Lead Data Scientist

Lead Data Scientist – Edinburgh/Remote – Permanent - £90k

Change Digital are recruiting on behalf of our global consultancy a Lead Data Scientist to lead the delivery of advanced AI and data science solutions while mentoring a growing team of data scientists and AI engineers.

This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who combines strong expertise in machine learning, statistics, and predictive modelling with practical experience in Generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), RAG, and AI Agents. You'll work closely with clients to solve complex business challenges and deliver innovative, production-ready solutions.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end delivery of AI and data science projects.
• Apply both classical ML and modern GenAI techniques to solve business problems.
• Mentor and develop data scientists and AI engineers.
• Translate business requirements into scalable analytical solutions.
• Drive best practice across experimentation, deployment, monitoring, and governance.
• Support client engagements, solution design, and pre-sales activities.

Essential Experience

• 5+ years' experience in data science or AI delivery.
• Strong background in machine learning, statistics, and model deployment.
• Hands-on experience with LLMs, prompting, RAG, fine-tuning, and evaluation.
• Exposure to AI agents and orchestration frameworks.
• Advanced Python skills and knowledge of modern ML tools and frameworks.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.

Desirable

• Consulting or client-facing experience.
• Knowledge of cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, or GCP).
• Experience with MLOps, LLMOps, and Responsible AI practices.