VP of Applied Science in London

Join us at Entrust. At Entrust, we’re shaping the future of identity centric security solutions. From our comprehensive portfolio of solutions to our flexible, global workplace, we empower careers, foster collaboration, and build solutions that help keep the world moving safely.

Get to Know Us. Headquartered in Minnesota, Entrust is an industry leader in identity-centric security solutions, serving over 150 countries with cutting-edge, scalable technologies. But our secret weapon? Our people. It’s the curiosity, dedication, and innovation that drive our success and help us anticipate the future.

What you will be doing:

• Lead and grow a team of 20+ Applied Scientists through several Applied Science Leads — coaching, developing and retaining your people while attracting world-class scientists into a culture of creativity, technical depth and excellence.
• Set the technical direction of the Applied Science team. Initiate, plan and drive transformative AI projects in the field of Identity Verification and Fraud detection from research all the way to production.
• Communicate the technical vision and roadmap at multiple levels within the organization and externally.
• Influence the strategic direction of the Identity Security Line of Business, in direct interaction with all functions: Product, Engineering, Analytics, Legal, Marketing, Finance, Sales and Customer Success.
• Engage directly with a global customer base, joining strategic customer conversations and making critical decisions that shape both the product and the science behind it.
• Be accountable for the real-world impact of the team's work — connecting science outcomes to the metrics that matter (fraud detection, accuracy, conversion, cost) and owning the trade-offs between long-horizon research and near-term delivery.
• Champion responsible and trustworthy AI — fairness, bias mitigation, explainability and model governance — ensuring our biometric and identity systems perform equitably and withstand regulatory and customer scrutiny.

Essential Skills:

• Advanced degree (PhD or equivalent) in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Applied Mathematics, or a related quantitative field — or equivalent industry research experience.
• Deep technical expertise in machine learning and deep learning, with hands‑on grounding in one or more of: computer vision, biometrics, anomaly/fraud detection, or generative AI.
• A minimum of 10 years of experience in Applied Machine Learning in a B2B setting at industrial scale.
• Proven track record of taking applied research from concept through to production at scale, with measurable business impact.
• Experience leading leaders: managing and developing other managers/leads, scaling and retaining high‑performing science teams.
• Strong technical judgment to set direction across multiple concurrent research workstreams and make pragmatic build‑vs‑research‑vs‑buy decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to influence strategy cross‑functionally and to translate complex technical concepts for executive, commercial, and non‑technical audiences.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, including representing the science function in customer‑facing and external settings.
• Established external presence: publications, patents, conference talks, or recognized contributions to the ML/CV community.

Desirable Skills:

• Domain experience in identity verification, biometrics, document authentication, liveness/presentation‑attack detection, or digital fraud.
• Familiarity with deepfake and synthetic-media detection and the evolving generative‑AI threat landscape.
• Working knowledge of model fairness, bias mitigation, and demographic performance evaluation (e.g., NIST FRVT‑style testing) in biometric systems.
• Awareness of the regulatory and privacy context for identity data (GDPR, biometric‑data regulation, privacy‑preserving ML).

At Entrust, we don’t just offer jobs – we offer career journeys. Here is what you can expect when you join our team:

• Career Growth: Whether you’re a budding developer or a seasoned expert, we’re invested in your professional journey. With learning‑forward initiatives and exciting challenges, your growth is our priority.
• Flexibility: Life is all about balance. Whether you’re remote, hybrid, or on‑site, we offer flexible options that fit your lifestyle.
• Collaboration: Here, your voice matters. Our teams thrive on sharing ideas, brainstorming solutions, and working together to build a better tomorrow.

We believe in securing identities—but it doesn’t stop there. At Entrust, we’re passionate about valuing all identities. Our culture is built on diversity, inclusion, and respect. From unconscious bias training for our leaders to global affinity groups that connect colleagues across the globe, we’re creating a community where everyone is encouraged to be themselves.

Ready to Make an Impact? If you’re excited by the prospect of innovating, growing your career, and collaborating in a dynamic environment, Entrust is the place for you. Join us in making a difference. Let’s build a more secure world—together.