Talan
Lead Data Scientist (Classical ML, LLMs & AI Agents)
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Lead Data Scientist (Classical ML, LLMs & AI Agents)
Lead Data Scientist – AI & Data Management
About the Role
At Talan Data x AI, we’re hiring a Lead Data Scientist to drive cutting-edge AI engagements and guide our growing team of data scientists and AI engineers. This role demands mastery of both traditional data science (statistics, ML experimentation) and emerging AI (large language models, agentic systems).
Your mission is to own end-to-end delivery, balancing technical rigour, commercial value, and architectural alignment. You’ll mentor colleagues, refine engineering standards, and act as a trusted partner in client discussions—helping businesses see not just what’s possible, but what’s practical.
Your work will span deep collaboration: tuning predictive models, designing AI workflows, and assessing LLM pipelines. You’ll shape cutting-edge solutions that bridge the best of proven data science with the latest in generative AI and agent-based systems.
Key Responsibilities
- Own technical delivery of high-impact AI projects, ensuring quality, scalability, and business impact.
- Combine classical ML (regression, classification, forecasting) with modern GenAI, LLM, and agentic approaches as needed.
- Mentor and develop a growing team of data scientists, AI engineers, and juniors, raising technical and modelling standards.
- Translate business challenges into feasible AI/analytical solutions, bridging technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Ensure best practices across the AI lifecycle: experimentation, validation, deployment, and monitoring.
- Act as a technical architect, aligning implementation with strategic vision.
- Support client engagements with credible technical input, realistic forecasts, and insightful problem-solving.
- Champion reproducibility, model governance, and responsible AI in daily workflows.
- Guide pre-sales conversations by providing data-driven, actionable insights.
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Essential Requirements
- 5+ years’ experience in data science or AI delivery, with hands-on leadership of technical teams or workstreams.
- Strong foundation in machine learning and statistics, with production-level experience.
- Practical knowledge of LLMs and generative AI:
- Prompt engineering, RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation)
- Fine-tuning, evaluation, and pipeline construction.
- Experience with AI agents and orchestration frameworks, with enthusiasm to explore further.
- Proficiency in Python and modern AI/ML ecosystems (Pandas, TensorFlow, PyTorch, etc.), plus solid data engineering intuition.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management — ideally in client-facing roles.
Desirable (But Not Essential)
- Familiarity with Azure AI ecosystem (Azure ML, Azure OpenAI, Databricks, Fabric).
- Experience supporting business development or pre-sales.
- Domain expertise in a regulated or data-intensive sector (e.g., finance, healthcare).
- Open-source contributions, research publications, or a visible technical presence (e.g., blogs, speaking engagements).
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What Else We Ask
- Ability to relocate on client sites for extended periods.
- Willingness to travel for work assignments.
- Eligibility to work in the UK without restrictions.
Why Join Talan Data x AI?
Join a fast-growing practice where you’ll: ✔ Lead high-stakes AI transformations for clients. ✔ Shape your team’s growth alongside industry-leading experts. ✔ Stay at the forefront of AI innovation, blending time-tested techniques with cutting-edge GenAI. ✔ Balance delivery, influence, and mentorship—history combined with ambition.
Benefits Package
- BDP Plus – Trade points for a 3-month sabbatical or cash.
- Pensions – 5% employer contribution, plus salary sacrifice.
- Flexible leave – 25 days + bank holidays, plus 5-day buy/sell.
- Health & support – Private medical insurance, life cover, and employee assistance programs.
- Continuous learning – Bespoke Udemy access for skill development.
- Work-life balance – Cycle-to-work scheme.
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