FacultyPrincipal Data Scientist
Faculty is hiring a Principal Data Scientist for a remote role open to applicants in United Kingdom. Level rates it ; you can apply on Faculty.
Level's read on this job
- Level rates this data scientist role Builds AI ●●●●: the job is building AI systems.
- The posting lists this role as remote.
- Tools and skills the posting cites include Python, AI safety and machine learning.
- Level classifies it as a senior role.
- Level lists 85 other open roles at Faculty.
AI in this role
Principal Data Scientist leading machine learning delivery and AI transformation strategies for defence sector clients.
Why Faculty?
We established Faculty in 2014 because we thought that AI would be the most important technology of our time. Since then, we’ve worked with over 350 global customers to transform their performance through human-centric AI. You can read about our real-world impact here.
We don’t chase hype cycles. We innovate, build and deploy responsible AI which moves the needle - and we know a thing or two about doing it well. We bring an unparalleled depth of technical, product and delivery expertise to our clients who span government, finance, retail, energy, life sciences and defence.
Our business, and reputation, is growing fast and we’re always on the lookout for individuals who share our intellectual curiosity and desire to build a positive legacy through technology.
AI is an epoch-defining technology, join a company where you’ll be empowered to envision its most powerful applications, and to make them happen.
About the team
Our Defence team is focused on building and embedding human centred AI solutions which give our nation a competitive edge in the defence sector. We collaborate with our clients to bring ethical, reliable and cutting edge AI to high-stakes situations and maintain the balance of global powers essential to our liberty.
Because of the nature of the work we do with our Defence clients, you will need to be eligible for UK Security Clearance (SC) and willing to work between 2 to 4 days per week on site with these customers which may require travel to locations throughout the UK.
When not required on client sites, you’ll have the flexibility to work from our London office or remotely from elsewhere within the UK.
About the role
As a Principal Data Scientist at Faculty, you will drive high impact transformation within our Defence team by taking ownership of complex machine learning delivery and sector specific strategy. You will act as a trusted technical authority and domain expert, leading project scoping, technical selling, and client management to deliver exceptional value. Balancing deep business knowledge with advanced analytical skill, you will shape cutting edge AI solutions, build robust client partnerships, and mentor data scientists across ambitious initiatives.
What you'll be doing:
Owning and growing a strategic portfolio of machine learning work specifically tailored to the Defence sector.
Translating client challenges into technical roadmaps by leading project scoping, delivery, and client engagement.
Writing exemplary, production grade code to set technical standards on our most sophisticated delivery projects.
Serving as a technical authority on machine learning across Faculty and representing our capabilities within the wider community.
Partnering with commercial and delivery teams to drive technical selling, pitching, and business growth.
Mentoring and guiding junior data scientists through complex problem solving, technical planning, and execution.
Who we're looking for:
You bring deep domain expertise within Defence or other industries, allowing you to quickly spot opportunities and maximise impact.
You enjoy mentoring junior colleagues and have prior direct management experience, inspiring them to continually stretch and grow their technical skill.
You bring broad knowledge across a range of machine learning techniques, including experience building Generative AI and agentic AI applications with Large Language Models
You have advanced coding skills in Python and proven experience building and maintaining scalable codebases.
You excel at making pragmatic decisions, choosing optimal solutions based on time, resources, and complexity.
You are an engaging communicator who builds trust effortlessly with senior stakeholders and technical counterparts.
The Interview Process
Talent Team Screen (30 minutes)
Introduction to Business Unit Technical Director (30 minutes)
Technical Interview (90 minutes)
Commercial & Principles Interview (90 minutes)
Our Recruitment Ethos
We aim to grow the best team - not the most similar one. We know that diversity of individuals fosters diversity of thought, and that strengthens our principle of seeking truth. And we know from experience that diverse teams deliver better work, relevant to the world in which we live. We’re united by a deep intellectual curiosity and desire to use our abilities for measurable positive impact. We strongly encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, religions and sexual orientations.
If you don’t feel you meet all the requirements, but are excited by the role and know you bring some key strengths, please don't hesitate in applying as you might be right for this role, or other roles. We are open to conversations about part-time hours.
A note on AI: we're happy for you to use it for research and interview prep, but please don't use it to generate answers during live interviews. We also use an AI note-taker (Metaview) in interviews so interviewers can stay present (which you can opt out of just let us know,) and every application is reviewed by a human, never decided by AI.
How we rate this
Principal Data Scientist at Faculty rates 90 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Builds AI (AI Level 4 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.
Builds AI. The job is building AI systems.
- ●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
- ●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
- ●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
- ●○○○ Little AI0 to 39
Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.
Prepare for this job
Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.
Skills and AI tools this role asks for
Pay
- Typical data scientist job
- $166k
This posting doesn't list pay. Use the typical data scientist figure when pay comes up. See data scientist jobs
Questions you could be asked
- How do you think about the risk of an AI system in this kind of role failing silently?
- Tell me about a project where machine learning was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where data science was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where stakeholder management was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where strategy was part of your work. What did you do?
Adapt your resume
- List these exact terms on your resume: AI Safety, Machine learning, Data Science, Stakeholder Management, and Strategy. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
- Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.
- Lead with what you built, trained or shipped. This role is judged on the AI system itself, not the tools around it.
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