Lead Data Scientist

Lead Data Scientist

Full-Time 80000 - 100000 £ / year (est.) Home office (partial)
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At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead AI innovation in commercial banking and deliver impactful solutions.
  • Company: Join Lloyds Banking Group, a leader in finance and diversity.
  • Benefits: Generous pension, performance bonuses, flexible working, and 30 days holiday.
  • Other info: Inclusive workplace with opportunities for growth and development.
  • Why this job: Shape the future of finance with cutting-edge AI technology.
  • Qualifications: Experience in data science and leadership skills required.

The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.

We support flexible working – click here for more information on flexible working options.

Flexible Working Options: Hybrid Working, Job Share.

Want to lead the next wave of AI innovation in commercial banking? This is a senior, hands-on leadership role where you’ll shape the Data & AI roadmap, build cutting-edge solutions, and deliver measurable business outcomes. You’ll play a key role in turning ambitious ideas into scalable, real-world impact.

In Business & Commercial Banking (BCB) we're developing our client value proposition, shaping our digital and data strategy, and driving commercial growth initiatives. As a Lead Data & AI Scientist, you’ll play a pivotal role in shaping and delivering ground-breaking AI solutions that solve complex business challenges for BCB. From predictive and generative AI to agentic systems, you’ll lead initiatives that transform digital experiences, automate processes, and unlock data-driven insights for colleagues and clients.

You’ll provide technical leadership, define our capability roadmap, and ensure the delivery of high-quality, scalable models. This role also involves mentoring the Data Science & AI team, encouraging knowledge sharing, and embedding industry guidelines.

What you’ll be doing:

  • Conceptualise and lead technology-based solutions that solve complex business problems.
  • Improve digital experiences, automate processes, and provide data-driven insights to support colleague and client journeys.
  • Shape and define the capability roadmap for Data & AI, including cloud-native solutions and scalable architectures.
  • Provide technical leadership, coaching, and mentoring for data scientists and engineers.
  • Ensure rigorous quality assurance in model development, testing, and deployment.
  • Develop proofs-of-concept to demonstrate new capabilities and accelerate adoption.
  • Partner with colleagues to understand business requirements and translate them into actionable AI solutions.
  • Advocate for responsible AI practices and compliance with governance frameworks.
  • Guide the team in solving complex AI use cases and improving existing approaches.
  • Contribute to the design of training curricula and professional development paths for the Data & AI community.
  • Drive measurable business outcomes through AI solutions aligned to strategic priorities.
  • Ensure solutions are scalable, secure, and aligned with Group Data & AI standards.

Why join us?

We’re on an exciting journey to transform our Group and the way we’re shaping finance for good. We’re focusing on the future, investing in our technologies, workplaces, and colleagues to make our Group a great place for everyone.

What we’re looking for:

  • Set the strategic direction for Data & AI across BCB, aligning investment and priorities with business outcomes.
  • Lead the design and delivery of enterprise-level AI solutions across client journeys, automation, and insight generation.
  • Own the Data & AI capability roadmap, ensuring scalable, cloud-based architectures that support long-term growth.
  • Provide technical and thought leadership to the Data Science & AI team, building capability and setting engineering standards.
  • Oversee the full lifecycle of AI solutions, ensuring robust development, deployment, monitoring, and continuous improvement.
  • Partner with senior leaders to shape high-value AI use cases and influence decision-making at leadership level.
  • Embed responsible AI practices, ensuring all solutions meet governance, risk, and regulatory requirements.
  • Drive measurable commercial and operational outcomes, with clear accountability for impact, adoption, and value delivered.

We know that great talent comes from many backgrounds. Whilst this job advert may reference specific years of experience, we recognise that skills are developed in many ways, so if you have relevant, transferable experience, we encourage you to apply.

This is a place for you: Our ambition is to be the leading UK business for diversity, equity and inclusion supporting our customers, colleagues and communities, and we’re committed to creating an environment in which everyone can thrive, learn and develop.

We offer reasonable workplace adjustments for colleagues with disabilities, including flexibility in office attendance, location and working patterns. And, as a Disability Confident Leader, we guarantee interviews for a fair and proportionate number of applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role with a disability, long-term health or neurodivergent condition through the Disability Confident Scheme.

We provide reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process to reduce or remove barriers. Just let us know what you need.

We also offer a wide-ranging benefits package, which includes:

  • A generous pension contribution of up to 15%.
  • An annual performance-related bonus.
  • Share schemes including free shares.
  • Benefits you can adapt to your lifestyle, such as discounted shopping.
  • 30 days’ holiday, with bank holidays on top.
  • A range of wellbeing initiatives and generous parental leave policies.

Ready for a career where you’ll learn and thrive? Apply today and find out more.

At Lloyds Banking Group, we're driven by a clear purpose; to help Britain prosper. Across the Group, our colleagues are focused on making a difference to customers, businesses and communities. With us you'll have a key role to play in shaping the financial services of the future, whilst the scale and reach of our Group means you'll have many opportunities to learn, grow and develop.

We keep your data safe. So, we'll only ever ask you to provide confidential or sensitive information once you have formally been invited along to an interview or accepted a verbal offer to join us which is when we run our background checks. We'll always explain what we need and why, with any request coming from a trusted Lloyds Banking Group person. We're focused on creating a values-led culture and are committed to building a workforce which reflects the diversity of the customers and communities we serve. Together we’re building a truly inclusive workplace where all of our colleagues have the opportunity to make a real difference.

Lead Data Scientist employer: Lloyds Bank

At Lloyds Banking Group, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work culture that fosters innovation and collaboration. As a Lead Data Scientist, you'll benefit from our commitment to employee growth through mentorship opportunities, a generous benefits package including a competitive pension contribution and flexible working arrangements, all while contributing to meaningful projects that shape the future of finance in vibrant locations like London and Edinburgh.

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Contact Details:

Lloyds Bank Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Lead Data Scientist

Get Involved in Data Science Meetups

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Apply Directly through Our Website

When you find a suitable opening like Lead Data Scientist at Lloyds Bank, make sure to apply directly through our website. It gives you an edge and shows you're keen to join our team. Plus, who doesn’t love a direct application? It’s easier than navigating through job boards!

We think you need these skills to ace Lead Data Scientist

AI Solutions Development
Data Science Leadership
Cloud-Native Architecture
Predictive and Generative AI
Technical Mentoring
Quality Assurance in Model Development
Data-Driven Insights

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 Lloyds Bank, 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 Lloyds Bank. 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 Lloyds Bank

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 Lloyds Bank!

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.