Lead Applied AI Data Scientist

Lead Applied AI Data Scientist

Full-Time 56700 - 69300 £ / year (est.) Home office (partial)
Friend MTS

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead AI development and mentor data scientists while solving complex problems.
  • Company: Join Friend MTS, a leader in AI-powered cyber intelligence.
  • Benefits: Enjoy 25 days leave, enhanced pension, and flexible benefits.
  • Other info: Dynamic environment with clear career progression and mentorship opportunities.
  • Why this job: Shape the future of AI and impact global media rights.
  • Qualifications: Experience in AI frameworks and a passion for technical leadership.

The predicted salary is between 56700 - 69300 £ per year.

Help shape the future of AI-powered cyber intelligence.

We're building the next generation of AI-powered cyber intelligence.

That means moving beyond dashboards and reports towards intelligent systems that understand behaviour, automate investigations and help our customers stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated piracy networks.

We're looking for someone to help lead that journey.

The opportunity

As Lead Applied AI Data Scientist, you'll combine hands-on AI development with technical leadership.

You'll work directly with customers to understand complex operational challenges before turning those ideas into production AI solutions.

You'll mentor other data scientists, influence our technical direction and help shape the future of AI across Friend MTS.

This is not a management role.

It's a technical leadership role.

  • What you'll build
  • Detect organised piracy at global scale
  • Understand behavioural patterns across complex datasets
  • Automate investigations using AI agents and LLMs
  • Identify relationships hidden within billions of events
  • Support analysts with AI-assisted decision making
  • Create products used by broadcasters, sports organisations and streaming platforms worldwide

What you'll do

Every week is different.

Some weeks you'll spend most of your time writing Python.

Other weeks you'll be working with customers to understand problems that have never been solved before.

  • Design and build production AI systems
  • Lead complex technical initiatives
  • Mentor Applied AI Data Scientists
  • Work directly with customers
  • Collaborate with Product and Engineering
  • Evaluate emerging AI technologies
  • Help define technical standards and best practices
  • Influence the future direction of AI within Friend MTS

What we're looking for

We're not looking for someone who's simply used every AI framework.

We're looking for technical leadership.

Someone who enjoys solving difficult problems, helping others succeed and turning ambitious ideas into working software.

Experience with any of the following would be an advantage

  • LLMs
  • AI Agents
  • Graph analytics
  • Behavioural modelling
  • Cyber security
  • Network intelligence
  • Py Torch
  • XGBoost
  • Our technology
  • Python
  • SQL
  • AWS
  • Py Torch
  • Scikit-learn
  • XGBoost
  • Docker
  • Kubernetes
  • Claude Code
  • Git Hub Copilot
  • LLMs
  • AI Agents

Why Friend MTS?

AI is becoming one of the core capabilities of Friend MTS.

This is an opportunity to help build that capability from the ground up.

You'll work on challenging technical problems, influence the direction of our products and help define how AI is applied across the business.

Your work will directly impact products used by many of the world's leading broadcasters, sports organisations and streaming platforms.

If you want to build practical AI that solves real-world problems - and help shape the future of an ambitious engineering organisation, we'd love to hear from you.

What We Offer

  • 25 days of annual leave (Incl. Bank Holidays) + 1 day off for your birthday
  • Enhanced Pension - 5% employee and 5% employer contribution
  • Life Assurance - on the successful completion of your probation (4x your salary)
  • BUPA (on the successfulcompletion of your probation)
  • Employee Assistance Programme
  • Enhanced Maternity, Paternity and Adoption Leave (after a qualifying period)
  • Various Learning and Development Platforms
  • A flexible Benefits and Wellbeing Platform
  • Full tech set up to ensure you have what you need to be successful in your role
  • Weekly breakfasts in the office
  • Mentorship: Direct access to senior data scientists and engineers in a supportive, high-growth environment.
  • Impact: The chance to work on technology that protects some of the most valuable media rights in the world.
  • Growth: A clear career progression path within a private-equity-backed, global tech company.

Here at Friend MTS, we are dedicated to nurturing and expanding a culture of belonging where everyone feels seen, heard, valued for who they are.

By embracing the diversity of our people (and future people!) we achieve our best work, together.

We ensure that at all stages of our hiring process, your education level, neurodivergence, background, race, religion, colour, sex, age, sexual orientation, national origin, or disability will not influence your chances for selection.

If you are interested in applying for a role at Friend MTS and need special assistance, please make us aware and we will support you in accommodating this.

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Lead Applied AI Data Scientist employer: Friend MTS

At Friend MTS, we are committed to fostering a dynamic and inclusive work environment where innovation thrives. As a Lead Applied AI Data Scientist, you will not only tackle complex challenges in AI but also have the opportunity to mentor fellow data scientists and influence the future of AI within our organisation. With a strong focus on employee growth, competitive benefits, and a culture that values diversity, working in either Manchester or London offers a unique chance to make a significant impact in the world of AI-powered cyber intelligence.

Friend MTS

Contact Details:

Friend MTS Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Lead Applied AI Data Scientist

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We think you need these skills to ace Lead Applied AI Data Scientist

AI Development
Technical Leadership
Python
AI Agents
LLMs
Graph Analytics
Behavioural Modelling

Some tips for your application 🫡

Show Off Your Projects:In the world of data science, your projects can speak volumes about your skills. Make sure to showcase a few key projects in your CV or portfolio, especially those that highlight your ability to work with data sets, build models, or use relevant tools like Python, R, or SQL. Don’t forget to include links to any GitHub repositories if applicable!

Quantify Your Achievements:Employers love numbers! When drafting your CV, highlight your achievements with quantifiable results. For instance, mention how your data analysis led to a certain percentage increase in efficiency or revenue at a previous job or project. These details can really make your application pop!

Craft a Tailored Cover Letter:For a full-time role at Friend MTS, your cover letter should reflect your passion for data science and your excitement about the specific projects or values of the company. Dive into why you’re a good fit, how your skills align with their needs, and any unique perspectives you can bring to the team.

Stand Out with Relevant Courses and Certifications:Although experience talks, relevant courses or certifications can be your ticket to impressing hiring managers at Friend MTS. Mention any standout courses you've completed that equipped you with essential skills, such as machine learning certifications or data visualisation courses. This shows your commitment to continuously developing your skills in the field!

How to prepare for a job interview at Friend MTS

Brush Up on Your Statistics

For a data science role, we need to seriously sharpen our statistics skills. Get ready to tackle technical questions on probability distributions, hypothesis testing, and regression analysis. These are often the bread and butter of data science interviews, so don't just skim over them!

Showcase Your Projects

Prepare a killer portfolio showcasing your data science projects. We should include details about the datasets used, the tools and techniques applied, and the impact of your findings. If we can walk them through a particularly challenging project or a cool visualisation that had real-world implications, it’ll really make us stand out!

Get Comfortable with Python and R

Most data science positions require us to be proficient in programming languages like Python and R. We should practice common libraries like pandas, NumPy, and scikit-learn, and be ready for live coding exercises or algorithm questions. Showing off our coding chops can really impress the interviewers at Friend MTS!

Prepare for Case Studies

Expect to encounter real-world case studies during the interview. We might be asked how we’d approach a data problem or analyse a dataset to extract insights. It's essential to think out loud and demonstrate our problem-solving process so that the interviewer can see our logical thinking in action.