Lead Data Scientist

Methodfi; City of London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading AI consultancy in the City of London is seeking a Lead Data Scientist to drive technical direction and mentor teams. The role focuses on complex projects, project management, and innovation with an emphasis on machine learning expertise. Ideal candidates will have strong leadership and customer relationship skills. This position offers an opportunity to work in a vibrant team dedicated to AI developments.

Qualifications

• Depth of expertise in at least one machine learning domain.
• Proficient in mentoring individuals and managing teams.
• Proven project management expertise.

Responsibilities

• Set technical direction for business-critical projects.
• Design and implement production-grade solutions.
• Define project problems and oversee delivery.

Skills

Machine learning expertise

Technical leadership

Project management

Customer leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

About Faculty

At Faculty, we transform organisational performance through safe, impactful and human‑centric AI.

With more than a decade of experience, we provide over 350 global customers with software, bespoke AI consultancy, and Fellows from our award-winning Fellowship programme.

Our expert team brings together leaders from across government, academia and global tech giants to solve the biggest challenges in applied AI.

Should you join us, you’ll have the chance to work with, and learn from, some of the brilliant minds who are bringing Frontier AI to the frontlines of the world.

About the team

Our Retail and Consumer experts are dedicated to helping clients in an industry which is being transformed by new technologies and evolving consumer expectations. Leveraging over a decade of experience in Applied AI, we combine exceptional technical and delivery expertise to empower businesses to adapt and thrive.

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.

The Interview Process

Talent Team Screen (30 minutes)
Introduction to the team (30 minutes)
Technical Interview (90 minutes)
Commercial Interview (60 minutes)
Cultural & Leadership Interview (60 minutes)

What we can offer you:

The Faculty team is diverse and distinctive, and we all come from different personal, professional and organisational backgrounds. We all have one thing in common: we are driven by a deep intellectual curiosity that powers us forward each day.

Faculty is the professional challenge of a lifetime. You’ll be surrounded by an impressive group of brilliant minds working to achieve our collective goals. Our consultants, product developers, business development specialists, operations professionals and more all bring something unique to Faculty, and you’ll learn something new from everyone you meet.