Lead AI Scientist (Head of AI Innovation)

About Squarcle: Squarcle is a growing strategy, operations, and digital consultancy dedicated to transforming complex business challenges into innovative solutions. Our mission is to drive meaningful progress for our clients through data-driven insights, advanced technology, and exceptional people. At Squarcle, we foster an inclusive, collaborative culture where innovation thrives, and talent is recognised and rewarded.

Introducing Squarcle Labs: Squarcle Labs is our dedicated AI innovation hub, committed to pioneering cutting-edge artificial intelligence solutions that revolutionise decision-making, automation, and digital transformation. We strive to establish ourselves as industry leaders in applied AI, delivering transformative impacts to our clients across multiple sectors.

Role Overview: As our Lead AI Scientist, you will spearhead Squarcle Labs, leading the strategic direction and operational execution of our AI innovation initiatives. Reporting to the Managing Director for Digital, your role will be pivotal in developing enterprise-grade AI products and proprietary intellectual property, positioning Squarcle at the forefront of AI innovation. You will drive AI experimentation, product development, and thought leadership, building a highly skilled team to deliver transformative client solutions.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Strategic Leadership: Set the strategic vision for AI innovation at Squarcle Labs, aligning initiatives with business objectives and market opportunities.
• AI Experimentation: Lead agile experimentation cycles, delivering proofs of concept and piloting enterprise-ready AI solutions.
• Product Development: Drive the development of proprietary AI assets, including reusable models, automation frameworks, and advanced analytics tools.
• Technical Excellence: Oversee the architecture and deployment of robust AI solutions using hybrid cloud and on-premise high-performance computing environments.
• Ethics, Governance & Responsible AI: Implement ethical AI frameworks and governance structures, ensuring models are fair, transparent, secure, and aligned with legal and societal expectations.
• Thought Leadership: Publish research and white papers, represent Squarcle Labs at leading industry events, and enhance our market presence through strategic partnerships.
• Team Building & Mentorship: Recruit, lead, and mentor a high-performing team of AI specialists, fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate closely with internal stakeholders and clients to integrate AI solutions effectively across digital transformation, data analytics, and technology services.

Knowledge, Skills, and Experience (Essential):

• Proven leadership experience in AI innovation, applied data science, and machine learning.
• Deep technical expertise in AI/ML model development, deployment, and governance frameworks.
• Solid understanding of AI architectures such as Transformers, Graph Neural Networks, Adversarial Networks, and Recurrent Networks.
• Hands-on experience with modern AI frameworks and libraries (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow, Hugging Face).
• Expert proficiency in programming languages including Python, CUDA, and C++.
• Strong understanding of data pipelines, data engineering, and infrastructure resilience.
• Exceptional strategic thinking, problem-solving, and agile delivery capabilities.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage effectively with senior leadership and external clients.
• Track record of delivering successful AI-driven products or solutions within commercial or public sector environments.

Knowledge, Skills, and Experience (Desirable):

• Experience with cloud platforms (Azure ML, Azure Databricks, AWS SageMaker).
• Familiarity with Defence, public sector, healthcare, or similar industry verticals.
• Advanced qualifications (Masters or PhD) in AI, machine learning, computer science, or a related discipline, or equivalent experience.

Why Squarcle? Join Squarcle and become part of a dynamic, inclusive, and forward-thinking team. You'll have the opportunity to lead transformative AI projects that make a real-world impact, fostering innovation and shaping the future of digital consultancy.

Apply Today: If you're passionate about AI innovation and eager to make a lasting difference, we'd love to hear from you. Take the next step in your career by joining Squarcle Labs.

This role requires you to have lived in the UK for the last 5 years and obtain Security Check (SC) security clearance. Clearance must be obtained without any caveats that prevent you from carrying out the role you’ve been recruited for. If it isn’t obtained, or is obtained but with caveats that prevent you from carrying out the role, any conditional offer made to you will be withdrawn. Obtaining SC security clearance can be a lengthy process, and we reserve the right to withdraw any conditional offer made if the necessary security clearance isn’t obtained within 6 months. If you hold dual citizenship or nationality from another country, please make us aware of this during the application phase. We’re unable to offer visa sponsorship.