Lead Data Scientist, Commerce Revenue Protection (13 month Fixed Term Contract)

Are you a strategic thinker with a passion for combating fraud and misuse at scale? Spotify is seeking an interim Lead Data Scientist to step into a critical leadership role on our Revenue Protection Data Science team during a parental leave cover. In this role, you will lead a team of data scientists focused on identifying and addressing sophisticated threats to our business, helping to craft and drive our Revenue Protection strategy.You’ll work closely with cross-functional partners to ensure our detection systems evolve with emerging threats, and contribute directly to the resilience of Spotify’s global revenue ecosystem. We are all passionate about what we do and move forward with high impact projects at a high pace. Learning and improving is part of our daily routine, and you will be free to develop your skills and ways of working. Our collaborative environment encourages innovation and continuous improvement, making it an exciting place to grow your career.

What You'll Do

Lead and support a distributed team of data scientists, guiding their day-to-day work, setting priorities, and encouraging a collaborative, high-performing team culture. Balance leadership and people management responsibilities with individual contribution. As part of a small, focused team, you’ll remain hands-on in delivering analyses and driving core initiatives. Apply your domain knowledge in payments and fraud to inform detection strategies and partner with stakeholders to evolve Spotify’s fraud & misuse mitigation approaches. Leverage your deep expertise in machine learning to inform model development, evaluation, and performance monitoring. Monitor and communicate key performance indicators to track the impact of Revenue Protection initiatives and surface emerging risks and opportunities to business partners. Translate data into strategy by assessing the business impact of new initiatives and threats, ensuring the team’s work is aligned with high-impact opportunities. Influence and partner cross-functionally, collaborating closely with Engineering, Product, and Business stakeholders to implement solutions and drive improvements. Communicate clearly and effectively, presenting data-driven insights and recommendations to technical and non-technical audiences, including leadership.

Who You Are

5+ years of experience in data science, including experience in the fraud prevention domain. A degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, Economics, or another quantitative field. Proven leadership experience, either as a people manager or mentor, inspiring others and shaping project direction. Hands-on expertise with machine learning, including applying ML to real-world fraud prevention or misuse detection problems. Proficient in Python and SQL. Experience with Google BigQuery is a plus. Familiarity with dashboarding and data visualisation tools such as Looker, Tableau, or similar. A strong problem-solver who thrives at the intersection of business and data, with the ability to think strategically and act tactically. Comfortable with ambiguity and able to take initiative. Capable of owning loosely defined problems and turning them into concrete, impactful solutions. A thoughtful communicator who builds trust and alignment across functions, and who values collaboration in a fast-paced environment. Someone looking to step into a leadership role or grow as a leader. Whether you’re a Senior Data Scientist ready to gain formal people management experience, or a current Lead who’s eager to stay hands-on while driving impact in a new team.

Where You'll Be

This role is based in London. We offer you the flexibility to work where you work best! There will be some in person meetings, but still allows for flexibility to work from home.