Head of Data Science

Jex Recruitment | Connecting top talent with leading companies; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Leading Bank in Abu Dhabi is seeking a Senior Manager - Data Science to shape the data strategy for a top regional financial institution. You will lead a growing team of data scientists and ML engineers, guiding high-impact analytics initiatives across risk, pricing, and customer insights.

The role requires a proven track record in banking or financial services, deep ML and data-engineering expertise, and strong stakeholder management to translate data science into business value.

Qualifications

• Senior data science leadership experience, ideally in banking or financial services.
• Strong ML, statistical modeling and data engineering fundamentals.
• Track record of building and scaling high-performing data science teams.
• Experience navigating banking regulatory and risk considerations.
• Excellent ability to translate data science into business value.

Responsibilities

• Lead and grow a team of data scientists and ML engineers.
• Define and execute the bank's data science and AI strategy.
• Drive use cases across risk, fraud, analytics, and personalization.
• Partner with technology, risk, and business stakeholders to embed data science into decisions.
• Champion best practices in model governance, MLOps, and responsible AI.

Skills

Data science leadership

Banking / financial services

ML & statistics

Stakeholder management

Tools

MLOps

Job description

Senior Manager - Data Science | Banking | Abu Dhabi

We're partnering with a leading bank in Abu Dhabi to find their next Head of Data Science. This is a high-impact leadership role shaping the data science strategy for a major regional financial institution sitting at the intersection of advanced analytics, AI, and core banking operations.

What you'd do:

• Lead and grow a team of data scientists and ML engineers
• Define and execute the bank's data science and AI strategy
• Drive use cases across credit risk, fraud detection, customer analytics, and personalization
• Partner closely with technology, risk, and business stakeholders to embed data science into decision-making
• Champion best practices in model governance, MLOps, and responsible AI

What we're looking for:

• Proven experience in a senior data science leadership role, ideally within banking or financial services
• Strong technical background in machine learning, statistical modeling, and data engineering principles
• Track record of building and scaling high-performing data science teams
• Experience navigating regulatory and risk considerations specific to banking
• Excellent stakeholder management and the ability to translate data science into business value

Relocation:

Open to both local candidates and international applicants, relocation support available for the right candidate