Lead / Principal Data Scientist

This is a leadership opportunity at a fast‑scaling AI consultancy known for its technical excellence and track record in delivering real‑world impact across highly regulated industries. The team helps major clients in finance, insurance, legal, and other sectors apply cutting‑edge data science in complex operational environments, balancing innovation with reliability and rigor.

You’ll join a deeply technical, collaborative group working on custom AI and machine learning solutions that support automation, forecasting, and decision intelligence. The focus is on strategic value creation: solving ambiguous problems with clarity, and delivering tools that embed into the heart of client systems.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Set the technical direction on multi‑disciplinary data science & AI projects, from approach selection to architecture design
• Take ownership of full solution pipelines, leading hands‑on development and supporting others to do the same
• Work closely with senior client stakeholders to shape project scope, track value delivery, and communicate findings
• Oversee a small team of data scientists on each project, supporting mentorship, quality control, and technical review
• Collaborate with commercial and delivery teams to shape proposals and ensure feasibility of engagements
• Contribute to internal capability‑building by sharing knowledge, tools, and best practices within the wider team

What They’re Looking For

• Led the delivery of applied machine learning projects, ideally across commercial or regulated sectors
• Strong Python skills and comfort using core libraries (e.g. NumPy, Pandas), plus familiarity with deep learning tooling like PyTorch
• Expertise in a wide range of ML methods, including supervised and unsupervised learning, time series, NLP, and LLM/GenAI projects
• Ability to scope and structure solutions around ambiguous business problems, turning them into tractable pipelines
• Confident in managing small technical teams, reviewing work, and setting standards for robustness and clarity
• Experience with stakeholder engagement and translating outputs for non‑technical audiences

If this role interests you and you would like to find out more (or find out about other roles), please apply here or contact us via niall.wharton@Xcede.com (feel free to include a CV for review).

Location: London, England, United Kingdom