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Job Description

Head of Enterprise Data Science and AI Platforms

Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

Reference number: 409750

Total Package: London: £72,000. Milton Keynes: £68,750. East Kilbride: £67,000.

Contract: Permanent

Location: London, Milton Keynes, East Kilbride – you will be required to work from this location in line with FCDO policies on Hybrid Working (minimum 60% in the office).

We lead the UK’s diplomatic, development and consular work around the world. We employ around 17,000 staff in our global network of 281 offices worldwide. Our UK-based staff work in King Charles Street in London, Abercrombie House in East Kilbride and in Milton Keynes.

Your role with us

Our Information and Digital Directorate is responsible for delivering the Foreign Secretary’s ambition to make the FCDO the most technologically integrated and innovative foreign ministry globally. This involves harnessing digital, data, technology, IT security and information management to deliver our diplomatic, development and consular aims while keeping our people and information safe and secure.

We are currently looking for a Data Science leader who has technical expertise that can help improve our decision-making, while leading how we deliver analytics to users. You’ll set the direction, build capacity and support the professional development for Data Scientists across the whole of FCDO. This means promoting digital development best practices, providing suitable infrastructure platform resources by managing your peers in the Enterprise Data Service and running agile data science projects throughout the organisation.

As a team leader, you’ll encourage your team members to act as internal entrepreneurs to identify Data Science initiatives across FCDO. You’ll present data to senior leaders, explaining clearly the opportunities while balancing limitations, risks and ethics. At every opportunity, you’ll work across the UK Government and the international community to identify areas for collaboration and promotion of success.

There will also be numerous opportunities to deepen your expertise through our online learning platform, build your leadership skills and understand international diplomacy.

Who we’re looking for

You have a successful track record of delivering the key skills outlined in the Head of Data Science role, including applied maths, statistics, and scientific practices. A natural-born leader with experience to back that, your technical expertise will help you juggle multiple projects at the same time.

You’ll also be carrying out all processes of project delivery from research to benchmarking, scoping, designing, implementing and evaluating projects against tight deadlines. You’ll continuously strive to improve yourself and the team you manage, while also helping make things simpler for the community. And you’ll do it all with one thing in mind – delivering business impact and efficiency.

For more information on these skills, see the outline in the Head of Enterprise Data Science and AI Platforms role in the Profession Capability Framework.

We encourage applications from all communities, so that we reflect the very best of 21st century Britain. Everyone here gets the support to develop their skills and capabilities as well as benefits that help to make the most of life in and out of work, including a Civil Service pension.

Use your talent and experience to shape our nation’s future and deliver tangible improvements to millions of lives, including your own.

Apply before 11:55 pm on Monday 4th August 2025.