Senior Data Scientist - Generative AI in London

We are looking for a Data Scientist to join our AI/ML team. You will be joining our AI and Machine Learning team, continuing Funding Circle's transition from GenAI experimentation to mature, scalable product delivery. You will work in cross-functional squads alongside specialised Software Engineers, AI Platform Engineers and Product Managers to build and deploy GenAI products across all business areas including Underwriting, Sales and Operations.

Who are we? We’re Funding Circle. We back small businesses to succeed. At Funding Circle, we believe the world needs small businesses. That’s why we’ve made it our mission to help them get the finance they need to grow. With more than a decade of expertise under our belt, we’ve built a game-changer of a platform with cutting-edge data and technology that’s reshaping the landscape of SME lending. Say goodbye to lengthy applications and hello to lightning-fast decisions! In just minutes, SMEs across the UK can get a decision, giving them access to competitive funding in a flash. We know that good business is about good people. So we pride ourselves on providing meaningful, human support as well as fast, hassle-free processes to deliver an unbeatable customer experience.

The role: This is a hands-on applied Data Science role. You will be architecting and building the algorithms behind our products. Your primary focus will be designing Agentic workflows, crafting tool definitions that allow LLMs to interact with our internal systems, and rigorously evaluating performance. While GenAI is the main focus of this role, traditional ML and algorithms will also be needed. You will bridge the gap between experimental proof of concepts and production reality, establishing the evaluation frameworks and best practices that will eventually enable teams across the entire business to build their own GenAI products.

The responsibilities of the role include:

• GenAI application creation: Design and implement the core logic for GenAI agents. You will create "tools" that the LLMs use to take action.
• Evaluation and quality: Develop systematic evaluation of GenAI systems by building frameworks and methodologies. You will create evaluation datasets to measure accuracy, reliability, and tool-use, ensuring our models meet business standards before deployment.
• Data analysis and Machine Learning: Analyse business data, identify opportunities for predictive modelling. Design, implement and test predictive ML algorithms.
• Prototyping: Rapidly build functional application prototypes to demonstrate value to stakeholders and validate technical feasibility before full-scale engineering begins.
• Prompt engineering and logic: Optimise system prompts and reasoning chains to build customised GenAI applications.
• Collaboration: Work closely with engineers and translate your prototypes into production services. Write code that is modular and readable so other teams can use and benefit from what you build. Work with non-technical teams and build technology that solves their problems.
• Responsible AI: Implement guardrails and adversarial testing to ensure our AI agents act ethically and securely, adhering to Funding Circle’s Responsible AI framework.
• Mentoring and guidance: Support mid-level team members, use your experience to unlock situations and provide clarity to the rest of the team.

What we’re looking for: We are looking for a Data Scientist with a strong engineering mindset. This is a Senior role, we are looking for someone with 5+ years experience and demonstrable deep expertise in the areas outlined below. You will be expected to be proficient from day one, but will also be given the opportunity to develop in areas of lower strength.

• Applied GenAI experience: Hands-on experience building applications where LLMs interact with external data or APIs. You understand the nuances of tool use, and agentic concepts such as Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG).
• Strong python skills: You write clean, reusable, and tested Python code. You are comfortable moving out of Jupyter Notebooks and into IDEs, and you can collaborate in a Git-based workflow.
• Evaluation rigor: You have experience or a strong understanding of how to evaluate non-deterministic and ML models systematically.
• Data fluency: Strong SQL and data manipulation skills. You can prepare data for R&D, you can build and evaluate predictive ML models.
• Curiosity: The AI landscape changes regularly. Roles and responsibilities are constantly evolving. You are excited to keep up to date with the latest advances in GenAI and pragmatically apply them to business problems.
• Business empathy and problem solving: You excel at understanding the needs and pain points of business users, even when described in non-technical terms. You are skilled at asking the right questions to get to the root of a problem and translating those requirements into effective technical solutions that deliver business value.

At Funding Circle we are committed to building diverse teams so please apply even if your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with the requirements.

Why join us? At Funding Circle, we celebrate and support the differences that make you, you. We’re proud to be an equal-opportunity workplace and affirmative-action employer. We truly believe that diversity makes us better. As a flexible-first employer we offer hybrid working at Funding Circle, and we’ve long believed in a 'best of both' approach to in-office collaboration and non-office days. We expect our teams to be in our London office two times a week, where you can take advantage of our newly refurbished hybrid working space, barista made coffee and subsidised lunches every day!

We back our Circlers to build their own incredible career, making a difference to small businesses every day. Our Circler proposition is designed to support employees both in and out of work, and it is anchored around four pillars: Health, Wealth, Development & Lifestyle.

• Health: Private Medical Insurance through Aviva, Dental Insurance through Bupa, MediCash, access to free online therapy sessions and exclusive discounts with Hertility for reproductive health support.
• Wealth: Octopus Money Coach, free mortgage advisor partnership and discounts across numerous retailers through Perks at Work.
• Development: Dedicated annual learning allowance and full access to internal learning platform.
• Lifestyle: Wellhub (for fitness discounts), Electric Car Scheme and more!

And finally, we have award winning parental leave policies supporting parents through enhanced maternity, partner and adoption leave, as well as additional leave for parental bereavement and for fertility treatments.

Ready to make a difference? We’d love to hear from you.