Data Team Lead/Lead Data Scientist

Harnham; Amsterdam; Hybrid; EUR 85,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Relocation support

Ownership and autonomy

Exposure to ML/analytics projects

Job summary

Harnham is seeking a Data Team Lead / Lead Data Scientist to own and evolve the data platform while actively contributing to hands-on delivery across analytics, machine learning, and platform innovation.

You will partner with technology, product, and commercial stakeholders to deliver measurable business impact, build cloud-native data solutions with dbt, Airflow, GCP/BigQuery, and guide the data team through growth and governance.

Qualifications

• Strong experience designing and operating modern cloud data platforms.
• Hands-on with dbt and data transformation best practices.
• Experience with orchestration tools such as Airflow.
• Experience working with GCP and BigQuery.
• Proven capability deploying machine learning or statistical models into production.
• Experience with experimentation frameworks and A/B testing.
• Knowledge of recommendation systems or ranking models.
• Ability to communicate effectively with technical and commercial stakeholders.
• Leadership experience or a demonstrated ability to guide and influence teams.
• Based in the Netherlands or willing to relocate.
• E-commerce, marketplace, travel, or other high-volume digital environments.
• Building or scaling data teams and platform capabilities.
• Analytics engineering and self-service BI initiatives.
• Platform architecture and data governance leadership.

Responsibilities

• Taking ownership of the data platform and its ongoing development.
• Leading the design and operation of modern cloud-based data solutions.
• Introducing and improving model lifecycle management, monitoring, and governance practices.
• Building scalable capabilities across analytics, machine learning, and self-service BI.
• Driving initiatives across areas such as recommendation systems, search optimisation, experimentation, and commercial analytics.
• Partnering with product and business stakeholders to define success metrics and prioritise opportunities.
• Supporting the growth and development of the data team.
• Balancing strategic leadership with hands‑on technical contributions across data and machine learning projects.

Skills

Cloud data platforms

ML deployment

Experimentation

A/B testing

Recommendation systems

Leadership

Communication

Team building

Stakeholder management

Relocation willingness

Tools

dbt

Airflow

BigQuery

Python

Tableau

GCP

Job description

This is an opportunity to take ownership of a growing data function at a business that has already invested heavily in its data foundations and is now entering the next phase of maturity. You'll combine technical leadership with hands-on delivery, shaping both the platform and the future direction of data products that directly influence commercial performance.

The Company

They are a well-established consumer-focused organisation with a strong digital presence and a growing commitment to data-driven decision making. Following significant investment in their data capabilities, they have built modern foundations and are now looking for someone to lead the next stage of development.

Working in a collaborative environment, you'll partner closely with technology, product, and commercial stakeholders to deliver measurable business impact through analytics, machine learning, and platform innovation.

The Role

As a Data Team Lead / Lead Data Scientist, you will be responsible for driving the evolution of the organisation's data platform while remaining deeply involved in technical delivery.

Key responsibilities include:

• Taking ownership of the data platform and its ongoing development
• Leading the design and operation of modern cloud-based data solutions
• Introducing and improving model lifecycle management, monitoring, and governance practices
• Building scalable capabilities across analytics, machine learning, and self-service BI
• Driving initiatives across areas such as recommendation systems, search optimisation, experimentation, and commercial analytics
• Partnering with product and business stakeholders to define success metrics and prioritise opportunities
• Supporting the growth and development of the data team
• Balancing strategic leadership with hands‑on technical contributions across data and machine learning projects

Your Skills & Experience

You will bring a blend of platform expertise, machine learning capability, and leadership potential.

Key requirements include:

• Strong experience designing and operating modern cloud data platforms
• Hands‑on expertise with dbt and data transformation best practices
• Experience with orchestration tools such as Airflow
• Experience working with GCP and BigQuery
• Proven capability deploying machine learning or statistical models into production environments
• Experience with experimentation frameworks and A/B testing
• Knowledge of recommendation systems or ranking models
• Ability to communicate effectively with technical and commercial stakeholders
• Leadership experience or a demonstrated ability to guide and influence teams
• Based in the Netherlands or willing to relocate
• E-commerce, marketplace, travel, or other high-volume digital environments
• Building or scaling data teams and platform capabilities
• Analytics engineering and self-service BI initiatives
• Platform architecture and data governance leadership

What They Offer

• Salary of €85,000 - €100,000 including holiday allowance
• Hybrid working with approximately two office days per week
• Sponsorship and relocation support available
• High levels of ownership and autonomy
• Opportunity to shape both the data platform and team structure
• Modern technology stack including GCP, BigQuery, dbt, Airflow, Python, and Tableau
• Direct exposure to commercially impactful machine learning and analytics projects
• A clear opportunity to influence strategy while remaining hands‑on technically