Head of Data Science

Data Science Festival; Manchester; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Data Science Festival in Manchester is seeking a Head of Data Science to lead a growing team of 6+ scientists. This role involves setting the technical direction and driving the transition towards machine learning engineering, aligning with company-wide objectives.

The ideal candidate will have proven leadership experience and a strong background in building and deploying ML models at scale. This is a fantastic opportunity to shape the data science strategy and support career growth within the team.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership experience in data science or machine learning.
• Strong background in building and deploying ML models at scale.
• Ability to lead embedded data science teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead a growing team of 6+ data scientists.
• Set technical direction aligning with company-wide OKRs.
• Drive transition towards machine learning engineering.

Skills

Leadership experience in data science or machine learning

Building and deploying ML models at scale

Ability to structure and lead teams

Technical expertise with Databricks, Python, Spark

Experience with machine learning engineering best practice

Job description

We're working with a high-growth business that is scaling its data function to the next level. Data scientists here have traditionally combined reporting with predictive modelling, but the business is now creating a dedicated leadership role to bring focus, structure and engineering rigour to the discipline.

As Head of Data Science, you’ll lead a growing team of 6+ scientists embedded across product and functional teams, while also setting the technical direction and ensuring alignment with company-wide OKRs. You’ll drive the transition towards machine learning engineering, championing end-to-end model ownership from research through to deployment in production. This is a fantastic opportunity to shape the data science strategy, support the career growth of talented scientists, and deliver measurable impact in areas such as search, pricing, personalisation, vouchers, marketing, operations and finance.

Skills and Experience

• Proven leadership experience in data science or machine learning, ideally within product‑led or consumer‑facing organisations
• Strong background in building and deploying ML models at scale in production environments
• Ability to structure and lead embedded data science teams, partnering effectively with senior stakeholders across multiple domains
• Hands‑on technical expertise with tools such as Databricks, Python, Spark, and GCP/BigQuery
• Engineering mindset, with experience moving teams toward machine learning engineering best practice
• Credibility to lead long‑tenured individual contributors while providing direction, mentorship and career development

If you are looking for a new challenge, then please submit your CV for initial screening and more details.