Senior Data Scientist Manager - Based in Abu Dhabi

Discovered MENA; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 420,000 - 700,000; Full time

Job summary

Discovered MENA is seeking a Senior Data Science Manager to lead the development and adoption of AI initiatives within a leading Abu Dhabi financial institution. You will bridge technical teams and senior stakeholders, delivering robust, production-ready models that directly influence business decisions and growth.

You will guide a team to design, deploy, and monitor models across retail, risk, credit, and operations, ensuring explainability, regulatory compliance, and seamless integration with

Qualifications

• 6+ years in data science with AI and cloud deployments.
• Banking domain knowledge and ML ops experience.
• Leadership of cross-functional/agile teams.

Responsibilities

• Design and deploy ML models to improve efficiency and risk outcomes across journeys.
• Apply supervised, unsupervised, and time series modeling on structured data.
• Lead feature engineering, model selection, training, validation, benchmarking.

Skills

Data science leadership

Machine learning

Python

Cross-functional leadership

Cloud deployments

Education

Bachelor in quantitative field

Master degree preferred

Tools

Azure

AWS

CI/CD

Job description

We are hiring a Senior Data Science Manager to join a leading financial institution in Abu Dhabi. Our client works across diverse banking domains to leverage data assets and implement cutting edge technology solutions. As a key leader in the business services division, you will bridge the gap between technical teams and senior business stakeholders, translating complex organisational challenges into high impact machine learning solutions that drive measurable growth.

Discover the role

In this position you will lead the development and adoption of data science and artificial intelligence initiatives across critical banking sectors like retail, risk, credit, and operations. You will provide strategic and technical leadership to a dedicated team, ensuring that all models are robust, explainable, and ready for production. This role focuses on embedding advanced statistical insights directly into the core decision making processes of the business.

Discover the responsibilities

• Design and deploy advanced machine learning models to improve efficiency and risk outcomes across customer journeys
• Apply supervised, unsupervised, and time series modeling techniques using structured and semi structured data
• Lead feature engineering, model selection, training, validation, and benchmarking
• Conduct experimentation using hypothesis testing and statistical inference to quantify model impact
• Collaborate with engineering teams to ensure models are production ready and maintained through standard continuous integration practices
• Monitor model performance, stability, and data drift to ensure ongoing reliability and regulatory compliance
• Drive the adoption of data driven practices across business units by managing change initiatives and training programs
• Manage and mentor a team of two to five direct reports, organising activities to deliver on strategic objectives

Discover the requirements

• Minimum 6 years of experience in data science with proven expertise in artificial intelligence and cloud based deployments
• Strong background in banking processes, operations, terminologies, and machine learning operations
• Experience leading cross functional teams and agile squads in a regulated environment
• Bachelor degree in a quantitative field such as Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Statistics, or Mathematics
• Master degree in a related field is highly preferred
• Advanced technical skills in Python, generative AI, large language models, and cloud based pipelines using Azure or AWS