Head of Data Science

Join our emerging and dynamic Data Office as Head of Data Science. In this exciting position, you will be a leader of Heathrow’s AI journey towards a digital future. You will have the opportunity to use your creativity to drive impactful projects, while leveraging your PhD/Masters in Maths, Science or AI to solve complex problems that make the lives of our colleagues, customers and passengers better.

This is a pivotal senior leadership role reporting directly to the Director of Data and AI, accountable for establishing and leading Heathrow's enterprise-wide data science and AI capabilities as a strategic business function.

This role drives the development, deployment, and operational excellence of advanced analytical solutions across all business domains, managing multiple teams, strategic vendor partnerships, and multi-million-pound budgets for data science infrastructure and AI initiatives.

The post-holder operates as a key member of the senior data and AI leadership team, providing enterprise-wide influence on data-driven decision making, establishing corporate AI governance and ethics frameworks, and ensuring operational excellence while fostering industry leadership and external partnerships.

Developing and executing Heathrow's enterprise data science and AI strategy, aligned with corporate objectives and integrated across all business directoratesEstablishing and maintaining corporate AI governance frameworks, policies, and standards ensuring responsible AI deployment and regulatory complianceProviding strategic advisory to the Executive Team on AI/analytics opportunities, contributing to board-level technology strategiesAccountability for end-to-end delivery of analytics services across the enterprise, meeting agreed SLAs and performance metricsEstablishing and maintaining business continuity and disaster recovery plans for critical AI/analytics systemsLeading performance management frameworks for analytics service delivery, driving continuous improvement and customer satisfactionManaging significant budgets for data science platforms, AI infrastructure, and analytics toolsLeading business case development and ROI analysis for major AI/analytics investments, ensuring strong financial returnsConducting commercial negotiations with major analytics vendors and consulting partners, optimising cost-effectiveness and service quality
Master's or . in a quantitative field (., Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Engineering, AI)Displaying proficiency in data science with showcasing expertise in a leadership role, managing data science or AI teamsExtensive hands-on experience in developing and deploying a wide range of machine learning models and AI solutions in a commercial settingStrong understanding of AI governance principles, ethical AI frameworks, and relevant regulatory considerationsDemonstrated experience in strategic planning and execution of data science and AI initiativesProficiency in programming languages commonly used in data science (., Python, R) and experience with relevant libraries and frameworks