Experienced professionals who lead data-driven decision-making. They design and implement complex models to extract actionable insights from large datasets.
Senior Data Scientists are the backbone of data-driven organisations. They are responsible for designing and implementing advanced statistical models, conducting in-depth data analysis, and translating complex data insights into actionable strategies. These professionals work closely with cross-functional teams, including product managers, engineers, and business leaders, to drive data-informed decisions. They often lead projects, mentor junior data scientists, and ensure that data science practices are aligned with business goals.
A typical week is a mix of hands-on data analysis, project management, and collaboration with stakeholders.
Based on advertised midpoints across the 53 UK listings priced in pounds in the last 12 months. Base salary only.
% of 61 listings posted in the last 12 months that mention each skill, extracted from job descriptions.
A typical UK progression for senior data scientists. Years are guidance — strong people move faster, and many senior folks sidestep into research, product or management.
Assist in data collection, cleaning, and basic analysis. Contribute to small projects under supervision.
Lead data analysis projects, develop predictive models, and communicate insights to stakeholders.
Design and implement complex data models, manage projects, and mentor junior team members.
Strategise data science initiatives, lead large-scale projects, and influence organisational data strategy.
There's no single route, but most people follow some version of these steps.
Start with a strong foundation in statistics, programming, and data analysis. Gain experience through internships or entry-level roles.
Focus on advanced statistical methods, machine learning, and data visualisation. Work on projects that require in-depth data analysis.
Take on leadership roles in data science projects. Manage teams, mentor junior data scientists, and ensure project success.
Shape the data science strategy of your organisation. Lead large-scale initiatives and drive data-driven decision-making at the executive level.
Continuously update your skills and knowledge. Stay informed about the latest data science tools, techniques, and industry trends.
Faculty London
Lead high-impact AI projects for retail and consumer clients, defining data science approaches, designing software architectures, and mentoring colleagues. Own the technical side of client relationships, scope projects, and embed responsible AI practices while building production-grade systems in Python.
VIQU IT London £75,000 – £80,000 pa
Design and deliver deployable AI/ML models spanning forecasting, propensity, churn and customer segmentation, owning end-to-end workflows from feature creation to ML Ops deployment and monitoring. The role is hands-on rather than research-focused, with responsibility for architecting datasets, visualising results into decision tools, and mentoring junior data scientists alongside product and engineering teams.
ARM Manchester
Lead technical delivery of AI, machine learning and data science solutions for major financial services clients, including architecture design, production model deployment and mentoring small teams of data scientists. Client-facing role requiring strong Python, SQL, Spark and cloud experience, with LLM, prompt engineering and RAG knowledge advantageous.
NES Group Ltd London
Builds ML and graph-based identity resolution where rule-based matching falls short, improving customer-spine architecture and reducing identity drift. Defines matching-quality metrics, supports golden-layer integration and delivers a reusable identity-resolution framework. Requires entity resolution, fuzzy matching, MLOps and feature-store experience plus Customer Master/MDM background.
Harnham - Data and Analytics Recruitment London £70,000 – £90,000 pa
Owns pricing-focused data science, building predictive models of risk, customer behaviour and price sensitivity, and integrating new data sources to sharpen rates and tariffs. Uses simulation to estimate claim frequency and price responses, then translates findings into commercial recommendations for senior stakeholders. Hybrid role with at least one day a week in the London office.
Faculty London
Lead high-impact AI safety projects, designing novel evaluation frameworks and robust software architectures for frontier labs and government clients. Mentor technical team members, partner with commercial teams on scoping, and advance the science of AI evaluations through research and public speaking. Requires strong Python and scientific rigour in a high-stakes national security context.
Harnham - Data and Analytics Recruitment London £80,000 – £90,000 pa
Owns and develops the organisation's Marketing Mix Modelling framework, delivering insights on marketing effectiveness, media performance and budget allocation. Designs incrementality tests, lift studies and geo experiments, builds LTV models and applies causal inference to guide investment decisions, working closely with Marketing stakeholders.
dunnhumby London
Joins the Retail Insight team to investigate, develop and deploy complex data science applications for Tesco, covering personalisation, basket analysis, pricing, promotions and loyalty. Works directly with client leadership to build reusable, scalable models using Python, SQL and PySpark, turning complex problems into measurable commercial insight.
The locations with the most live listings for this role today.
Essential skills include advanced statistics, machine learning, programming (Python, R), data visualisation, and strong communication abilities.
Gain experience in leading projects, developing complex models, and mentoring junior team members. Continuously improve your technical and leadership skills.
Responsibilities include designing and implementing advanced data models, managing data science projects, and mentoring junior data scientists.
A Senior Data Scientist has more experience, leads projects, and mentors junior team members. They also have a broader impact on organisational data strategy.
Salary ranges can vary widely based on experience, location, and industry. For specific salary information, please refer to the salary section on this page.
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