Data Science & ML Lead - Marketplace

Harnham; Amsterdam; On-site; EUR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Wellbeing support

Growth culture

Senior AI strategy

Career progression

Cutting-edge AI

Job summary

Harnham in Amsterdam is seeking a Senior Data Science/ML leader to shape the AI strategy across multiple product streams. You will mentor data scientists, drive production ML systems, and align initiatives with business goals.

This role offers collaboration, exposure to cutting-edge generative AI, and a path to influence technology decisions at scale with emphasis on governance and measurable impact.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership experience managing and coaching technical teams.
• Deep understanding of ML model development, deployment, and monitoring in production.
• Experience with modern MLOps practices and large-scale data platforms.
• Strong knowledge of generative AI, LLMs, and emerging AI architectures.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of Data Scientists across multiple product areas.
• Define and own the ML and AI strategy aligned to business objectives.
• Champion an AI-first mindset and identify opportunities in ML, generative AI, and emerging tech.
• Guide design, deployment, and optimization of production-grade ML systems.
• Establish best practices across model development, evaluation, governance, and MLOps.
• Assess build vs buy decisions and evaluate third-party AI solutions.
• Partner with product, engineering, and business stakeholders to identify AI opportunities.
• Drive adoption of modern AI tooling and frameworks.
• Ensure ML solutions are scalable, reliable, and deliver measurable value.
• Act as a senior technical leader influencing strategy and business decisions.

Skills

Data Science

Machine Learning Engineering

AI leadership

Team leadership

MLOps

Generative AI

Stakeholder management

Production ML

Strategic thinking

Job description

Amsterdam, Netherlands | Competitive Salary + Bonus + Benefits

This is a rare opportunity to shape the future direction of AI and machine learning within a large-scale digital product environment. You will combine technical leadership, people management, and strategic influence to drive the adoption of advanced machine learning and generative AI solutions that deliver measurable business impact.

This is a great role that combines strategic thinking with technical leadership!

The Company

They are a well-established digital organisation with millions of customer interactions and a strong commitment to innovation through data and AI. Their teams work at scale, developing intelligent products that improve user experiences and support long-term growth. AI is a strategic priority, and they are investing heavily in modern machine learning capabilities, MLOps excellence, and next-generation AI applications. You will join a collaborative environment where experimentation, learning, and continuous improvement are encouraged.

The Role

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of Data Scientists working across multiple product areas.
• Define and own the machine learning and AI strategy, aligning initiatives with wider business objectives.
• Champion an AI-first mindset and identify opportunities to leverage machine learning, generative AI, and emerging technologies.
• Guide the design, deployment, and optimisation of production-grade ML systems.
• Establish best practices across model development, evaluation, governance, and MLOps.
• Assess build versus buy decisions and evaluate third-party AI solutions.
• Partner with product, engineering, and business stakeholders to identify high-impact AI opportunities.
• Drive adoption of modern AI tooling, including large language models and generative AI frameworks.
• Ensure machine learning solutions are scalable, reliable, and deliver measurable value.
• Act as a senior technical leader, influencing strategy and supporting business decision-making.

Your Skills & Experience

• Strong commercial experience in Data Science, Machine Learning Engineering, or applied AI.
• Proven leadership experience managing, coaching, and developing technical teams.
• Deep understanding of machine learning model development, deployment, monitoring, and optimisation in production environments.
• Experience working with modern MLOps practices and large-scale data platforms.
• Strong knowledge of generative AI, large language models, retrieval-augmented generation, fine-tuning approaches, and emerging AI architectures.
• Ability to connect technical decisions with broader commercial and product objectives.
• Experience evaluating external AI solutions and making informed technology investment decisions.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Comfortable operating in complex environments and making decisions with incomplete information.

What They Offer

• Employee assistance programme with wellbeing support.
• Collaborative and supportive culture focused on growth and development.
• Opportunity to shape AI strategy at a senior level.
• Clear scope for progression and long-term career impact.
• Exposure to cutting-edge machine learning and generative AI initiatives.