Principal Data Scientist - Healthcare

Kainos; Belfast; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading AI solutions provider in Northern Ireland seeks a Principal Data Scientist to lead large-scale AI projects and mentor a community of data scientists. The ideal candidate will have strong technical leadership and deep AI/ML expertise, capable of engaging C-level stakeholders. Join a diverse team committed to innovation and ethical AI practices. Competitive salary and career growth opportunities provided.

Qualifications

• Proven track record of delivery of complex AI/ML solutions.
• Deep expertise in ML model development and assurance.
• Strong ability to translate technology into business value.

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery of large-scale AI solutions.
• Mentor and develop data scientists within the team.
• Drive AI development practices and commercial offerings.

Skills

Technical leadership in AI

Developing advanced AI/ML models

Communicating with C-level stakeholders

Building high-performing teams

Commercial acumen

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow

scikit-learn

XGBoost

Job description

Join Kainos and Shape the Future

At Kainos, we’re problem solvers, innovators, and collaborators – driven by a shared mission to create real impact. Whether we’re transforming digital services for millions, delivering cutting‑edge Workday solutions, or pushing the boundaries of technology, we do it together.

We believe in a people‑first culture, where your ideas are valued, your growth is supported, and your contributions truly make a difference. Here, you’ll be part of a diverse, ambitious team that celebrates creativity and collaboration.

Ready to make your mark? Join us and be part of something bigger.

Kainos is recognised as one of the UK’s leading AI and data businesses, with a decade‑long track record of delivering impactful, production‑grade AI solutions for clients across government, healthcare, defence and commercial sectors. Kainos is at the forefront of AI innovation, trusted by Microsoft, AWS and others to deliver advanced AI and data solutions at citizen scale.

Our 150‑strong AI and Data Practice brings together deep expertise in machine learning, generative AI, agentic AI and data. We are pioneers in responsible AI, having authored the UK government’s AI Cyber Security Code of Practice implementation guide and we partner with leading organisations to ensure AI is deployed ethically, securely and with measurable business value. Our teams are at the cutting edge of AI research and delivery, it is truly an exciting team to join Kainos as we further grow our AI capability.

Role Purpose and Responsibilities

As a Principal Data Scientist at Kainos, you will be accountable for the successful delivery of large‑scale, high‑impact AI solutions that leverage state‑of‑the‑art machine learning, generative and agentic AI technologies. You will help set the direction for AI and data science across the business, driving the adoption of modern AI development practices and scalable, cloud‑native architectures at enterprise scale. You will provide technical and thought leadership, engaging with C‑level and senior stakeholders to define architectural principles and strategic direction. As a senior technical leader in AI, you will foster a culture of innovation, continuous learning and engineering excellence—both within Kainos and across the wider industry.

You will lead, mentor and develop a community of data scientists, AI engineers and technical managers, ensuring the adoption of robust standards and responsible AI practices. You will build enduring customer relationships, proactively develop new alliances with technology partners and shape Kainos’ commercial AI offerings. Your leadership will be instrumental in embedding commercial acumen, influencing account strategies and ensuring customers get measurable business value from AI investments.

Minimum Requirements

• Proven track record of accountability for the delivery of complex, production‑grade AI/ML solutions at scale.
• Demonstrable experience of technical leadership in AI delivery.
• Deep expertise in developing and assuring advanced AI/ML models, including time‑series, supervised/unsupervised learning, reinforcement learning, LLMs and agentic AI.
• Experience with the latest AI engineering approaches such as prompt engineering, retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG) and orchestration of agentic AI systems.
• Expertise in data engineering for AI: handling large‑scale, unstructured, and multimodal data, and integrating non‑traditional data sources.
• Deep understanding of responsible AI principles, model interpretability and ethical considerations, with a track record of influencing policy and standards.
• Ability to communicate and negotiate with C‑level and senior stakeholders, translating complex technical concepts into business value.
• Experience in developing and executing account strategies, shaping commercial AI offerings and driving business development in partnership with sales and account managers.
• Demonstrated ability to build and lead high‑performing teams and wider AI and data science communities.
• Strong commercial acumen with a history of influencing the commercial success of AI products and solutions.

Desirable

• Experience with modern deep learning frameworks (e.g. PyTorch, TensorFlow), fine‑tuning or distillation of LLMs (e.g., GPT, Llama, Claude, Gemini) and advanced ML libraries (e.g. scikit‑learn, XGBoost).
• Experience with data storage for AI, vector databases, semantic search and knowledge graphs.
• Active contribution to open‑source AI projects, research publications and industry events/websites.
• Familiarity with AI security, privacy and compliance standards (e.g. ISO 42001).

Embracing our differences

At Kainos, we believe in the power of diversity, equity and inclusion. We are committed to building a team that is as diverse as the world we live in, where everyone is valued, respected and given an equal chance to thrive. We actively seek out talented people from all backgrounds, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability or any other characteristic that makes them who they are. We also believe every candidate deserves a level playing field.

Our friendly talent acquisition team is here to support you every step of the way, so if you require any accommodations or adjustments, we encourage you to reach out.

We understand that everyone's journey is different, and by having a private conversation we can ensure that our recruitment process is tailored to your needs.