Director / Associate Partner Data Science

Valcon; Utrecht; Hybrid; EUR 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus up to 4 months salary

Company car or mobility budget

Flexible holidays/sabbatical options

Remote work from abroad up to 10 days/

Job summary

Valcon is seeking a Director/Associate Partner Data Science to serve as an executive advisor for top-tier clients. You will scale a data science practice, mentor Managers and Principals, and shape AI offerings to drive market expansion.

You will lead complex engagements, align technical architectures with business goals, and support revenue growth through strategic workshops and proposals. You will guide senior teams across multiple accounts, shaping thought leadership in AI, ethics, and data

Qualifications

• Master's or PhD in a quantitative field with deep technical mastery.
• Extensive experience leading Data Science/AI in a professional services setting.
• Proven ability to align technical roadmaps with enterprise strategy and revenue growth.

Responsibilities

• Act as executive sponsor for key engagements and drive commercial success.
• Lead a high-performing Data Science practice and mentor senior staff.
• Design state-of-the-art AI solutions and evaluate MLOps/framework choices.
• Advise on enterprise data architectures and integration.
• Translate technical concepts into business strategy for C-suite stakeholders.
• Drive top-line growth through workshops and client opportunities.

Skills

Executive Sponsorship

Mentorship

Data Science Leadership

MLOps

AI Ethics

Cloud Architectures

Stakeholder Management

Business Development

Education

Master's/PhD in quantitative science

Tools

Azure/AWS/GCP

Job description

Are you ready to scale high-performing data science practices, cultivate C-suite relationships to drive new business, and lead enterprise-wide AI transformations?

As a Director/Associate Partner Data Science, you serve as the trusted executive advisor for top-tier clients, aligning their overarching business goals with Data Science and AI capabilities. You will lead and scale a high-performing practice, empowering your management team to deliver exceptional results across multiple accounts. With your finger on the pulse of AI innovation, you will shape consultancy thought leadership and architect new services that drive significant market expansion.

What will you do?

• Executive Sponsorship & Technical Oversight: Act as the executive sponsor for key engagements, taking ultimate accountability for commercial success while serving as the highest-level technical escalation point for complex data science challenges.
• Practice Leadership & Mentorship: Lead and inspire a high-performing Data Science practice, providing strategic direction while deeply mentoring Managers and Principals on advanced modelling, AI ethics, and data engineering concepts.
• Expert Solution Design: Steer the design of state-of-the-art AI solutions, leveraging your strong content knowledge to validate complex algorithms, evaluate MLOps frameworks, and challenge technology or platform choices.
• Advanced Architecture & Integration: Analyze and advise on enterprise-grade data architectures, ensuring the seamless and scalable integration of new AI solutions into the client’s existing processes and application landscape.
• High Management Advisory: Cultivate long-term relationships with key decision-makers, acting as their trusted partner by flawlessly translating deep technical Data Science and AI concepts into overarching business strategy.
• Commercial Growth & Sales: Drive top-line growth by leading highly technical client workshops, identifying strategic opportunities, and crafting winning proposals for large-scale enterprise engagements.

Career paths

We provide for two career paths:

• Director: Leverage your strong communication skills and deep technical expertise to deliver projects end to end, manage senior stakeholders, architect and design complex solutions, and supervise implementation of state-of-the-art Data Science and AI solutions for the most complex client challenges.
• Associate Partner: Act as the strategic compass for clients, guiding executive stakeholders through their Data Science and AI journey, driving adoption, and unlocking new business opportunities.

What do we offer you?

• Personal development: a tailor-made growth path with training, courses, certification and mentoring by experienced colleagues.
• An innovative work environment: collaborate with a team of experts pushing boundaries in data, technology, and consulting.
• Immediate impact and responsibility: you’ll make a difference for clients from day one and are entrusted with responsibilities that challenge you to bring the best out of yourself.
• Inspiring work culture: a supportive, flexible, and no-nonsense environment that fosters your growth and fully allows you to be yourself.

Additionally, we offer:

• Competitive and transparent salary according to the pay structure, an annual bonus of up to 4 months’ salary (depending on seniority level, individual performance, and company results), and a monthly expense allowance of €95.
• A company car or mobility budget.
• A workplace that prioritizes and respects your work-life balance, for example by offering the option of taking a sabbatical or expanding the amount of holidays per year.
• An affordable sports membership that allows you to participate in 50 different sports offered by over 10,000 partners.
• The opportunity to work remotely from abroad for 10 days per year.
• A vibrant community that organizes both professional and social events.

Experience

• A Master’s or Ph.D. degree in a quantitative science such as Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Mathematics, Econometrics, Physics, or a related field.
• Deep Technical Mastery: 10+ years of experience in the design, architecture, and deployment of complex, enterprise-grade data-driven and data science solutions, with a proven track record of maintaining hands‑on technical relevance.
• Extensive knowledge of modern data concepts, cloud infrastructures (e.g., Azure, AWS, GCP), MLOps, and emerging AI technologies (e.g., Generative AI, LLMs), with the ability to critically evaluate and challenge technical architecture choices.
• Proven ability to align complex technical solutions with overarching enterprise strategies, translating business objectives and regulatory frameworks into scalable AI roadmaps.
• A track record of successfully managing, coaching, and elevating senior data professionals (Managers, Leads, and Principals), fostering both their technical growth and consulting capabilities.
• Substantial experience in a professional services or consulting environment, demonstrating the gravitas required to advise, influence, and build trust with C-suite executives and key stakeholders.
• A strong capability to spot commercial opportunities within both existing and net‑new accounts, confidently leading executive visioning workshops, and converting high-level business challenges into concrete, revenue-generating engagements.

Keywords

• Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Leadership, Sales, Management