Head of Data Science & AI

Co-op Group; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

An annual bonus (based on personal and

28 days holiday (rising to 32) + bank

Pension up to 10% employer

Subsidised onsite gym - 30% discount

Stream

Early access to a portion of pay

Virtual healthcare including GP and 24

Training and career progression

Cycle-to-work

Job summary

Co-op Group in Manchester is seeking a Head of Data Science & AI to lead our data science and AI practices and shape our AI strategy across the business. You will drive opportunities, guide a team of Data Scientists, and work with senior leaders to unlock value from data across our stores and members.

The role blends home working with a Manchester office presence, and involves building governance around AI as it scales. The position offers a generous salary and comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• Significant experience leading high-performing data science, machine learning or AI teams in a large and complex organisation.
• A strong data science background, with the technical credibility to lead and support specialist teams.
• A track record of turning data science, machine learning or AI capabilities into measurable business outcomes.
• Experience influencing senior stakeholders and helping leaders understand how data and AI can solve business challenges.
• Experience with cloud-based data and AI platforms.
• A clear understanding of the ethical, security, governance and risk considerations involved in the use of AI.
• Excellent leadership, communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to inspire teams and bring people together around a shared vision.

Responsibilities

• Lead and evolve Co-op’s Data Science and AI strategy, aligning with wider business goals.
• Work with senior leaders to identify where data science and AI drive value.
• Shape and prioritise a pipeline of opportunities that improve experiences and drive outcomes.
• Lead, coach and develop a team of Data Scientists.
• Build understanding and excitement around data science, AI and agents.
• Oversee the delivery of data science and AI products, ensuring scalability and alignment.
• Uphold governance and ethical standards for AI in scale.
• Collaborate with Data Domain Leads, tech teams and stakeholders to turn ideas into measurable production outcomes.
• Monitor value and focus investment on areas of greatest impact.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Data science leadership

AI strategy

Stakeholder management

Governance & ethics in AI

Communication

Team coaching

Tools

Databricks

Snowflake

Microsoft Azure

Job description

£100,000 to £125,000 per year, plus excellent benefits

Contract Type:

Permanent

Hours:

Full time

Disability Confident:

No

Closing Date:

11/11/2026

About this job

Head of Data Science & AI £100,000 - £125,000 plus private healthcare, company car or car allowance and more great benefits (Work Level 4) In this role you'll split your time between working at home and our Manchester office, being in the office for 1 to 3 days each fortnight working with our teams (find out more about our hybrid working policy at https://jobs.coop.co.uk/hybrid-working-policy). We're open to applications from people who may require flexible working arrangements.

There'll be an opportunity to discuss your flexible working requirements during the interview process, and at offer stage.

We have redesigned our Digital, Technology and Data function for the future, creating new career opportunities, strengthened our capabilities and are improving our processes so we can deliver even better services for our Co-op, our colleagues, members and customers.

We're looking for a Head of Data Science & AI to join our group Data & AI team and help us unlock even greater value from our Databricks group data lake, covering all our Co-op businesses and giving you access to world leading capabilities at scale.

You’ll lead our data science and AI practice, identifying new opportunities to use Data Science and AI to better serve our customers and members, improve efficiency, solve complex business challenges and deliver meaningful commercial outcomes.

Working closely with senior leaders across Co-op, you will shape our future strategy, direction and ensure we’re making the most of the transformational opportunities that data and AI can create.

Why this role matters

We’ve invested heavily in our data capability, platforms and processes ensuring we have a huge breadth of high-quality data and a talented, collaborative team to work with.

We have many Data Science and AI products already live in production across our 2,400 stores and with our 24 million customers each year.

So rather than building from scratch, you'll focus on what comes next, helping shape the second generation of our AI strategy, blending role and process specific agents in with structured data science and context sensitive alerts.

You will help educate and influence senior leaders to embed data within decisions and consider the right places to use AI and agentic support to improve service outcomes and empower our colleagues.

If you're excited by combining technical credibility with strategic leadership, this is a chance to make a genuine impact at scale.

What you'll do

• Lead and evolve Co-op’s Data Science and AI strategy, ensuring it aligns to our wider business goals
• Work with senior leaders across the business to identify where data science and AI can deliver the greatest value
• Shape and prioritise a pipeline of opportunities that improve colleague and member experiences and drive commercial outcomes
• Lead, coach and develop a team of talented Data Scientists, creating an environment where people can thrive and do their best work
• Build understanding and excitement around data science, AI and agents, helping colleagues and leaders understand what's possible
• Oversee the delivery of data science and AI products, ensuring they are effective, scalable and aligned to business needs
• Reinforce and uphold our governance, ethical standards and ways of working for the responsible use of AI as it scales
• Work closely with our business facing Data Domain Leads, technology teams and business stakeholders to turn great ideas into measurable outcomes in production
• Monitor and demonstrate the value delivered through data science and AI initiatives, ensuring investment is focused on the areas of greatest impact

What you'll bring

We're committed to making our roles as accessible as possible, so we only ask for the minimum criteria.

• Significant experience leading high-performing data science, machine learning or AI teams in a large and complex organisation
• A strong data science background, with the technical credibility to lead and support specialist teams
• A track record of turning data science, machine learning or AI capabilities into measurable business outcomes
• Experience influencing senior stakeholders and helping leaders understand how data and AI can solve business challenges
• Experience with cloud-based data and AI platforms.
• A clear understanding of the ethical, security, governance and risk considerations involved in the use of AI
• Excellent leadership, communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to inspire teams and bring people together around a shared vision We know some people may hesitate to apply if they don't meet every requirement.

While we work with Databricks at Co-op, we welcome candidates who bring experience from similar platforms such as Snowflake or Microsoft Azure.

Why Co-op?

At Co-op, we're owned by our members.

And because we're owned by you, we can do right by you.

So when you join us, you're not just taking a job, you're joining a movement.

We're an organisation that puts people and communities first, and we're powered by purpose.

We want this to be a place where you can thrive, so you'll also receive:

• An annual bonus (based on personal and business performance) - 28 days holiday (rising to 32 with service) plus bank holidays
• A pension with up to 10% employer contributions
• Access to a subsidised onsite gym (at our Manchester HQ) - 30% discount on Co-op products and 10% off other brands
• Stream
• early access to a percentage of your pay as you earn it
• Virtual healthcare including GP appointments, mental health support, nutrition and fitness advice - 24/7 colleague support service
• Training and support for your development and career progression
• Cycle-to-work scheme A place you'll belong We're building diverse and inclusive teams that reflect the communities we serve.

We welcome applications from everyone and are committed to creating a workplace where colleagues can feel like they belong, supported by our inclusive policies and the ways we work.

We're proud to be part of the Disability Confident scheme and offer interviews to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for a job.

If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, we'll support you.

Learn more about our recruitment process at jobs.coop.co.uk/apply-process and our inclusion commitments at jobs.coop.co.uk/diversity-inclusion