Executive Director / Principal Data Scientist

TWG Global; London; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading AI and data firm in the UK is seeking a Principal Data Scientist to lead high-impact AI and data science initiatives. This role involves designing solutions, mentoring a team, and ensuring integration with technical standards. Candidates should have over 8 years of experience and a PhD in a relevant field. The position offers competitive compensation and is hybrid in nature.

Benefits

Competitive compensation

Full range of medical benefits

Leadership opportunities

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in data science or machine learning with proven delivery.
• Demonstrated success leading end-to-end projects and influencing stakeholders.
• Experience mentoring or leading small high-performing teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and delivery of AI/ML projects that drive measurable value.
• Mentor and guide UK data scientists, fostering technical excellence.
• Define and enforce standards for experimentation, reproducibility, and responsible AI.

Skills

Machine learning

Data science

Python

Statistical modeling

Deep learning

Education

PhD or equivalent advanced degree in related field

Tools

Cloud platforms

Palantir platforms

Job description

Overview

At TWG Group Holdings, LLC ("TWG Global"), we drive innovation and business transformation across industries by leveraging data and AI as core assets. Our AI-first, cloud-native approach delivers real-time intelligence and interactive business applications, empowering informed decision-making for customers and employees. We prioritize responsible data and AI practices, ensuring regulatory compliance. Our decentralised structure enables each business unit to operate autonomously, supported by a central AI Solutions Group, with strategic partnerships with leading data and AI vendors fueling initiatives in marketing, operations and product development.

You will collaborate with management to advance our data and analytics transformation, enhance productivity, and enable agile, data-driven decisions. By leveraging relationships with top tech startups and universities, you will help create competitive advantages and drive enterprise innovation. Your contributions will support our goal of sustained growth and superior returns, as we deliver rare value and impact across our businesses.

The Role

As a Principal Data Scientist (UK), you will serve as the senior technical leader within the UK Data Science team, reporting to the Head of UK AI & Data Science. You will lead the design and execution of high-impact AI and data science initiatives, working with embedded ML Engineers to move prototypes into production-ready pilots that deliver measurable business outcomes. This role is focused on delivery and applied impact: you will scope and frame complex business problems, develop advanced models, and collaborate with ML Engineers to ensure solutions are integrated, monitored, and piloted successfully. Once validated, you will work with the central engineering, data, and product teams to ensure smooth handoff and enterprise adoption. As the UK's most senior data science IC, you will mentor and guide a team of data scientists, set technical direction, represent TWG externally, and ensure all projects align with firm-wide priorities and responsible AI practices.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and delivery of flagship AI/ML projects that drive measurable value across financial services and adjacent sectors
• Act as senior technical authority on advanced methods (generative AI, causal inference, LLM-based analytics, RAG, simulation)
• Partner closely with embedded ML Engineers to operationalize models into production-ready pilots
• Collaborate with central engineering, data, and product teams to hand off successful pilots for scaling, governance, and long-term adoption
• Translate complex business challenges into enterprise-level AI solutions with tangible ROI
• Mentor and guide UK data scientists, fostering technical excellence, rigor, and responsible AI adoption
• Partner with senior stakeholders, including MDs and executive committees, to ensure AI initiatives align with priorities
• Represent TWG Global in external forums, universities, regulators, and partnerships with technology leaders
• Define and enforce standards for experimentation, reproducibility, and responsible AI
• Stay ahead of emerging AI/ML trends, advising on adoption and capability building for the UK hub

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in data science or machine learning, with proven delivery of enterprise-impact projects
• Deep expertise in advanced machine learning, causal inference, deep learning, and statistical modeling
• Demonstrated success leading end-to-end projects and influencing senior stakeholders
• Hands-on technical depth in Python (or R), cloud platforms, and modern ML frameworks
• Experience mentoring or leading small, high-performing teams
• PhD or equivalent advanced degree in Data Science, Statistics, Computer Science, or related quantitative discipline
• Recognized as a technical thought leader through publications, external talks, or open-source contributions

Preferred Experience

• Experience using Palantir platforms (Foundry, AIP, Ontology) to develop and operationalize insights
• Familiarity with LLM application frameworks, vector databases, and knowledge graphs
• Publications in top-tier AI/ML or data science conferences/journals (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, KDD, AAAI, ACL, JASA)
• Contributions to the open-source data science/ML ecosystem (libraries, frameworks, widely adopted tools)
• Track record of thought leadership (invited talks, keynotes, conference leadership roles)
• Experience establishing standards for reproducibility, experimentation, and responsible AI
• Cloud or AI/ML certifications (AWS, GCP, Azure) are a plus

Benefits

• Work at the forefront of AI/ML innovation in life insurance, annuities, and financial services
• Drive AI transformation for some of the most sophisticated financial entities
• Competitive compensation, benefits, future equity options, and leadership opportunities

This is a hybrid position based in the United Kingdom. We offer a competitive base pay plus a discretionary bonus as part of the compensation package, in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits.

TWG is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.