Lead Data Scientist

Talent Locker
Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 7JT, United Kingdom
Last week
£550 – £650 pd

Salary

£550 – £650 pd

Job Type
Contract
Work Location
Hybrid
Seniority
Lead
Education
Degree
Security Clearance
Required
Posted
28 May 2026 (Last week)

Data Science Opportunity - Farnborough - Outside IR35 £550 - £650 P/Day - Hybrid

A growing technology organisation operating within highly secure environments is looking to hire a Lead Data Scientist to lead Data Science processes and GenAI deployment across complex programmes.

As a Lead Data Scientist, you'll play a key role in designing, developing, and deploying advanced AI systems, with a particular focus on Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs). You'll work across complex datasets and emerging technologies to create scalable, repeatable, and production-ready solutions.

You'll collaborate with engineering and technical leadership teams to drive AI capability forward, while remaining hands-on with model development, optimisation, and deployment.

Key Responsibilities

Design and build advanced AI/ML solutions for complex data-driven challenges

Develop and optimise Generative AI models and LLM-based applications

Work with transformer architectures, SLMs, convolutional models, and related AI frameworks

Build and optimise graph databases to support intelligent data relationships and retrieval

Design and implement MCP servers and supporting AI infrastructure

Select and apply appropriate machine learning techniques to achieve repeatable and measurable outcomes

Contribute to AI architecture decisions, experimentation strategies, and technical roadmaps

Work closely with engineers, architects, and stakeholders within secure environments

Support optimisation problems and solver-based approaches where requiredExperience Required

Strong hands-on experience building AI models and machine learning solutions

Commercial experience with:

Large Language Models (LLMs)

Small Language Models (SLMs)

Transformer architectures

Convolutional models

Experience designing and optimising graph databases

Experience building MCP servers

Proven ability to apply AI and ML techniques to solve complex data problems

Experience delivering scalable and repeatable AI solutions

Generative AI (GenAI) experience is essential

Due to the nature of the opportunity and business, applicants need active SC Clearance.

Data Science Opportunity - Farnborough - Outside IR35 £550 - £650 P/Day

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Where to Advertise Data Science Jobs in the UK (2026 Guide)

Where to advertise data science jobs UK in 2026: the specialist boards, communities and channels that actually reach senior and lead data science talent. Data science spans a broad and often misunderstood spectrum — from statistical modelling and experimental design through to machine learning engineering, product analytics and AI research. The strongest candidates identify firmly with specific subdisciplines and are frustrated by adverts that conflate data scientist with data analyst, business intelligence developer or machine learning engineer. General job boards produce high application volumes for data roles but consistently fail to match specialist data science profiles with the right opportunities. This guide, published by DataScienceJobs.co.uk, covers where to advertise data science roles in the UK in 2026, how the main platforms compare, what employers should expect to pay, and what the data says about hiring across different role types.