Head of Data & AI

I’m partnering with a fast-growing FinTech business looking to appoint a Head of Data \& AI to lead and develop its Data \& AI capability.

This is a senior leadership position with responsibility for a team of 12 across Data Engineering, Data Science, Machine Learning and Analytics. The successful candidate will own the Data \& AI strategy and play a key role in how the organisation uses data, ML and Generative AI to drive growth, improve customer experiences and automate decision-making.

The Company

Our client is an ambitious, technology-led FinTech operating in a highly data-driven environment. The business is investing significantly in its Data \& AI capability and sees data, machine learning and AI as fundamental to its next phase of growth.

The Role

• Lead and develop a multidisciplinary Data \& AI team of approximately 12 people.
• Own and deliver the organisation's Data \& AI strategy and roadmap.
• Work closely with the C-suite to identify where Data \& AI can create the greatest commercial impact.
• Lead the development of scalable data platforms, products and capabilities.
• Drive the adoption of AI, Generative AI and machine learning across the organisation.
• Establish best practice across Data Engineering, Data Science, ML and Analytics.
• Identify opportunities to automate processes and improve customer and operational decision-making.
• Build a strong data culture and increase the use of data across Product, Technology, Risk and Commercial teams.
• Own the recruitment, development and structure of the Data \& AI function as the business scales.
• Ensure appropriate standards around data quality, governance, security, model risk and responsible AI.

Tech Skills

• Strong experience leading Data, AI, Data Science or Machine Learning teams.
• Excellent knowledge of modern cloud data platforms, ideally AWS, Azure or GCP.
• Strong understanding of Data Engineering architecture and modern data pipelines.
• Experience with platforms such as Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery or equivalent.
• Strong understanding of Python and SQL environments.
• Experience delivering Machine Learning models into production.
• Knowledge of Generative AI, LLMs, RAG and emerging AI technologies.
• Understanding of MLOps, model deployment, monitoring and lifecycle management.
• Experience with modern BI and analytics platforms such as Power BI, Tableau or Looker.
• Strong understanding of data governance, security, privacy and responsible AI within a regulated environment