Data Science Manager

Kainos; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

Kainos, a leading UK AI and data company, seeks a technical leader to deliver advanced AI/ML solutions and guide architectural direction. You will lead multidisciplinary teams, drive cloud-native practices, and engage C-level stakeholders on strategic AI initiatives.

Ideal candidate combines deep ML expertise with strong Python coding, data engineering know-how, and a track record of coaching teams to deliver high-impact AI products in complex environments.

Qualifications

• Minimum 2.1 degree in Computer Science, AI, Data Science, Statistics or similar quantitative field.
• Proven experience leading multi-disciplinary teams to deliver AI/ML solutions.
• Technical leadership for AI delivery including architecture, product design principles and engineering excellence.
• Deep understanding of AI/ML models incl. time series, supervised/unsupervised learning, RL and LLMs.

Responsibilities

• Deliver advanced AI solutions leveraging state-of-the-art machine learning, generative and agentic AI technologies.
• Drive adoption of modern AI development and scalable cloud-native architectures.
• Provide technical leadership and engage with senior stakeholders on architectural principles and strategic direction.
• Foster a culture of innovation, continuous learning, and engineering excellence within the team.
• Manage, coach, and develop a multi-disciplinary team to ensure high performance.
• Develop standards and policies while maintaining enduring customer relationships and enhancing commercial acumen.

Skills

AI leadership

Python

Data engineering

CI/CD

Cloud architecture

Stakeholder management

Team coaching

Time series ML

Prompt engineering

Ethical AI

Education

2.1 degree in Computer Science/AI/Data Science

Tools

AWS

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Job description

Salary: £19,500 - 35,500 per year

Requirements:

• A minimum of a 2.1 degree in Computer Science, AI, Data Science, Statistics or in a similar quantitative field.
• Proven experience of leading multi-disciplinary teams to deliver high quality AI/ML solutions.
• Demonstrable experience of technical leadership for AI delivery including architecture, product design principles and engineering excellence.
• Deep understanding and development of AI/ML models, including time series, supervised/unsupervised learning, reinforcement learning and LLMs.
• Experience with the latest AI engineering approaches such as prompt engineering, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) and agentic AI.
• Strong Python skills with a grounding in software engineering best practices (CI/CD, testing, code reviews etc).
• Expertise in data engineering for AI: handling large-scale, unstructured, and multimodal data.
• Understanding of responsible AI principles, model interpretability and ethical considerations.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to lead client projects, manage C-level stakeholders and establish requirements/architecture concepts.
• Experience in managing, coaching and developing junior members of a team and wider community.

Responsibilities:

• Deliver advanced AI solutions leveraging state-of-the‑art machine learning, generative and agentic AI technologies.
• Drive the adoption of modern AI development and scalable cloud‑native architectures.
• Provide technical leadership and engage with senior stakeholders on architectural principles and strategic direction.
• Foster a culture of innovation, continuous learning, and engineering excellence within the team.
• Manage, coach, and develop a multi‑disciplinary team to ensure high performance.
• Develop standards and policies while maintaining enduring customer relationships and enhancing commercial acumen.
• Solve challenging problems collaboratively with your team.

Technologies:

• AI
• CI/CD
• Cloud
• Machine Learning
• Python
• AWS
• Support
• PyTorch
• Security
• TensorFlow

More:

At Kainos, we’re recognized as one of the UK’s leading AI and data businesses, focusing on delivering impactful, production‑grade AI solutions to clients across various sectors. We emphasize a people‑first culture where ideas are valued and personal growth is supported. Our AI and Data Practice, comprising a diverse and ambitious team, celebrates creativity and collaboration, making it an exciting time to join as we expand our AI capability. We believe in the power of diversity and inclusion, and actively seek out talent from all backgrounds to ensure an equal opportunity for everyone.

last updated 36 week of 2026