Principal Data Scientist

AI Chopping Block; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited Annual Leave Policy

Private healthcare and dental

Enhanced parental leave

Family-Friendly Flexibility & Flexible

Sanctus Coaching

Hybrid Working

Job summary

Faculty is seeking a Principal Data Scientist for its Defence team in the UK. You will own complex ML delivery, shape sector strategy, and mentor data scientists while building trusted client partnerships.

The role requires UK Security Clearance eligibility, with on-site work 2–4 days weekly and flexibility to work from our London office or remotely within the UK. You will combine technical leadership with strategic thinking to drive high-impact AI solutions for high-stakes scenarios across

Qualifications

• Deep domain expertise in Defence or related industries.
• Experience mentoring junior data scientists and leading teams.
• Knowledge of Generative AI and large language models.
• Advanced Python coding and scalable software practices.

Responsibilities

• Own and grow a strategic Defence ML portfolio.
• Translate client challenges into technical roadmaps and delivery plans.
• Write production-grade code setting technical standards on delivery projects.
• Act as a technical authority on machine learning across Faculty.

Skills

Defence domain

Mentoring

Generative AI

LLMs

Python

Scalable code

Stakeholder comms

Job description

Why Faculty?

We established Faculty in 2014 because we thought that AI would be the most important technology of our time. Since then, we’ve worked with over 350 global customers to transform their performance through human-centric AI. You can read about our real-world impact here.

We don’t chase hype cycles. We innovate, build and deploy responsible AI which moves the needle - and we know a thing or two about doing it well. We bring an unparalleled depth of technical, product and delivery expertise to our clients who span government, finance, retail, energy, life sciences and defence.

Our business, and reputation, is growing fast and we’re always on the lookout for individuals who share our intellectual curiosity and desire to build a positive legacy through technology.

AI is an epoch-defining technology, join a company where you’ll be empowered to envision its most powerful applications, and to make them happen.

About the team

Our Defence team is focused on building and embedding human centred AI solutions which give our nation a competitive edge in the defence sector. We collaborate with our clients to bring ethical, reliable and cutting edge AI to high-stakes situations and maintain the balance of global powers essential to our liberty.

Because of the nature of the work we do with our Defence clients, you will need to be eligible for UK Security Clearance (SC) and willing to work between 2 to 4 days per week on site with these customers which may require travel to locations throughout the UK.

When not required on client sites, you’ll have the flexibility to work from our London office or remotely from elsewhere within the UK.

About the role

As a Principal Data Scientist at Faculty, you will drive high impact transformation within our Defence team by taking ownership of complex machine learning delivery and sector specific strategy. You will act as a trusted technical authority and domain expert, leading project scoping, technical selling, and client management to deliver exceptional value. Balancing deep business knowledge with advanced analytical skill, you will shape cutting edge AI solutions, build robust client partnerships, and mentor data scientists across ambitious initiatives.

What you'll be doing:

• Owning and growing a strategic portfolio of machine learning work specifically tailored to the Defence sector.

• Translating client challenges into technical roadmaps by leading project scoping, delivery, and client engagement.

• Writing exemplary, production grade code to set technical standards on our most sophisticated delivery projects.

• Serving as a technical authority on machine learning across Faculty and representing our capabilities within the wider community.

• Partnering with commercial and delivery teams to drive technical selling, pitching, and business growth.

• Mentoring and guiding junior data scientists through complex problem solving, technical planning, and execution.

Who we're looking for:

• You bring deep domain expertise within Defence or other industries, allowing you to quickly spot opportunities and maximise impact.

• You enjoy mentoring junior colleagues and have prior direct management experience, inspiring them to continually stretch and grow their technical skill.

• You bring broad knowledge across a range of machine learning techniques, including experience building Generative AI and agentic AI applications with Large Language Models

• You have advanced coding skills in Python and proven experience building and maintaining scalable codebases.

• You excel at making pragmatic decisions, choosing optimal solutions based on time, resources, and complexity.

• You are an engaging communicator who builds trust effortlessly with senior stakeholders and technical counterparts.

The Interview Process

1. Talent Team Screen (30 minutes)

2. Introduction to Business Unit Technical Director (30 minutes)

3. Technical Interview (90 minutes)

4. Commercial & Principles Interview (90 minutes)

Our Recruitment Ethos

We aim to grow the best team - not the most similar one. We know that diversity of individuals fosters diversity of thought, and that strengthens our principle of seeking truth. And we know from experience that diverse teams deliver better work, relevant to the world in which we live. We’re united by a deep intellectual curiosity and desire to use our abilities for measurable positive impact. We strongly encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, religions and sexual orientations.

Some of our standout benefits:

• Unlimited Annual Leave Policy

• Private healthcare and dental

• Enhanced parental leave

• Family-Friendly Flexibility & Flexible working

• Sanctus Coaching

• Hybrid Working

We are open to conversations about part-time hours.

A note on AI: we're happy for you to use it for research and interview prep, but please don't use it to generate answers during live interviews. We also use an AI note-taker (Metaview) in interviews so interviewers can stay present (which you can opt out of just let us know,) and every application is reviewed by a human, never decided by AI.