Head of Data Science

Trilateral Research is recruiting for a Head of Data Science to join our Technology Services team within the United Kingdom.  

The Head of Data Science will be responsible for the creation of new data sciences capabilities for the business by envisioning and executing strategies that will influence improvement of the business’s performance, particularly in the development and implementation of AI solutions, aligned with Trilateral Research’s mission to drive ethical and socially impactful innovation. 

If this resonates with your experience and interest, we would love to hear from you! 

Our company and what we do 

At Trilateral Research, we provide ethical AI solutions for tackling complex social issues, from human trafficking and child exploitation, citizen security in crisis to pollution and climate change. We transform research into innovation and sustainable impact​, focusing our efforts where we can enhance societal wellbeing. 

We apply rigorous, cutting-edge research when developing and accessing new technologies to ensure they achieve sustainable innovation and measurable impact. Our teams include humanities specialists, social scientists, data scientists, ethical, legal, and human rights experts who work across the technology-social disciplinary divide. 

Key responsibilities include but not limited to: 

Strategic Leadership - Data Science & AI 

• Define and lead the data science and AI strategy in alignment with the company’s ethical standards and business strategy. 

• Drive innovation and strategic initiatives related to data science and AI, ensuring they are implemented effectively across teams. 

Governance and Compliance - Data Science & AI 

• Oversee data science and AI governance policies and frameworks to ensure compliance with regulations such as the EU AI Act and other relevant legislation. 

• Implement ethical AI practices across all AI initiatives, ensuring algorithmic transparency, data privacy, and security. 

• Take a proactive approach to risk management, identifying and monitoring key business risks and implementing appropriate mitigating solutions. 

Operational Supervision - AI Deployments 

• Lead and manage AI projects, ensuring timely and high-quality delivery in line with strategic objectives and provide guidance to cross-functional teams. 

• Supervise the technical aspects of AI implementation, including system design, deployment, and ongoing monitoring. 

Interdisciplinary Engagement & Collaboration 

• Foster collaboration across data science, software engineering, research, and service teams.  

• Engage with external stakeholders, including policymakers and public sector clients, to develop AI solutions for real-world societal challenges. 

Innovation & Research in AI 

• Lead data science and AI research efforts, identifying areas for further innovation in AI technologies and their applications and collaborate on cutting-edge research projects. 

• Help scope, design, and implement machine-learning models to support numerous products and programs.  

Team Leadership - Data Science Function 

• Drive continuous improvement and education within the Data Sciences function and support recruitment and learning and development efforts for a team of data scientists. 

• Provide line management to staff including active management of the full employee life cycle & performance management in line with company values. 

• Lead the development and design of the departmental vision, capabilities, infrastructure, and quarterly/annual goals for the data science function. 

• Demonstrate expertise through collaborative peer-reviewed, publication and/or conference papers and wider marketing collateral (e.g., blogs, webinars, podcasts). 

Required education and experience: 

Essential:  

• 7+ years’ experience in a data science role inclusive of commercial/product experience.  

• 3+ years’ supervision/people management experience.  

• Experience taking data science initiatives from discovery through development to successful product deployment. 

• Experienced in working at a strategic level with senior management (business & technical). 

• Demonstrable experience and interest in the realization of ethical AI. 

Desirable:  

• Master's degree or PhD in a technical subject such as Physics, Computer Science, Mathematics, Data Science, or related.  

• Experience in ML-Ops.  

• Experience deploying data science products within cloud services e.g., AWS services such as S3, Lambda, RDS, EC2, SageMaker. 

• Relevant publication(s) demonstrating expertise. 

Professional knowledge and technical skills: 

Essential:  

• Proven design and delivery of data science initiatives, including ideation, discovery, evaluation and iteration, and deployment with live software products.  

• Ability to translate business and customer requirements into data science solutions, including identifying areas where data science can add high value.  

• Good background knowledge of, and experience with, a variety of machine learning approaches, such as linear/logistic regression, SVM, random forests, and deep learning (ANN, RNN, CNN, LSTM, etc.).  

• Good understanding of statistics - hypothesis testing, p-values, confidence intervals, regression, classification, and optimization.  

• Experience manipulating large data sets (structured and unstructured data) through statistical software or other methods.  

• Excellent technical skills (Python – essential). Note: we use Python, SQL, pandas, scikit-learn, Neo4J, Keras, PyTorch, various AWS services, amongst others.  

• Excellent organisational skills, including an ability to prioritise in an agile and confident manner. 

• Strong algorithmic problem-solving skills. 

• Ability to use and learn new technologies.  

Interpersonal skills: 

Essential:  

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.  

• Willingness to learn, knowledge-share, and coach others.  

• Ability to support the professional development of team members.  

• A proactive approach to problem solving and risk management.  

• Demonstrate a solutions and customer orientated mindset. 

What else do I need to know?  

Location: This position is open to candidates based in the United Kingdom. 

Vetting Requirement: Please note that this role requires vetting of Non-Police Personnel Level 3 (NPPV L3), and Basic Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) to be carried out prior to your start. This means only candidates with a minimum of three years residency in the UK will be eligible. 

Contract type: Permanent Employment Contract. 

Start date: Early 2025. 

Salary: Commensurate with experience. 

Hours: Full-Time. 

Our compensation package includes: Competitive salary, enhanced holiday entitlement increasing with service. company sick pay and family friendly pay, flexible working hours, remote working/working from home options, enhanced pension scheme based on service and continuous career development. 

Please note that the closing date for applications is the 11th of December at 5pm GMT. Our hiring team will be continuously reviewing and progressing applications as they are submitted. We receive a high volume of applications, and we will only be able to progress applicants that meet all the essential requirements listed in this description.  

How to apply? 

Please submit your CV and complete all application questions to have your application considered. References will be required prior to appointment and candidates must be eligible to work in the country the role requires. 

We are an Equal Opportunities employer and positively encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates, regardless of their age, sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital/civil partnership status, or pregnancy and maternity. We are a Disability Confident committed and Living Wage employer. 

At Trilateral Research, we value privacy and data protection rights. We have a longstanding data protection culture and promote robust ethical standards in data management and research ethics. Please read our Recruitment Privacy Notice in relation to our recruitment activities before submitting your application to work with us.