Principal Data Scientist in London

Principal Data Scientist in London

London Full-Time 48000 - 72000 £ / year (est.) No home office possible
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At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead the design and delivery of GenAI and ML-powered risk solutions.
  • Company: Join a global firm with a diverse community across 65+ countries.
  • Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, comprehensive health coverage, and continuous learning opportunities.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact in risk management while growing your expertise in a supportive environment.
  • Qualifications: 5-10 years in data roles, strong Python and SQL skills, and practical GenAI experience required.
  • Other info: Mentor others and establish best practices in a dynamic, high-performance team.

The predicted salary is between 48000 - 72000 £ per year.

Who You'll Work With

You are someone who thrives in a high-performance environment, bringing a growth mindset and entrepreneurial spirit to tackle meaningful challenges that have a real impact. In return for your drive, determination, and curiosity, we’ll provide the resources, mentorship, and opportunities to help you quickly broaden your expertise, grow into a well-rounded professional, and contribute to work that truly makes a difference.

When you join us, you will have:

  • Continuous learning: Our learning and apprenticeship culture, backed by structured programs, is all about helping you grow while creating an environment where feedback is clear, actionable, and focused on your development.
  • A voice that matters: From day one, we value your ideas and contributions. You’ll make a tangible impact by offering innovative ideas and practical solutions, all while upholding our unwavering commitment to ethics and integrity.
  • Global community: With colleagues across 65+ countries and over 100 different nationalities, our firm’s diversity fuels creativity and helps us come up with the best solutions.
  • Exceptional benefits: In addition to a competitive salary (based on your location, experience, and skills), we offer a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, mental health, and vision coverage for you, your spouse/partner, and children.

Your Impact

As a Principal Data Scientist, you will lead the design, delivery, and governance of GenAI- and ML-powered risk solutions that mitigate risks, sharpen controls, and make the risk function markedly more efficient. You will own the end-to-end delivery of GenAI in risk from concept to production, and architect and build retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines and evaluators, ensuring factuality, privacy, and cost/performance balance.

You will develop and ship models and services hands-on in Python; write high-quality, tested code and drive code reviews in GitHub, query and transform data with SQL; partner closely with data engineering to model lineage and build reliable pipelines using dbt on Snowflake (or similar modern data stack).

You will apply traditional ML where appropriate and integrate with GenAI approaches; choose the simplest method that meets risk and performance requirements. Additionally, you will produce using MLOps/LLMOps best practices and embed robust risk & model governance.

You will lead cross-functional partnerships with Risk/Compliance, Legal, Security, Product, and Engineering; translate risk policy into technical requirements and communicate trade-offs to senior stakeholders. You will mentor and upskill data scientists/analysts; establish reusable components, templates, and internal best practices for GenAI in risk.

Your work will materially improve how risk is identified, assessed, and mitigated—shortening investigation cycles, reducing false positives, automating manual controls, and strengthening regulatory compliance while enabling the business to move faster with confidence.

You will be based in Europe as part of our Risk Technology & AI team. This team partners with risk and business leaders to modernize controls, streamline operations, and unlock value from data and AI across the enterprise.

Your Qualifications and Skills

  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience required (e.g. Computer Science)
  • 5-10 years of experience working in data roles in a professional environment
  • Deep expertise in Python and strong SQL; hands-on experience with dbt and Snowflake preferred
  • Fluency with GitHub and DevOps/infra concepts
  • Practical GenAI experience: building RAG systems, embeddings, evaluation harnesses, guardrails/content filters
  • Solid grounding in traditional ML and statistical methods
  • Understanding of model governance and risk management standards
  • Strong product thinking and stakeholder management

Principal Data Scientist in London employer: McKinsey & Company

As a Principal Data Scientist at our firm, you will thrive in a dynamic and inclusive environment that champions continuous learning and innovation. With access to exceptional mentorship and a global community of diverse colleagues, you'll have the opportunity to make a significant impact while enjoying a comprehensive benefits package that prioritises your well-being and professional growth. Join us in Europe, where your contributions will not only enhance risk management but also empower you to develop into a well-rounded professional in a supportive and ethical workplace.
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Contact Detail:

McKinsey & Company Recruiting Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫

We think this is how you could land Principal Data Scientist in London

✨Tip Number 1

Network like a pro! Reach out to current employees in the company you're eyeing, especially those in data roles. A friendly chat can give you insider info and might just get your foot in the door.

✨Tip Number 2

Show off your skills! Prepare a portfolio or a GitHub repository showcasing your projects, especially those related to GenAI and ML. This is your chance to demonstrate your hands-on experience and creativity.

✨Tip Number 3

Ace the interview by being ready to discuss your thought process. When tackling problems, explain how you approach them, especially in risk management and model governance. We love seeing your analytical mindset in action!

✨Tip Number 4

Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in joining our team and contributing to meaningful challenges.

We think you need these skills to ace Principal Data Scientist in London

Python
SQL
dbt
Snowflake
GitHub
DevOps
CI/CD
Docker
Kubernetes
GenAI
RAG systems
Machine Learning
Statistical Methods
Model Governance
Stakeholder Management

Some tips for your application 🫡

Show Your Passion for Data: When you write your application, let your enthusiasm for data science shine through! Share specific examples of projects or challenges you've tackled that demonstrate your growth mindset and entrepreneurial spirit. We love seeing candidates who are genuinely excited about making an impact.

Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to highlight the skills and experiences that align with the Principal Data Scientist role. Use keywords from the job description to show us you understand what we're looking for. This helps us see how you fit into our team right from the start!

Be Clear and Concise: While we appreciate detail, clarity is key! Keep your application straightforward and to the point. Use bullet points where possible to make it easy for us to read and digest your qualifications. Remember, we want to see your best self without wading through unnecessary fluff.

Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to submit your application directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it shows us you’re keen on joining our community at StudySmarter!

How to prepare for a job interview at McKinsey & Company

✨Know Your Tech Inside Out

As a Principal Data Scientist, you'll need to showcase your deep expertise in Python and SQL. Brush up on your knowledge of libraries like pandas and scikit-learn, and be ready to discuss your hands-on experience with dbt and Snowflake. Prepare to explain how you've applied these skills in real-world scenarios.

✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills

This role is all about tackling meaningful challenges. Be prepared to discuss specific examples where you've designed and delivered GenAI or ML-powered solutions. Highlight your thought process, the challenges you faced, and how you overcame them to make a tangible impact.

✨Emphasise Collaboration and Communication

You'll be leading cross-functional partnerships, so it's crucial to demonstrate your ability to communicate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders. Share experiences where you've translated complex ideas into actionable insights for teams like Risk, Compliance, or Engineering.

✨Prepare for Ethical Discussions

Given the emphasis on ethics and integrity in the job description, be ready to discuss how you approach ethical considerations in data science. Think about examples where you've ensured compliance and governance in your projects, and how you balance innovation with responsibility.

Principal Data Scientist in London
McKinsey & Company
Location: London

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