in a small team.
  
• Strategic thinker who finds innovative ways to apply data science to drive business value.
  
• Excellent communication skills with both technical and non‑technical audiences.
  
• Knowledge of the latest technologies in the data science and ML space, and a willingness to share knowledge.
  
• Experience building machine learning models and working with ML Engineers to deploy them into production.
  
• In‑depth knowledge of data science tools and techniques, used to solve problems creatively and create opportunities for the business.
  
• Strong programming skills with R or Python, and solid experience with SQL and querying large datasets.
  
• Knowledge of the insurance industry is an advantage but not essential.
  
• Experience with AWS or GCP tools is desirable.
  

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• 📍 This role will be based in our London office in a 50/50 hybrid mode.
  
• 💸 Generous pension contribution scheme.
  
• 🏥 Private medical & Dental cover.
  
• 📚 Learning budget of £1,000 a year + study leave (with encouragement to use it).
  
• 😁 Enhanced maternity & paternity leave.
  
• 🚉 Travel season ticket loan.
  
• 🎟️ Access to a wide selection of London O2 events and use of a Private Lounge.
  
• 🌈 Employee Wellbeing Programme.
  

We pride ourselves on being an equal opportunity employer. We treat all applications equally and recruit based solely on an individual’s skills, knowledge, and experience. The quality and growing diversity of our team is a testament to this commitment. At Policy Expert, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for all candidates. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the interview process to accommodate your needs, please let us know. We are dedicated to ensuring every candidate has an equal opportunity to succeed and will work with you to provide the necessary support.

We aim to be in touch within 14 working days of your application. You will be notified if you are successful or unsuccessful. Please be encouraged to apply even if you do not meet all the requirements.

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