Head of Data and AI in London

About Abion

Abion is a fast-growing and purpose-built IP firm on a mission to become Europe’s leading intellectual property powerhouse. With nearly 30 years of experience at the crossroads of law and technology, we offer a full ecosystem of IP solutions spanning across trademark management, domain name management, web security, and online brand protection. We help the world’s most ambitious brands protect their intellectual property across domains, trademarks, and digital channels. With deep legal expertise and a growing technology platform, we’re on a journey to become a truly data-driven, AI-powered business and this role is central to that ambition.

The Opportunity

This is a rare greenfield opportunity to build and lead the data and AI function at Abion from the ground up. Reporting directly to the CTO, you will define the strategy, hire the team, and own delivery - from foundational data infrastructure to cutting-edge AI features embedded in our products. You will work closely with Product, Engineering, and our legal and domain experts to turn Abion’s unique IP data assets into a lasting competitive advantage.

About the Role

This is a player-coach role. You will set the direction and build the team, but you are equally expected to roll up your sleeves, by writing code, shaping data models, and prototyping AI solutions alongside the people you hire.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategy & Leadership
  • Define and own the data & AI strategy in close collaboration with the CTO and product leadership.
  • Build and lead a high-performing team of 2–4 data engineers, analysts, and ML/AI specialists.
  • Act as the internal authority on data and AI, shaping how Abion thinks about and uses these capabilities.
  • Represent data & AI interests in cross-functional planning, roadmap discussions, and executive conversations.
• Data Infrastructure & Engineering
  • Design and deliver a scalable, well-governed data platform, including pipelines, warehousing, and data quality, all fit for a growing business.
  • Establish data standards, documentation practices, and governance frameworks from day one.
  • Partner with Platform Engineering to ensure data is a first-class citizen in Abion’s architecture.
  • Build out BI and analytics capabilities that give stakeholders clear, reliable insight into business and product performance.
• AI Product Development
  • Identify and prioritise the highest-value AI opportunities across Abion’s product portfolio and internal operations.
  • Lead the design and delivery of AI-powered features, working tightly with Product and Platform Engineering.
  • Own the full lifecycle from proof of concept through to production, including evaluation, monitoring, and iteration.
  • Ensure AI applications are robust, explainable, and aligned with Abion’s legal and compliance context.

What We're Looking For

Must haves

• Proven experience leading data and/or AI functions in a B2B SaaS or data-intensive environment.
• Strong hands-on background in data engineering, modern data stacks (e.g. dbt, Snowflake, Azure Synapse, Microsoft Fabric, Databricks, Airflow), and comfortable with BI tools such as Power BI or Looker.
• Practical experience delivering LLM or Generative AI solutions in production, not just experimentation.
• A track record of building and mentoring small, high-impact data teams.
• Comfortable operating at both strategic and technical levels, you can write a data strategy doc and review a pipeline design in the same week.
• Strong communicator who can translate complex data and AI concepts for non-technical stakeholders.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience in IP, legal tech, or compliance-adjacent industries.
• Familiarity with knowledge graphs, entity resolution, or domain classification.
• Experience building external-facing AI/data products (e.g. APIs, user-facing ML features).
• Background in MLOps, model evaluation frameworks, or responsible AI practices.

Who you are

• A builder at heart. You are energised by the blank canvas, not intimidated by it.
• Pragmatic and decisive. You move fast, make sensible trade-offs, and avoid analysis paralysis.
• Collaborative and curious. You thrive in cross-functional settings and ask great questions.
• Outcome-focused. You care about impact, not just technical elegance.
• A clear communicator. You can present a business case to the board and a data model to an engineer.

Why Choose Abion?

Joining Abion means stepping into a genuinely greenfield role where you define what "great" looks like, you won't be inheriting someone else's decisions or unpicking technical debt. You'll have a direct line to the CTO and real influence over how a fast-growing, profitable company thinks about data and AI.

What also makes this opportunity unusual is the data. Nearly 30 years of IP filings, trademark records, domain signals, and web security data sit at the heart of Abion's business. A proprietary asset that very few organisations can match, and one that is largely untapped from a data and AI perspective. You'll be the person who changes that.

You'll do it alongside a team that is genuinely excited about what's possible: lawyers who understand the domain deeply, engineers who care about doing things properly, and a leadership team with the investment appetite and ambition to back it up. The culture is built around ownership, initiative, and transparency. People are trusted to get on with it.

Practically, the role offers an opportunity in working across our European offices within a company that is scaling fast with its sights firmly set on becoming Europe's leading IP platform.

Ready to Join us?

If you are ready to make a significant impact in the Intellectual Property industry, we would love to hear from you! Please apply with your CV in English.

Abion is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from individuals of all backgrounds and experiences. We’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone can grow and succeed.