Lead Data Scientist

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Salary Range

We support flexible working – click here for more information on flexible working options

Flexible Working Options

Job Description Summary

Job Description

JOB TITLE: Lead Data & AI Scientist (BCB)

SALARY: Competitive* will be discussed at interview stage

LOCATION(S): London or Edinburgh

HOURS: Full time

WORKING PATTERN: Our work style is hybrid, which involves spending at least two days per week, or 40% of your time, at our Edinburgh office.

About this Opportunity:

In Business & Commercial Banking (BCB) we're developing our client value proposition, shaping our digital and data strategy, and driving commercial growth initiatives.

As a Lead Data & AI Scientist, you’ll play a pivotal role in shaping and delivering ground breaking AI solutions that solve complex business challenges for BCB. From predictive and generative AI to agentic systems, you’ll lead initiatives that transform digital experiences, automate processes, and unlock data-driven insights for colleagues and clients.

You’ll provide technical leadership, define our capability roadmap, and ensure the delivery of high-quality, scalable models. This role also involves mentoring the Data Science & AI team, encouraging knowledge sharing, and embedding industry guidelines.

What you’ll be doing:

• Conceptualise and lead technology-based solutions that solve complex business problems. Improve digital experiences, automate processes, and provide data-driven insights to support colleague and client journeys.

• Shape and define the capability roadmap for Data & AI, including cloud-native solutions and scalable architectures.

• Provide technical leadership, coaching, and mentoring for data scientists and engineers.

• Ensure rigorous quality assurance in model development, testing, and deployment.

• Develop proofs-of-concept to demonstrate new capabilities and accelerate adoption.

• Partner with colleagues to understand business requirements and translate them into actionable AI solutions.

• Advocate for responsible AI practices and compliance with governance frameworks.

• Guide the team in solving complex AI use cases and improving existing approaches.

• Contribute to the design of training curricula and professional development paths for the Data & AI community.

• Drive measurable business outcomes through AI solutions aligned to strategic priorities.

• Ensure solutions are scalable, secure, and aligned with Group Data & AI standards.

Why join us?

We’re on an exciting journey to transform our Group and the way we’re shaping finance for good. We’re focusing on the future, investing in our technologies, workplaces, and colleagues to make our Group a great place for everyone.

What we’re looking for?

• Set the strategic direction for Data & AI across BCB, aligning investment and priorities with business outcomes

• Lead the design and delivery of enterprise-level AI solutions across client journeys, automation, and insight generation

• Own the Data & AI capability roadmap, ensuring scalable, cloud-based architectures that support long-term growth

• Provide technical and thought leadership to the Data Science & AI team, building capability and setting engineering standards

• Oversee the full lifecycle of AI solutions, ensuring robust development, deployment, monitoring, and continuous improvement

• Partner with senior leaders to shape high-value AI use cases and influence decision-making at leadership level

• Embed responsible AI practices, ensuring all solutions meet governance, risk, and regulatory requirements

• Drive measurable commercial and operational outcomes, with clear accountability for impact, adoption, and value delivered

• We know that great talent comes from many backgrounds. Whilst this job advert may reference specific years of experience, we recognise that skills are developed in many ways, so if you have relevant, transferable experience, we encourage you to apply.

This is a place for you:

Our ambition is to be the leading UK business for diversity, equity and inclusion supporting our customers, colleagues and communities, and we’re committed to creating an environment in which everyone can thrive, learn and develop.

We were one of the first major organisations to set goals on diversity in senior roles, create a menopause health package, and a dedicated Working with Cancer Initiative.

We offer reasonable workplace adjustments for colleagues with disabilities, including flexibility in office attendance, location and working patterns. And, as a Disability Confident Leader, we guarantee interviews for a fair and proportionate number of applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role with a disability, long-term health or neurodivergent condition through the Disability Confident Scheme.

We provide reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process to reduce or remove barriers. Just let us know what you need.

We also offer a wide-ranging benefits package, which includes:

• A generous pension contribution of up to 15%

• An annual performance-related bonus

• Share schemes including free shares

• Benefits you can adapt to your lifestyle, such as discounted shopping

• 30 days’ holiday, with bank holidays on top

• A range of wellbeing initiatives and generous parental leave policies

Ready for a career where you’ll learn and thrive? Apply today and find out more.

At Lloyds Banking Group, we're driven by a clear purpose; to help Britain prosper. Across the Group, our colleagues are focused on making a difference to customers, businesses and communities. With us you'll have a key role to play in shaping the financial services of the future, whilst the scale and reach of our Group means you'll have many opportunities to learn, grow and develop.

We keep your data safe. So, we'll only ever ask you to provide confidential or sensitive information once you have formally been invited along to an interview or accepted a verbal offer to join us which is when we run our background checks.  We'll always explain what we need and why, with any request coming from a trusted Lloyds Banking Group person. 

We're focused on creating a values-led culture and are committed to building a workforce which reflects the diversity of the customers and communities we serve. Together we’re building a truly inclusive workplace where all of our colleagues have the opportunity to make a real difference.