At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the Data & AI function, scaling platforms and moving AI into production.
- Company: Global workforce solutions business with a tech-led strategy.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, leadership role, and opportunity to shape AI governance.
- Other info: Dynamic environment with opportunities for career growth and innovation.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by transforming data into trusted insights across regions.
- Qualifications: 12+ years in Data, AI, or platform leadership; experience with multi-country teams.
The predicted salary is between 81000 - 99000 £ per year.
A global workforce solutions business is looking for a builder-operator to lead its Data & AI function. They want someone who has scaled a data platform and put AI into production on top of it, not someone who stops at the roadmap. This isn’t a blank page. A global Data & AI team is already building a Databricks lakehouse as the backbone of the company’s technology-led strategy, and you’d take it to the next phase.
The platform comes first: running it as an internal product with clear ownership, service levels and adoption metrics, and setting the governance and quality standards that make data trusted across regions. AI sits on that foundation. You’ll move it from experimentation into production across products and operations, shape the model lifecycle, guide build-versus-buy decisions, and set responsible AI and governance standards.
Day to day, expect to balance board-level conversations with getting close to the work and developing your people. You’ll lead 40–60 people across Europe, the UK & Ireland, the US and APAC, with offshore capacity in India, and report to the Chief Product & Technology Officer, who sits on the Global Board. You’ll work closely with product, engineering, architecture and regional leaders, keeping data standards consistent while giving local teams room to operate.
Early use cases include talent matching, recruiter workflows, forecasting, pricing and decision support.
What they’re looking for:
- 12+ years in Data, AI, Analytics or platform leadership roles
- A record of building and scaling an enterprise data platform across multiple businesses or countries
- Experience taking AI into production in products and operational workflows
- Experience leading multi-country data teams, ideally in the 25–80 range, and comfortable being hands-on
- Knowledge of modern data architecture, ML/AI lifecycles, governance and security frameworks
- Databricks or lakehouse experience (valued, not essential)
- Credibility advising senior executives and influencing strategic decisions
- Strong stakeholder management across business and technology leadership
- Curiosity and drive, and the ability to turn technical depth into commercial value
- HR, staffing or workforce solutions experience is a strong advantage
VP of Data & AI in London employer: Vertage
Join a forward-thinking HR-tech company that is at the forefront of digital transformation, where your role as an Enterprise Architect will directly influence the architecture of innovative AI-enabled products. With a strong emphasis on collaboration and mentorship, you'll thrive in a culture that values technical expertise over hierarchy, while enjoying opportunities for professional growth in a dynamic, hybrid work environment across multiple international locations. Experience the unique advantage of shaping a global platform that prioritises security and scalability from day one.
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We think this is how you could land VP of Data & AI in London
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We think you need these skills to ace VP of Data & AI in London
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!
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Craft a Tailored Cover Letter:For a full-time role at Vertage, 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 Vertage. 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 Vertage
✨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!
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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 Vertage!
✨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.
