Lead Data Scientist

Lead Data Scientist – Healthcare & Life Sciences Consulting

Hybrid working | London (3 days per week)

I’m working with a highly regarded healthcare-focused consultancy that partners with leaders and frontline teams across the UK to improve health outcomes, transform healthcare services, and accelerate innovation across life sciences and health tech.

My client operates across the full healthcare ecosystem, supporting healthcare systems, life sciences organisations, health tech businesses, and sector suppliers. Their multi-disciplinary teams deliver end-to-end consulting services spanning strategy, finance, performance improvement, organisational change, and data & digital. They are widely recognised for their evidence-based approach, thought leadership, and ability to turn complex healthcare data into meaningful, real-world impact.

This organisation is values-led, inclusive, and award-winning, with exceptional access to UK healthcare data and deep data science expertise. They are now looking to appoint a Lead Data Scientist to play a pivotal role in shaping their data science capability and impact.

The Role

As Lead Data Scientist, you will be a senior technical leader responsible for driving data science strategy and innovation in line with wider business objectives. You’ll lead the design and delivery of data-driven solutions that create measurable impact for clients, improve ways of working internally, and deliver clear value for money.

You’ll work closely with clients, consultants, engineers, and partner organisations to understand complex requirements and translate them into robust, scalable solutions. Your work will span direct client delivery, enabling consulting teams with data products and insights, and supporting internal corporate initiatives.

You’ll also provide technical leadership across blended project teams, offering mentorship, quality assurance, and oversight to more junior data scientists. In parallel, you’ll contribute to business development through proposal writing, technical input into bids, and helping shape future service offerings.

This is a fast-moving, entrepreneurial environment, so adaptability, curiosity, and comfort with evolving priorities are essential. Strong communication skills and a collaborative leadership style are critical, as you’ll be working with both technical and non-technical stakeholders at senior levels.

Key Responsibilities

Data Strategy & Innovation

• Shape and deliver data science solutions aligned to corporate and client strategy
• Identify and apply emerging technologies (AI, ML, advanced analytics) to enhance consulting services
• Partner with clients to understand data challenges and design innovative, high-impact solutions
• Stay ahead of healthcare trends and use data to inform strategic decision-making

Technical Development & Delivery

• Build and deploy advanced analytics, statistical models, and machine learning solutions
• Ensure solutions are robust, scalable, accurate, and production-ready
• Collaborate with data engineers on scalable pipelines and cloud infrastructure
• Develop data visualisations that clearly communicate insights to non-technical audiences

Business Development

• Contribute data-led insights to proposals and client pitches
• Support consultants and partners in identifying where data science can add value
• Build trusted relationships with clients and external partners

Data Operations & Governance

• Ensure compliance with data governance frameworks, GDPR, and healthcare regulations
• Support best practices in data management and ethical data use
• Work closely with information governance teams on secure data access and usage

Leadership & Knowledge Sharing

• Mentor and support junior data scientists, fostering continuous learning
• Collaborate across consulting and technical teams to embed data science effectively
• Share expertise through internal talks, workshops, and thought leadership

Requirements

Essential Experience

• Strong experience deploying models and software using cloud platforms and containerisation
• Deep understanding of data privacy, governance, and access requirements
• Advanced proficiency in Python and core statistical / machine learning techniques
• Excellent understanding of statistics and analytical best practice
• Experience with relational databases
• Ability to translate business problems into technical solutions and present outputs clearly
• Strong collaboration and communication skills in cross-functional environments
• Confidence choosing appropriate approaches given constraints of data, time, and complexity
• A mindset of knowledge sharing and mentoring

Desirable

• Experience in healthcare or life sciences consulting
• Familiarity with healthcare data standards, sources, and regulatory environments
• Exposure to NLP and advanced AI techniques
• Experience working with big data technologies or frameworks

Working Model & Flexibility

This role follows a hybrid working model, balancing in-person collaboration with remote flexibility to deliver excellent client outcomes.

• Typically one day per week working from home as standard
• An additional allocation of remote working days each year, allowing up to two days per week from home (subject to client needs), or use in blocks for school holidays or personal commitments
• Core in-person hours are 10am–4pm, offering flexibility around your wider schedule
• Fully remote working available for short periods each year

Diversity & Inclusion

My client is deeply committed to building an inclusive culture where people are supported to do their best work. All hiring decisions are based solely on skills, experience, and contribution.

They are a Disability Confident employer and are happy to make reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.

Benefits (Highlights)

• Generous holiday allowance, increasing with service
• Employer pension contribution of 7%
• Flexible benefits platform (including wellness and lifestyle options)
• Annual leave purchase scheme
• Income protection and enhanced sick pay
• Life insurance (4x salary)
• Enhanced family leave policies
• Interest-free loans (including travel and season ticket options)
• Workplace nursery scheme
• Employee assistance and wellbeing programme
• Flu jabs, eye care, cycle-to-work scheme
• Professional membership subscriptions
• 20% Bonus scheme