Lead Data Scientist

Apply for the Lead Data Scientist role at Kainos.

At Kainos, we’re problem solvers, innovators, and collaborators—driven by a shared mission to create real impact. Whether we’re transforming digital services for millions, delivering cutting‑edge Workday solutions, or pushing the boundaries of technology, we do it together.

We believe in a people‑first culture, where your ideas are valued, your growth is supported, and your contributions truly make a difference. Here, you’ll be part of a diverse, ambitious team that celebrates creativity and collaboration.

As a Lead Data Scientist, you will architect, design, and deliver advanced AI solutions leveraging state‑of‑the‑art machine learning, generative, and agentic AI technologies. You will drive the adoption of modern AI frameworks, AIOps best practices, and scalable cloud‑native architectures. The role involves hands‑on technical leadership, collaborating with customers to translate business challenges into trustworthy AI solutions, and ensuring responsible AI practices throughout. As a technical mentor, you will foster a culture of innovation, continuous learning, and engineering excellence.

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• Architect and design AI solutions with focus on scalability, reliability, and security.
  
• Lead technical implementation of AI/ML pipelines and data engineering for complex, multimodal datasets.
  
• Collaborate with clients to translate business requirements into AI models and solutions.
  
• Mentor, coach, and develop a small team, focusing on performance management and career growth.
  
• Advocate for responsible AI principles, ensuring model interpretability, ethical considerations, and compliance.
  
• Stay current on emerging AI technologies and tools, and evaluate their potential application.
  

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• A minimum of a 2.1 degree in Computer Science, AI, Data Science, Statistics, or a similar quantitative field.
  
• Deep understanding and experience developing AI/ML models, including time‑series, supervised/unsupervised learning, reinforcement learning, and LLMs.
  
• Experience with prompt engineering, retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG), and agentic AI approaches.
  
• Strong Python skills with grounding in software engineering best practices (CI/CD, testing, code reviews, etc.).
  
• Expertise in data engineering for AI: handling large‑scale, unstructured, and multimodal data.
  
• Understanding of responsible AI principles, model interpretability, and ethical considerations.
  
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to lead client projects and convey requirements in non‑technical language.
  
• Experience managing, coaching, and developing junior team members and the wider community.
  

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• Demonstrated experience with modern deep learning frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow), fine‑tuning or distillation of LLMs (GPT, Llama, Claude, Gemini), and machine learning libraries (scikit‑learn, XGBoost).
  
• Experience with data storage for AI, vector databases, semantic search, and knowledge graphs.
  
• Contributions to open‑source AI projects or research publications.
  
• Familiarity with AI security, privacy, and compliance standards such as ISO42001.
  

At Kainos, we believe in the power of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are committed to building a team that is as diverse as the world we live in, where everyone is valued, respected, and given an equal chance to thrive. We actively seek talented people from all backgrounds, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or any other characteristic that makes them who they are. If you require accommodations or adjustments, please let us know.

Location: London, England, United Kingdom

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• Seniority Level: Mid‑Senior
  
• Employment Type: Full‑time
  
• Job Function: Engineering and Information Technology
  
• Industries: Information Services