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- Tasks: Lead AI initiatives, improve existing systems, and drive impactful outcomes.
- Company: Dynamic consumer-facing organisation focused on innovation and AI.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, bonus, hybrid work, and strong investment in AI.
- Other info: High visibility role with excellent growth opportunities in a supportive environment.
- Why this job: Shape the future of AI delivery and make a real impact.
- Qualifications: Proven experience in AI/ML, strong Python skills, and hands-on leadership.
The predicted salary is between 120000 - 155000 £ per year.
Pulse Recruit has been exclusively retained to appoint a Principal Data Scientist into a high-impact, consumer-facing organisation at a really interesting point in its evolution. This is not a traditional data science role. This is about direction through hands-on technical leadership. It’s about taking what already exists and making it genuinely excellent. You’ll shape how AI is built and deployed, staying close enough to the work to challenge, guide and improve it.
This role sits at the intersection of Product, Engineering, and Leadership. You’ll play a key role in defining direction by owning outcomes end-to-end, either delivering directly or guiding teams to the right solution. You’ll be working across multiple teams, helping bring modern AI capabilities into production in a way that genuinely impacts customers and the business. This is a position focused on ownership, innovation, and impact, with a strong emphasis on leadership, communication, and driving change across the organisation.
What you’ll be doing:
- Owning problems end-to-end, delivering directly or guiding teams to the right outcome
- Leading high-impact initiatives from ideation through to production
- Working closely with Product, Engineering, and senior stakeholders to deliver real outcomes, not just recommendations
- Staying close to the work. Prototyping, reviewing, and challenging where needed
- Driving best practices across model development, deployment, evaluation, and scalability
- Reviewing and improving AI systems already in production
- Identifying gaps in performance, evaluation, and observability
- Aligning multiple teams on standards, tooling, and technical approach
- Using Data Science to directly move business metrics
What we’re looking for:
- Proven experience operating at Principal or Staff level (not a people manager)
- Technically credible. Able to get hands-on when needed and challenge effectively
- Experience working with AI/ML systems in production
- Strong Python, modelling, and experimentation background
- Experience improving or scaling existing systems, not just building from scratch
- Comfortable working across teams and influencing without authority
- Commercially aware and able to connect work to real outcomes
Why this role stands out:
- True ownership – shape how AI is delivered, not just what gets built
- High visibility – direct impact on business-critical systems already in production
- Backed from the top – genuine investment in AI and data science
- Opportunity to influence how a large organisation scales AI in a practical, real-world way
Package & Details:
- £120k–£155k DOE + Bonus + Benefits
- Hybrid (UK-based)
- Must have the right to work in the UK (no sponsorship available)
Data Science Vice President in Reading employer: Pulse Recruit
Contact Detail:
Pulse Recruit Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Data Science Vice President in Reading
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in your industry on LinkedIn or at events. A friendly chat can lead to opportunities that aren’t even advertised yet.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio or a GitHub repository showcasing your projects. This is your chance to demonstrate your hands-on experience and technical credibility.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by practising common questions and scenarios related to AI/ML systems. Be ready to discuss how you’ve improved existing systems and driven real outcomes.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! We’re always looking for talented individuals who can make an impact, so make sure your application stands out.
We think you need these skills to ace Data Science Vice President in Reading
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Hands-On Experience: Make sure to highlight your hands-on experience with AI/ML systems in production. We want to see how you've taken existing systems and made them better, so share specific examples of your work that demonstrate this.
Emphasise Leadership and Collaboration: This role is all about leading initiatives and working across teams. Use your application to showcase your ability to influence without authority and how you've successfully collaborated with Product and Engineering teams in the past.
Connect Your Work to Real Outcomes: We’re looking for someone who understands the commercial impact of their work. Be sure to connect your previous projects to tangible business outcomes, showing us how your contributions have made a difference.
Apply Through Our Website: Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for this exciting opportunity. We can’t wait to see what you bring to the table!
How to prepare for a job interview at Pulse Recruit
✨Understand the Role's Unique Focus
This isn't your typical data science gig, so make sure you grasp the nuances of leading through hands-on technical leadership. Familiarise yourself with how to take existing systems and elevate them, rather than starting from scratch.
✨Showcase Your Technical Credibility
Be prepared to discuss your experience with AI/ML systems in production. Highlight specific projects where you've improved or scaled existing systems, and be ready to dive into technical details that demonstrate your Python and modelling expertise.
✨Emphasise Cross-Team Collaboration
Since this role involves working closely with Product, Engineering, and senior stakeholders, come equipped with examples of how you've influenced teams without direct authority. Show how your communication skills have led to successful outcomes.
✨Connect Your Work to Business Outcomes
Demonstrate your commercial awareness by linking your past projects to real-world business metrics. Be ready to discuss how your data science initiatives have directly impacted customer experiences or business performance.