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Principal Data Scientist
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A career without limits
As the nation's flag carrier, we take great pride in connecting Britain with the world and the world with Britain.
It's something we've been doing for over 100 years, ever since we launched the world's first international scheduled air service between London and Paris.
This originality has been in our blood since day one. It's the spirit we share with the people that fly with us, our partners, and our colleagues.
So, whether you are a reassuring voice on the end of a phone, a smile at the door, under a wing keeping the turbines spinning or landing us gently in far-flung places, a job at British Airways is yours to make.
We know great things can happen when you're inspired to think big and bring your ambition to work every day, which is why, at British Airways the sky is never the limit.
The role: Principal Data Scientist
As a senior leader within the Data & AI function, reporting to the Head of Data Delivery, the Principal Data Scientist is accountable for the end-to-end delivery and lifecycle management of high-value data science products or initiatives that support or automate decision-making across critical business areas. Operating within Agile cross-functional squads, they lead teams to scope, design, build, deploy and maintain scalable, production-ready solutions - including predictive models, optimisation engines, and decision-support tools - that integrate seamlessly with business processes and technical infrastructure. The Principal Data Scientist delivers in line with the strategic direction for data science delivery, ensures model compliance and ethical responsibility, and drives continuous improvement in team capabilities and ways of working. They also line manage and coach others to achieve their full potential, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation and impact.
What You'll Do
The Principal Data Scientist has accountabilities across the full value chain and coordinates the execution of high-value data science initiatives:
- Manages and coaches data science teams to deliver a portfolio of data science products from scoping to delivery
- Scopes and documents ill-defined client needs and frames data science solutions that align with business goals
- Responsible for the quality and timely delivery of the data science products for an area of the business
- Reporting on team key performance indicators
- Acquires, processes and manipulates complex and large raw data to ensure high-quality inputs for models
- Designs, builds and trains data science products such as business models, predictive analytics tools, recommender systems, natural language processing, anomaly detection, forecasts, optimisation models and decision support systems
- Works with Digital teams to productionise models and deliver application front ends
- Translates results in to actionable recommendations
- Provides guidance to stakeholders on how models created can improve business outcomes
- Works within cross-functional business and Digital teams
- Oversees management, improvements to and decommissioning of existing data science products for business area to ensure they are valuable, feasible and usable
- Monitors industry trends and advancements in data science
- Ensures adherence to published frameworks in team
- Ensures model compliance & ethical responsibility in team
- Ensures best practice is followed in their team
- Line manages others to achieve full potential
- Provides ad hoc team cover on an exceptional basis
- Contributes to conversations on feature prioritisation and roadmap, with an understanding of the trade-off between speed vs. long-term value
- Communicates feature and modelling approach, trade-offs, and results with the internal team and business stakeholders
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The Principal Data Scientist is also accountable for ways of working fit for an Agile cross-functional development squad, including:
- Using Git-versioning best practices for version control
- Contributing and reviewing pull-requests and product / technical documentation
- Giving input on prioritization, team process improvements, optimizing technology choices
- Working independently and giving predictability on delivery timelines
What You'll Bring To British Airways
- Can structure ill-defined business problems and support others
- Can communicate to large/senior groups
- Can effectively challenge senior colleagues
- Can build strong stakeholder relationship networks and set data science strategy
- Can coach and manage a team
- Leads scrum methodology and ceremonies
- Able to independently manage products through the lifecycle & support others
- Can prioritise own work
- Can operate in multiple DevOps roles
- Can lead others on a project
- Can manage project teams effectively using agile principles and quality assurance
- Can apply software engineering principles and concepts eg using Git and Python
- Can build and deploy production ready machine learning pipelines eg using Python
- Comprehensive cloud understanding
- Comfortable designing user interface solutions for Machine Learning applications
- Advanced data wrangling skills applicable to large data eg using SQL, Python
- Can apply advanced spreadsheet modelling to complex problems eg using Excel
- Able to apply a range of advanced machine learning and multivariate techniques
- Proficient in use of Microsoft Office, including advanced Excel and Powerpoint Skills
- Advanced analytical skills, including the ability to apply a range of data science and analytic techniques to quickly generate accurate business insights
- Communication of advanced technical concepts to audiences with varying levels of technical skills
- Managing priorities and timelines to deliver features in a timely manner that meet business requirements
- Collaborative team-working, giving and receiving feedback, and always seeking to improve team processes
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Your Experience
- Numerate degree or equivalent with data science components
- Experience of leading others in applying data science to business problems
- Experience in developing industrialised software, especially data science or machine learning software products (required)
- Experience in relevant business domains (transportation, airlines, operations, network problems) (preferred)
What We Offer
We believe that all the people who work with us should feel valued for the part they play. It's one of the reasons our rewards go far beyond a competitive salary.
From the day you join us, you'll get access to brilliant staff travel benefits including unlimited basic and premium standby tickets on British Airways flights. You'll also receive up to 30 discounted 'Hotline' airfares per year for yourself, friends, and family.
At British Airways you'll have the chance to take on new challenges and move forward in a way that feels right for you. We encourage all those who work for us to consider opportunities right across our business to help you develop and progress.
We never stand still, and we don't expect our people to either.
Inclusion & Diversity
At British Airways we all have a part to play in creating an inclusive place to work. Diverse representation among our people is really important to us and we recognise that all our colleagues are uniquely different and bring their own originality, creativity and identity to work.
Inclusion and diversity is a key driver of innovation and we're committed to creating a culture where everyone feels that they can be themselves. We're looking for people from all backgrounds and cultures to join us and be a part of our journey to become a Better BA as we continue to connect Britain with the world and the world with Britain.
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