Be at the heart of actionFly remote-controlled drones into enemy territory to gather vital information.

Apply Now

Principal Data Scientist

Investigo
London
1 month ago
Create job alert

Get AI-powered advice on this job and more exclusive features.

This range is provided by Investigo. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.

Base pay range

Direct message the job poster from Investigo

You know that job where you quietly validate models in a dusty corner of the risk department?

Yeah. This isn’t that job.

This is leading a team that challenges the models that decide who gets credit, who’s flagged as fraud, and how millions in provisions are set aside. It’s a job where the wrong call has real consequences - and the right one keeps the business out of the headlines.

You're not here to say yes.

You're here to ask: “Are you sure?”

And sometimes: “What the hell were you thinking?”

What you’ll actually be doing:

  • Leading the Model Risk and Validation function in a fast-paced financial environment.
  • Building frameworks that regulators respect and internal teams can actually follow.
  • Validating complex models - credit risk, fraud, IFRS9 - all the fun stuff.
  • Digging into assumptions, code, data, and logic. No surface-level reviews.
  • Building a team of people who know how to challenge without being obnoxious.
  • Dealing with senior stakeholders who don’t want “it depends” as an answer.
  • Explaining technical complexity to people who stopped caring after the third slide.
  • Staying just ahead of regulatory changes, without making them your entire personality.

What we need from you:

  • You’ve led a team. A real one. Not just an intern and a weekly stand-up.
  • 7+ years deep in model risk, validation, or building the things yourself. Ideally in the Financial Services sector.
  • You can code. Python. SQL. Bonus points if you’ve wrestled with messy production code.
  • You’ve had conversations with regulators that didn’t end in panic or confusion.
  • You can say, “This model’s wrong and here’s why,” without writing a 40-page slide deck.
  • You know when to be technical, when to be strategic, and when to shut up and listen.
  • A proper degree in something terrifying would be great - stats, maths, data science, whatever.

Why this role?

Because it’s rare to find a role where the business wants to be challenged - and will give you the space, the backing, and the budget to do it properly.

No fluff. No layers of red tape. Just a leadership role that actually leads.

If that sounds more interesting than another year spent tweaking someone else’s model, hit apply.

Or don’t. Just don’t complain when someone else does.

Seniority level

  • Seniority levelMid-Senior level

Employment type

  • Employment typeFull-time

Job function

  • Job functionInformation Technology
  • IndustriesComputer and Network Security

Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at Investigo by 2x

Sign in to set job alerts for “Data Scientist” roles.

London, England, United Kingdom 1 week ago

London Area, United Kingdom £35,000.00-£45,000.00 20 hours ago

London, England, United Kingdom 3 weeks ago

London, England, United Kingdom 1 week ago

London, England, United Kingdom 1 month ago

London, England, United Kingdom 1 month ago

Greater London, England, United Kingdom 2 weeks ago

London, England, United Kingdom 2 days ago

London, England, United Kingdom 5 days ago

London, England, United Kingdom 2 weeks ago

Data Scientist – Data Science Analytics and Enablement (DSAE)

London, England, United Kingdom 2 weeks ago

London, England, United Kingdom 5 days ago

Data Scientist, Internship, United Kingdom - BCG X

London, England, United Kingdom 4 days ago

London, England, United Kingdom 1 week ago

Greater London, England, United Kingdom 2 weeks ago

London, England, United Kingdom 2 hours ago

London Area, United Kingdom £30,000.00-£50,000.00 1 month ago

London, England, United Kingdom 2 months ago

Greater London, England, United Kingdom 3 months ago

London, England, United Kingdom 1 month ago

Greater London, England, United Kingdom 1 week ago

London, England, United Kingdom 5 days ago

London, England, United Kingdom 2 weeks ago

London, England, United Kingdom 4 days ago

London, England, United Kingdom 1 month ago

London, England, United Kingdom 1 week ago

We’re unlocking community knowledge in a new way. Experts add insights directly into each article, started with the help of AI.


#J-18808-Ljbffr

Related Jobs

View all jobs

Principal Data Scientist

Principal Data Scientist - Financial Services - London/Flexible

Principal Data Scientist - Financial Services - London/Flexible

Principal Data Scientist – Digital Banking & Risk Analytics

Principal Data Scientist – Digital Banking & Risk Analytics

Principal Data Scientist

Subscribe to Future Tech Insights for the latest jobs & insights, direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of service.

Industry Insights

Discover insightful articles, industry insights, expert tips, and curated resources.

Data Science Recruitment Trends 2025 (UK): What Job Seekers Need To Know About Today’s Hiring Process

Summary: UK data science hiring has shifted from title‑led CV screens to capability‑driven assessments that emphasise rigorous problem framing, high‑quality analytics & modelling, experiment/causality, production awareness (MLOps), governance/ethics, and measurable product or commercial impact. This guide explains what’s changed, what to expect in interviews & how to prepare—especially for product/data scientists, applied ML scientists, decision scientists, econometricians, growth/marketing analysts, and ML‑adjacent data scientists supporting LLM/AI products. Who this is for: Product/decision/data scientists, applied ML scientists, econometrics & causal inference specialists, experimentation leads, analytics engineers crossing into DS, ML generalists with strong statistics, and data scientists collaborating with platform/MLOps teams in the UK.

Why Data Science Careers in the UK Are Becoming More Multidisciplinary

Data science once meant advanced statistics, machine learning models and coding in Python or R. In the UK today, it has become one of the most in-demand professions across sectors — from healthcare to finance, retail to government. But as the field matures, employers now expect more than technical modelling skills. Modern data science is multidisciplinary. It requires not just coding and algorithms, but also legal knowledge, ethical reasoning, psychological insight, linguistic clarity and human-centred design. Data scientists are expected to interpret, communicate and apply data responsibly, with awareness of law, human behaviour and accessibility. In this article, we’ll explore why data science careers in the UK are becoming more multidisciplinary, how these five disciplines intersect with data science, and what job-seekers & employers need to know to succeed in this transformed field.

Data Science Team Structures Explained: Who Does What in a Modern Data Science Department

Data science is one of the most in-demand, dynamic, and multidisciplinary areas in the UK tech and business landscape. Organisations from finance, retail, health, government, and beyond are using data to drive decisions, automate processes, personalise services, predict trends, detect fraud, and more. To do that well, companies don’t just need good data scientists; they need teams with clearly defined roles, responsibilities, workflows, collaboration, and governance. If you're aiming for a role in data science or recruiting for one, understanding the structure of a data science department—and who does what—can make all the difference. This article breaks down the key roles, how they interact across the lifecycle of a data science project, what skills and qualifications are typical in the UK, expected salary ranges, challenges, trends, and how to build or grow an effective team.