Lead Data Scientist in London

CF is a leading consultancy dedicated to making a lasting impact on health and healthcare. We work with leaders and frontline teams to improve health, transform healthcare, embed life science innovation and boost growth through investment. Our consultancy serves the entire healthcare sector, from healthcare systems and life sciences to health tech and sector suppliers. CF’s multi‑disciplinary team provides end‑to‑end services, spanning strategy, finance, performance, organisational improvement, data and digital. We also create optimal policy conditions for healthcare advancements through evidence‑based thought leadership, taking a proactive stance on key issues.

As an inclusive and values‑driven organisation, we are committed to excellence and are honoured to have received multiple industry awards. With unmatched access to UK healthcare data and specialist data science expertise, our consultants are a driving force for delivering positive and meaningful change.

About The Role

The Lead Data Scientist is a senior technical leader at CF, responsible for driving data science strategy and innovation in line with company goals. They oversee the development and implementation of data‑driven solutions that enhance our service offerings and ways of working, ensuring these solutions deliver quantifiable impact, drive efficiencies and optimise value for money for our clients and for CF. The role collaborates with clients, CF team members (both technical and non‑technical), and partner organisations to understand requirements and develop highly effective solutions.

The Lead Data Scientist leads and manages technical components of blended projects, offering oversight, mentorship and quality assurance to junior employees in the Data Innovation team. They proactively identify and solve challenges in client projects and corporate initiatives while supporting business‑development efforts relating to technical services, including proposal development, technical bid writing and resource planning.

Agility, openness to new ideas and an entrepreneurial mindset are critical to enable CF to grow and capitalise on new opportunities. Clear communication and strong interpersonal skills are essential, modelling the leadership behaviours we are committed to at every level of the company. Professionalism, kindness, diplomacy and respect are essential qualities when working with colleagues in CF, clients, suppliers and others seeking to engage CF.

Responsibilities

• Data Strategy and Innovation
  • Work with the Data Innovation Team to develop and implement data science solutions that align with CF’s corporate strategy.
  • Identify and apply emerging technologies, such as AI and machine learning, to enhance our consulting services and drive business growth.
  • Collaborate with clients to understand their data challenges and develop innovative solutions to address their needs.
  • Stay ahead of healthcare sector trends and leverage data to provide insights that support strategic decision‑making.
• Technical Development and Implementation
  • Develop and deploy advanced analytics models, including machine learning algorithms and statistical techniques, to solve complex healthcare challenges.
  • Ensure the robustness, scalability, and accuracy of data models and solutions.
  • Work with data engineers to design and maintain scalable data pipelines and infrastructure.
  • Develop and maintain data visualisation tools to communicate insights effectively to non‑technical stakeholders.
• Business Development
  • Support business development activities by providing data‑driven insights and contributing to proposals and client pitches.
  • Work with Partners and consultants to identify opportunities where data science can add value to our clients.
  • Develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, including clients and industry partners, to advance CF’s data capabilities.
• Data Operations and Governance
  • Ensure compliance with data governance policies and industry regulations, including GDPR and healthcare‑specific standards.
  • Contribute to the development and maintenance of data management processes and best practices.
  • Work alongside information governance teams to ensure safe and ethical use of healthcare data.
• Team Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing
  • Collaborate with consulting and technical teams to integrate data science into client projects effectively.
  • Provide mentorship and guidance to junior data scientists, fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
  • Share knowledge and insights across CF through presentations, workshops, and thought leadership initiatives.

Requirements

Mandatory Experience

• Experience of containerisation and cloud deployment of models and software.
• Knowledge and understanding of data privacy issues and requirements to enable data access.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively in a cross‑functional team.
• You actively share your knowledge and seek opportunities to teach others.
• Able to translate business problems into technical solutions and synthesise outputs in client‑friendly language and visualisations.
• Proficient in Python and an excellent command of the standard algorithmic and statistical toolkit for data science.
• Knowledge of when to deploy a particular approach given the constraints of time, data, team and technical complexity.
• Experience using cloud services and containerisation.
• Proficiency using relational database systems.
• Excellent understanding of statistics.

Preferred Experience

• Experience working in healthcare or life sciences consulting.
• Familiarity with healthcare data sources, standards, and regulatory requirements.
• Knowledge of natural language processing and AI techniques.
• Experience with big data technologies and frameworks.

Flexible Working

We follow a hybrid working model that balances in‑person connections and remote work to drive exceptional client impact. Team members can work from home one day per week as standard. Additionally, we offer 44 remote working days per year, which can be used to top up your working from home days and enable you to work from home up to two days per week – subject to client needs. Our core in‑person working hours are from 10 am until 4 pm, allowing you the flexibility to manage your schedule in a way that works for you.

Our Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion

We are committed to building an inclusive and supportive culture where diversity thrives, and all our people can excel. We only recruit, promote and reward our people based on their skills and contributions, without regard to gender, race, disability, religion, nationality, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, marital status or other characteristics. We are Disability Confident Accredited, and we want you to feel comfortable and able to perform at your best during the recruitment process. If you require any reasonable adjustments, please let us know.

Benefits

• Holiday entitlement: 25 days / year for staff and 30 days / year for leadership, increasing by 1 day for every year of service up to a maximum of 35 days of holiday per year.
• We contribute 7 % of your salary into your pension, while you contribute 3 % (or more if you like).
• Access to a flexible benefits programme giving you the chance to increase pension contributions, gain access to a cash plan or benefit from a ClassPass subscription.
• Annual leave purchase: employees with less than 35 days annual leave entitlement can purchase additional annual leave days.
• Income protection: in the event of long‑term incapacity and a qualifying claim, 75 % of salary will be paid.
• Enhanced sick pay benefit beyond Statutory Sick Pay for up to a total of 12 weeks in any 12‑month period.
• Life insurance covering four times your basic salary in a tax‑free lump sum payable to your beneficiaries in the event of your death whilst in service.
• Enhanced family leave policies: additional pay for parents who have a baby or adopt.
• Access to an interest‑free loan of up to £10 000.
• Access to an interest‑free season ticket loan, repayable by 12 monthly instalments.
• Workplace nursery scheme: access to a scheme to help working parents save tax and NI on the cost of the nursery care.
• Flexible working policy: including the ability to work fully remotely for up to 4 weeks a year.
• An employee assistance and wellness programme: including access to telephone counselling, life coaching, interactive tools online and digital content downloadable from Lifeworks.
• Seasonal flu jabs: provided by Boots annually.
• Eye care tests: vouchers and discounts at Vision Express.
• Ride‑to‑work scheme, saving up to 42 % on bikes and cycling accessories at Evans Cycles.
• Membership to the Health Service Journal (HSJ).

Seniority Level: Mid‑Senior level

Employment Type: Full‑time

Job Function: Information Technology

Industry: IT Services and IT Consulting