The Role
As a Principal Data Scientist, you bring a wealth of commercial experience applying data science to solve complex business challenges. You are equally comfortable designing predictive models, exploring emerging technologies, and explaining data science concepts to non-technical stakeholders. With a consulting mindset, you know how to uncover business value, shape opportunities in pre-sales, and guide clients through successful data science adoption.
You will thrive in this role if you are:
- A curious problem solver who challenges the status quo
- Comfortable bridging the gap between technical data science and client business needs
- Passionate about innovation and exploring “what’s next” in AI and ML
- Experienced in working within Agile methodologies and consultancy environments
- Committed to mentoring and developing data scientists in our team
Role Responsibilities
Data Science Leadership
- Lead the design and development of advanced predictive and traditional ML models
- Provide technical guidance to teams and clients, ensuring best practices in ML development and deployment
- Contribute expertise in ML Ops, supporting clients as they take models into production environments
- Ensure delivery quality and technical excellence across all phases of an AI/ML project
Innovation & Thought Leadership
- Stay at the forefront of new data science and AI trends
- Evaluate and experiment with emerging techniques, tools, and frameworks
- Help clients understand the real-world business value of innovation in data science
- Represent Valtech externally through conference speaking, publishing white papers, and blogging
Client Engagement & Consulting
- Act as a trusted advisor to senior business and technical stakeholders
- Collaborate in pre-sales alongside Valtech’s business development teams, shaping data science opportunities and proposals
- Translate complex data science concepts into clear, compelling narratives for non-technical audiences
- Run workshops and discovery sessions with clients to identify high-impact data opportunities
Must-have Qualifications
- Extensive experience delivering AI/ML systems with proven commercial impact
- Strong background in predictive modelling, statistical techniques, and Machine Learning
- Demonstrated consulting experience - able to present and influence at senior levels
- Ability to explain complex data science concepts in simple, business-focused language
- Strong communication, collaboration, and client-facing skills
- Appetite for continuous learning and innovation
- Knowledge of Generative AI models and techniques (e.g. LLMs, transformer architecture, RAG)
- Upper-intermediate English level
Nice-to-have Qualifications
- Hands-on experience designing and deploying Generative AI solutions, including Agentic AI systems.
- Familiarity with cloud-based data science platforms (AWS Sagemaker, GCP Vertex AI, Azure ML)
- Experience with MLOps practices and taking models into production environments
- Exposure to modern data engineering practices and integration with data pipelines
- Pre-sales experience, including proposal writing and solution shaping
- Familiarity with promoting responsible and ethical AI practices, including data governance, transparency, and fairness in model development