Principal Data Scientist

Methodfi; City of London; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A company specializing in AI solutions in the City of London is seeking a Principal Data Scientist. You will be responsible for leading complex projects and driving innovation within the data science community. The ideal candidate holds a PhD, has strong technical skills in machine learning and coding, and is experienced in mentoring teams. The role offers a flexible work environment with unlimited annual leave and private healthcare.

Benefits

Unlimited Annual Leave Policy

Private healthcare and dental

Enhanced parental leave

Family-Friendly Flexibility

Hybrid Working

Qualifications

• Strong technical ability to generate original knowledge.
• Deep knowledge in a specialised ML or data science area.
• Proven experience building and maintaining scalable codebases.
• Leadership experience to inspire teams.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a technical authority on machine learning.
• Lead development of resources and frameworks across teams.
• Drive scoping and bid processes for high-stakes projects.
• Mentor project teams for successful delivery of complex projects.
• Contribute to thought leadership and publish papers.

Skills

Machine Learning

Statistics

Advanced Data Science

Coding skills

Leadership

Strategic problem-solving

Education

PhD or equivalent technical contribution

Job description

Why Faculty?

We established Faculty in 2014 because we thought that AI would be the most important technology of our time. Since then, we’ve worked with over 350 global customers to transform their performance through human-centric AI. You can read about our real-world impact here.

We don’t chase hype cycles. We innovate, build and deploy responsible AI which moves the needle - and we know a thing or two about doing it well. We bring an unparalleled depth of technical, product and delivery expertise to our clients who span government, finance, retail, energy, life sciences and defence.

Our business, and reputation, is growing fast and we’re always on the lookout for individuals who share our intellectual curiosity and desire to build a positive legacy through technology.

AI is an epoch-defining technology, join a company where you’ll be empowered to envision its most powerful applications, and to make them happen.

About the team

In our Professional and Financial Services Business unit, we bring everything we have learned in more than a decade of Applied AI, and use it to help our clients navigate a rapidly changing landscape.

We develop and embed AI solutions which help firms become more efficient, enhance customer experience, and find the commercial upside in uncertain markets. Within the constraints of a highly regulated industry, we see so much opportunity for meaningful innovation and are proud to set the gold-standard for marrying technical excellence with safe deployment.

About the role

As a Principal Data Scientist at Faculty, you will serve as a technical leader and domain expert who owns and drives the delivery of the most complex, high-impact projects. You will set the technical direction, drive innovation, and mentor teams to shape the company's data science strategy.

This position focuses on deep individual contribution and technical excellence, influencing the broader data science community.

What you'll be doing:

• Serving as a technical authority on machine learning, statistics, and advanced data science methods to deliver innovative and impactful solutions.
• Leading the development of shared resources, frameworks, and best practices adopted across teams and the company.
• Driving the scoping and bid processes for large-scale, high-stakes projects, influencing client decisions with technical expertise.
• Owning a portfolio of work within a specific sector, applying expert knowledge to deliver exceptional value to clients.
• Leading and mentoring project teams, ensuring the successful delivery of high-value and complex projects.
• Contributing to thought leadership, publishing papers, and presenting at conferences to establish a unique voice in the data science community.

Who we're looking for:

• You possess the strong technical ability needed to generate original knowledge and produce a recognised contribution, especially when starting from scratch under conditions of mass uncertainty; for this reason, we are hoping you’ll hold a PhD or equivalent deep technical contribution.
• You are a senior technical expert with deep knowledge in a specialised ML or data science area (e.g., NLP, Computer Vision) and broad proficiency across statistical methods.
• You have advanced coding skills and proven experience building and maintaining scalable codebases.
• You bring leadership and mentorship experience, capable of inspiring junior team members and leading large, complex teams to successful outcomes.
• You have deep business understanding and technical proficiency within a specific industry, enabling you to drive value for clients.
• You are highly proficient in strategic problem-solving, able to select appropriate solutions and balance innovation with practical implementation.

The Interview Process

Talent Team Screen (30 minutes)

Introduction to Business Unit Director (30 minutes)

Technical Interview (90 minutes)

Commercial & Principles Interview (90 minutes)

Our Recruitment Ethos

We aim to grow the best team - not the most similar one. We know that diversity of individuals fosters diversity of thought, and that strengthens our principle of seeking truth. And we know from experience that diverse teams deliver better work, relevant to the world in which we live. We’re united by a deep intellectual curiosity and desire to use our abilities for measurable positive impact. We strongly encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, religions and sexual orientations.

Some of our standout benefits:

• Unlimited Annual Leave Policy
• Private healthcare and dental
• Enhanced parental leave
• Family-Friendly Flexibility & Flexible working
• Sanctus Coaching
• Hybrid Working (2 days in our Old Street office, London)

If you don’t feel you meet all the requirements, but are excited by the role and know you bring some key strengths, please do apply or reach out to our Talent Acquisition team for a confidential chat. Please know we are open to conversations about part-time roles or condensed hours.