Data Science Manager Lisbon, Portugal

GoCardless Ltd; Lisboa; Hybrid; EUR 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Wellbeing

Work away scheme

Adaptive Working

Parental leave

Learning Budget

Wellness days

Job summary

GoCardless Ltd is seeking a Data Science Manager for the Payment Intelligence team. You will lead a high-performing group of Data Scientists, owning the full ML lifecycle from concept to production within a GCP/Vertex AI environment.

You will collaborate with Software Engineers, Product Managers, and Designers to translate complex data challenges into high-impact solutions that power our global payments network.

Qualifications

• Experience leading Data Science teams and ML projects in production.
• Ability to translate ML concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong background in Python, SQL, and data modeling.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a high-performing team of Data Scientists.
• Oversee end-to-end lifecycle of ML models powering real-time decisions.
• Shape roadmap for Payment Intelligence and align with cross-functional partners.
• Build end-to-end technical solutions from concept to production.

Skills

Data Science

Team Leadership

Machine Learning

Python

SQL

GCP

Vertex AI

BigQuery

Tools

Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

Vertex AI

BigQuery

Job description

GoCardless, a Mollie company, is a global leader in bank payments. Over 100,000 businesses, from start-ups to household names, use GoCardless to collect, manage and send bank payments through Direct Debit, real-time payments and open banking. With US$130bn+ processed annually across 30+ countries, we handle recurring and one-off payments without the chasing, stress, or expensive fees. Our end-to-end payment platform also features AI-powered solutions to improve payment success and reduce fraud, alongside connections to over 350 platforms businesses use everyday.

We are headquartered in the UK, with teams and operations spanning North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. For more information, please visit www.gocardless.com and follow us on LinkedIn @GoCardless.

Mollie is the leading payments and financial services partner for business, rooted in Europe, with global reach.

The role

Data sits at the core of our mission. We leverage bank account data to deliver high-value, intelligent payment solutions for our customers, from enhancing payment success rates to driving payer fraud prevention.

As a Data Science Manager within our Payment Intelligence team, you’ll partner with Software Engineers, Product Managers, and Designers to turn big ideas into reality. You’ll own the full lifecycle of our algorithms, shaping everything from the initial concept to production-ready code that powers our global payment network.

At GoCardless, our stack is centered around Google Cloud Platform and Vertex AI, providing a high-performance environment for innovation. Our Data Scientists operate at the intersection of Python, SQL, and BigQuery to build and deploy high-performance models at scale.

What you’ll do

• Manage and mentor a high-performing team of Data Scientists, fostering a culture of technical excellence and supporting their long-term career development.
• Oversee the end-to-end lifecycle of mission-critical ML models that power real-time payment decisions.
• Shape the strategic roadmap for the Payment Intelligence space, translating complex data challenges into actionable, high-impact goals.
• Drive cross-functional impact by working closely across disciplines to build end-to-end technical solutions, from concept to production.
• Influence Senior Leadership by acting as the bridge between technical complexity and business value, communicating ML strategy to senior stakeholders.

What excites you

• Driving cutting-edge advancements in Data, AI, and Machine Learning within the payments space with a multidisciplinary team.
• Mentoring a high-performing team and fostering a culture of technical excellence.
• Solving the complex, real-time challenges of fraud prevention and payment optimisation at scale.
• Building production-grade ML models on a streamlined GCP and Vertex AI stack to drive fintech innovation.

What excites us

• 2+ years managing Data Scientists within complex, high-stakes domains.
• A hands‑on leader comfortable diving into the codebase. You bring strong expertise in Python and SQL to oversee the full lifecycle of a model, from initial prototype to robust production deployment.
• A decisive collaborator who can navigate technical trade-offs and translate complex ML concepts for cross-functional stakeholders and leadership.
• Familiarity with complex data environments and model architectures, such as deep learning (experience in Fintech, Fraud Prevention, or Payments is a big plus).

Please note this range is indicative. The budget for this role is flexible and will be shaped by the hiring process - we're open to discussing what's right based on the individual.

Base salary ranges are based on role, job level, location, and market data. Please note that whilst we strive to offer competitive compensation, our approach is to pay between the minimum and the mid-point of the pay range until performance can be assessed in role. Offers will take into account level of experience, interview assessment, budgets and parity between you and fellow employees at GoCardless doing similar work.

(some of) The good stuff

• Wellbeing - stay healthy with dedicated support and medical cover
• Work away scheme - gives you the option to work away from your country of residence for up to 90 days in any 12 month period
• Adaptive Working - allows you to work flexibly, around your lifestyle
• Parental leave - to suit everyone embarking on life's great adventure
• Learning Budget - lead your own development with an annual learning budget
• Time off - generous holiday allowance, + 3 annual volunteer days, + 4 annual business-wide wellness days ('GC Fridays')

Life at GoCardless

We're an organisation defined by our values ; We start with whybefore we begin any project, to ensure it’s aligned with our mission. We make it happen, working with urgency and taking personal accountability for getting things done. We act with integrity, always. We care deeply about what we do and we know it's essential that we be humble whilst we do it. Our Values form part of the GoCardless DNA, and are used to not only help us nurture and develop our culture, but to deliver impactful work that will help us to achieve our vision.

Diversity & Inclusion

As of April 2025, we had 806 employees (GeeCees) globally, with 524 based in the UK, 163 based in Latvia and 119 across our other offices.

To ensure that we're representative of the world around us - and to be able to review relevant benchmarks - we ask GeeCees to voluntarily disclose diversity data. This year, the proportion of GeeCees providing data increased to 88% (up from 79% in 2024). With regards to diversity within GoCardless, we can see GeeCees identifying as:

Asian, Black, Mixed or Other - 25%

LGBTQIA+ - 9%

Disabled - 1%

Average age - 33

Female - 45%

We’re rooting for you during your application and GoCardless aims to provide reasonable adjustments to make our recruitment process as remarkable and accessible as we can. Please speak to your Talent Partner if you need extra support.

If you want to learn more, you can read about our Employee Resource Groups and objectives here.

Sustainability

We’re committed to reducing our impact on the environment, leaving a more sustainable world for future generations. Check out our sustainability action plan here.

At GoCardless we’re committed to fostering an inclusive and high-performance culture built on trust and transparency.

To ensure you have a clear understanding of the compensation and potential growth for this opportunity, we’ve shared the full base salary pay range for this role. Please note, our approach is to offer salaries between the minimum and mid-point of the range.

We want to manage expectations from the start, and if your application is successful you can discuss any questions around the pay range and salary with your Talent Partner.

PORTUGAL - Demographic Questions

The questions below are completely optional and are anonymous. You can proceed with your application without answering them. Your answers CANNOT be linked to you individually, and they have no impact on the hiring decisions we make. However, we’d appreciate you answering them and here’s why: