Lead Data Scientist, Faculty

About the Role

Our Defence team is focused on building and embedding human-centered AI solutions which give our nation a competitive edge in the defence sector. We collaborate with our clients to bring ethical, reliable and cutting-edge AI to high-stakes situations and maintain the balance of global powers essential to our liberty. 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 the job involves

• 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 you are

• Because of the nature of the work we do with our Defence clients, you will need to be eligible for UK Security Clearance (SC)
• 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
• 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

Application process

• Talent Team Screen (30 minutes)
• Introduction to the team (30 minutes)
• Take Home Technical Assessment
• Technical Interview (90 minutes)
• Commercial Interview (60 minutes)

Company Benefits

• Dental cover - 100% of dental fees covered, up to £500, including checkups and hygienist.
• Optical Cover - 100% of the cost of prescribed glasses and contact lenses up to £300 a year.
• Hybrid working: We believe people have needs, responsibilities and interests that require something different to a strict working day. We trust people to organise and take accountability for their own work and do our best to support their lives outside [Employer hidden]. We provide you with all you need to work from home, including a laptop, keyboard and chair.
• Unlimited holidays: We encourage each other to use this time to take a break, work on personal projects, or to spend time with their friends and family
• Fantastic private health, for you & your family - including 24/7 unlimited virtual private GP appointments and covering pre-existing medical conditions
• Access to mental health coaching with Sanctus
• Lunch weekly, and more fruit, drinks and snacks than you could ever eat (for office-based employees)
• We work hard and make sure we enjoy what we do. So we have frequent socials and informal get-togethers to help make sure you enjoy your time with us. You’ll make friends and professional connections that will last a lifetime
• Paid Maternity, Paternity, Adoption or Shared Parental Leave - we offer a progressive, gender neutral and generous parental leave policy here at [Employer hidden]. All parents are given 15 weeks leave at full pay in addition to statutory time off after 12 months of service.