Data Scientist (Machine Learning Observability & Governance)

We are looking for a Data Scientist in the Machine Learning Observability & Governance team to enable Starling Bank to maximally exploit AI in line with its risk appetite, while ensuring ethical and responsible AI practices. You will work across stakeholders to educate, collaborate, and implement observability and governance for ML/AI models.

Responsibilities

• Empowering decision-making through education: Educate model owners and other stakeholders on data science products and concepts to enable high-quality decisions about the models they are responsible for
• Stakeholder communication & visibility: Ensure clear communication with stakeholders such as risk teams regarding how data scientists observe and manage ML and AI models
• Observability Centre of Excellence: Support colleagues in enhancing observability work by maintaining existing tooling, identifying key metrics to monitor, and advising on model behaviour characterization techniques
• Innovate and implement novel methods: Develop and implement techniques and frameworks to deepen understanding of AI/ML model behaviour, enabling safe and effective use of advanced AI, including initiatives such as LLM-as-a-judge, RAG evaluations, and agentic workflow assessment

Requirements

• Strong communication skills: Ability to explain complex technical concepts clearly to non-technical stakeholders
• End-to-end ML lifecycle ownership: Experience developing and deploying complex ML models, from exploratory data analysis to production monitoring
• MLOps familiarity: Familiarity with GCP's MLOps suite including Vertex Pipelines (or similar platforms)
• Technical proficiency: SQL and Python, with experience using libraries such as scikit-learn, Keras, TensorFlow, pandas, NumPy, seaborn, and Matplotlib

Desirables

• Production experience with LLM monitoring: Hands-on experience with monitoring LLMs in production and familiarity with evaluation suites and tools
• Financial services experience: Prior experience in the FinServ industry, understanding challenges and regulations in retail banking

Interview process

Interviewing is a two-way process. Our interviews are conversational to help you and us get to know each other. The typical process is:

• Stage 1 – 30 minutes with the team
• Stage 2 – Take-home challenge
• Stage 3 – 60-minute technical interview with two team members
• Stage 4 – 45-minute final with two executives

Benefits

• 33 days holiday (including public holidays)
• Extra day off for your birthday
• Annual leave increases with length of service; option to buy or sell up to five extra days
• 16 hours paid volunteering time per year
• Salary sacrifice, company-enhanced pension scheme
• Life insurance at 4x salary and group income protection
• Private Medical Insurance with VitalityHealth; mental health support and cancer care; partner benefits with discounts
• Generous family-friendly policies
• Refer-a-friend scheme
• Perkbox membership for discounts and wellness benefits
• Cycle to Work, Salary-Sacrificed Gym partnerships, and EV leasing initiatives

About Us

Starling Bank is an equal opportunity employer focused on diversity and inclusion. We may not be able to accommodate every flexible working request, but we are open to discussion. We are on a mission to radically reshape banking and welcome applicants from all backgrounds and experiences who enjoy solving problems together.

Starling Bank is an equal opportunity employer, and we are proud of our ongoing efforts to foster diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. By applying, you consent to the processing of your personal data in accordance with our Privacy Notice.

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