Lead Data Science Manager (London Area)

Data Science is central to how we decide the right messages to send to our customers that will help them with their financial needs at the moments that matter most. As a Lead Data Science Manager within the Personalisation & Performance Marketing function at Nationwide Building Society, you’ll be responsible for multiple data science initiatives, driving innovation, and shaping the team's strategic direction. You’ll lead high-impact projects, mentor managers, and ensure data science solutions align with Nationwide goals.

With the proliferation of data, and the increased use of AI, automation and transformation, the way that marketing operates is changing. In such a fast-paced environment, we are continuously looking to improve how we engage with our customers to provide value to them. We do this by being more data led and using new and innovative techniques.

We are happy to consider flexible working approaches to help you perform at your best. At Nationwide we offer hybrid working wherever possible. More rewarding relationships are supported through our hybrid approach, bringing colleagues together across our UK wide estate, whilst also supporting generous access to home working. We value our time in the office to solve problems, to learn, and to feel connected. For this job you’ll spend at least two days per week, or if part time you’ll spend 40% of your working time, based at either our Swindon or London office. If your application is successful, your hiring manager will provide further details on how this works.

What you will be doing

• Leading multiple data science team members, setting priorities, and defining roadmaps for multiple projects concurrently;
• Driving cross-functional collaboration between data science, engineering and other teams within Marketing and the wider Nationwide team to ensure an extensive range of data is available to Marketing and used effectively;
• Identifying and prioritising analytics deliverables to meet the broader team and functional goals and targets;
• Delivering a range of advanced analytics and data science projects that enhance our marketing activity and deliver great customer outcomes;
• Ensuring best practices in data engineering, model development, deployment, and monitoring;
• Advocating for data science-driven decision making across the organisation;
• Supporting career growth and technical excellence within the data science function;
• A beacon for innovation and delivering new ideas to significantly increase the use of data and draw out insight.

About You

We are looking for someone who is up for a challenge – tenacious, positive and passionate about analytics and data. We are looking for proven experience in data science where you can bring your experience to the role whilst being willing to try new approaches and have a learning mindset. As a Lead Data Science Manager, you will have strong proven experience in leading data science teams that have a strong record of driving tangible deliverables. You will be someone who displays the right values, attitude, and behaviours – not only to fit in with our highly professional and friendly team, but also to be an ambassador for our function across Nationwide.

As a minimum you’ll have:

• A relevant qualification in a data science, mathematics, statistics, computer science or related field, and a track record which demonstrates capability in these areas;
• Extensive experience in machine learning, big data technologies and a range of data science techniques;
• Proven leadership in managing data science teams and delivering AI-driven solutions;
• Deep expertise in model deployment, MLOps, CI/CD and cloud-based architectures;
• The ability to translate business challenges into data engineering and data science/machine learning problems;
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills;
• Strong influencing skills and the ability to lead professional business relationships at various levels across Marketing and the Society.

Our customer first behaviours put customers and members at the heart of how we work together. They are the set of behaviours that every colleague needs to display, in every role:

• Feel what customers feel - We step into our customers’ shoes, using their feedback and insights to empathise with them and to understand their needs, so that every decision we make starts and finishes with our customers in mind.
• Say it straight - We are brave in speaking out and saying what we think – we’re honest and direct with good intent, openly sharing diverse perspectives to reach the best conclusions and using language everyone can understand.
• Push for better - We don’t settle for mediocrity, we challenge the status quo, taking responsibility for continuous improvement and personal development.
• Get it done - We prioritise what will have the greatest impact, we are decisive, and we take accountability for delivering brilliant customer outcomes.

You can strengthen your application by showing how our customer first behaviours resonate with you, and where you may have already demonstrated these.

The Extras you will get

There are all sorts of employee benefits available at Nationwide, including:

• A personal pension – if you put in 7% of your salary, we’ll top up by a further 16%
• Up to 2 days of paid volunteering a year
• Life assurance worth 8x your salary
• A great selection of additional benefits through our salary sacrifice scheme
• Wellhub – Access to a range of free and paid options for health and wellness
• Access to an annual performance related bonus
• Access to training to help you develop and progress your career
• 25 days holiday, pro rata