Senior Data Scientist | S4 | Chief Data & AI Office | Milton Keynes

Country: United Kingdom

IT STARTS HERE

Santander is evolving from a global, high-impact brand into a technology-driven organisation, and our people are at the heart of this journey. Together, we are driving a customer-centric transformation that values bold thinking, innovation, and the courage to challenge what’s possible.

This is more than a strategic shift. It’s a chance for driven professionals to grow, learn, and make a real difference. Our mission is to contribute to help more people and businesses prosper. We embrace a strong risk culture and all our professionals at all levels are expected to take a proactive and responsible approach toward risk management.

The Chief Data & AI Office (CDAIO) at Santander is responsible for setting the strategic direction for data, analytics, and artificial intelligence across the organisation. It ensures that data is managed as a trusted enterprise asset and that advanced technologies are applied responsibly, securely, and effectively to create value for customers and the business.

THE DIFFERENCE YOU MAKE

The Chief Data & AI Office (CDAIO) is looking for a Senior Data Scientist based out of Milton Keynes. This role is a fixed term contract.

As a Senior Data Scientist, you will work with vast datasets to develop models that solve real-world problems, collaborate with talented colleagues across disciplines, and connect with the broader AI community to push scientific and practical boundaries.

We are looking for curious, driven Data & AI scientists who want their work to drive innovation with real impact. If you love tackling big challenges, banking offers some of the most complex and high-stakes AI problems, from risk management to financial inclusion, done responsibly and on a scale.

We’re shaping the way we work through innovation, cutting-edge technology, collaboration and the freedom to explore new ideas. To succeed in this role, you will be responsible for:

• Research, design, and implement advanced AI algorithms (ML, DL, NLP, and beyond) to solve complex problems.
• Leading the development and implementation of advanced analytics solutions, including predictive modelling, machine learning and statistical analysis to solve complex business problems.
• Translate business challenges into scientific problem statements and build impactful ML/AI prototypes and models that deliver business impact.
• Work with large-scale structured and unstructured data to develop models that are accurate, fair, and sustainable.
• Collaborate with Data Engineers, ML Ops Engineers, Product Owners, and Business Stakeholders to deploy solutions into production.
• Contribute to AI best practices, model governance, and responsible AI frameworks.
• Stay current with the latest AI research and integrate relevant tools and techniques.
• Communicate insights and results clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Foster collaboration with academia and the global AI community to bring cutting-edge research into Santander.

WHAT YOU’LL BRING

Our people are our greatest strength. Every individual contributes unique perspectives that make us stronger as a team and as an organisation. We’re enabling teams to go beyond by valuing who they are and empowering what they bring.

The following requirements represent the knowledge, skills, and abilities essential for success in this role. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Professional Experience

• Ideally, 6-8 years of experience working with vast datasets and developing models. (Required).

Education

• Undergraduate degree in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent work experience supported by professional certification/licences. (Required).

Languages

• English. (Required)

Hard Skills

• Knows the existing state-of-art advance analytics and analyses their different business applications. (Required).
• Participates in the design and development of data mining applications. (Required).
• Monitors the operation and performance of machine learning projects. (Required).

Soft Skills

• Conducts walkthroughs and monitors the quality of development activities. (Required).
• Provides management reports that identify potential business performance problems. (Required).
• Knowledge of the how's and why's of preparing and justifying business cases and value propositions; ability to justify business expenditures by identifying cost, benefits, ROI, opportunities, and risks. (Required).
• Knowledge of effective presentation tools and techniques to ensure clear understanding; ability to use summarization and simplification techniques to explain complex technical concepts in simple, clear language appropriate to the audience. (Required).

WE VALUE YOUR IMPACT

At Santander, your contribution matters. We recognise the difference you make every day, and we make sure you feel valued, supported and rewarded in return. Here, recognition goes beyond pay. It’s about the pride you feel in your work, the impact you have on customers and communities, and the opportunities you have to grow and thrive — personally and professionally.

Salary Range: £76,000.00 - £114,000.00 per annum (depending on experience). This salary range represents the expected remuneration for the role. Annual salary is based on a standard 35-hour working week. Actual salary offered will depend on skills, experience, qualifications and location.

30 days’ holiday plus