Lead Data Scientist

Eastnets is seeking a Lead Data Scientist to drive the design, development, and deployment of production-grade AI and machine learning solutions across financial crime, compliance, and payments products. This is a senior leadership role focused on building scalable AI capabilities, managing a data science team, and shaping the company's AI strategy within a regulated fintech environment.

Key ResponsibilitiesStrategy, Vision & Leadership

• Lead and mentor a team of Data Scientists and Junior Data Scientists
• Define and execute the company-wide AI and data science strategy
• Align AI initiatives with product and business roadmap priorities
• Champion Eastnets' AI leadership in financial crime and compliance markets
• Translate business and regulatory challenges into AI-driven solutions
• Engage with customers, partners, and internal stakeholders

Advanced Data Science & AI

• Develop and deploy machine learning models for risk prediction and compliance
• Build scalable, production-grade AI systems for customer-facing solutions
• Lead full ML lifecycle: feature engineering, training, deployment, monitoring
• Apply NLP, predictive modeling, and advanced analytics techniques
• Explore LLMs and generative AI for next-generation solutions
• Ensure model performance, scalability, and continuous improvement

Product & Engineering Collaboration

• Work closely with engineering and product teams to integrate AI into platforms
• Support operationalisation of ML systems in production environments
• Drive efficiency and user experience improvements using AI
• Ensure secure, compliant, and responsible AI implementation

Analytics, Insights & Reporting

• Present insights and recommendations to executive leadership
• Measure business impact of AI initiatives using key performance indicators
• Provide data-driven inputs for product and operational decision-making
• Monitor product performance and contribute to financial analysis

Governance, Risk & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with data privacy, security, and regulatory standards
• Maintain model transparency and responsible AI practices
• Safeguard sensitive financial and customer data
• Adhere to internal policies including ethics, security, and governance frameworks

Additional Responsibilities

• Collaborate across departments to align AI initiatives with business goals
• Conduct market and customer research to identify AI opportunities
• Build relationships with vendors and external partners
• Participate in company-wide strategic initiatives
• Stay updated on emerging AI and ML technologies

• Master's or PhD in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, or related field
• 7+ years of experience in data science or applied machine learning
• Experience delivering production-grade ML systems at scale
• Strong background in regulated industries (fintech, financial services, or similar)
• Expertise in predictive modeling, NLP, and AI systems
• Familiarity with LLMs and generative AI technologies
• Experience managing full ML lifecycle end-to-end
• Strong programming skills in Python, R, SQL (or similar)
• Proven leadership and team management experience
• Strong communication skills across technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Ability to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously

Preferred / Nice-to-Have

• Experience in anti-financial crime or compliance analytics
• Exposure to large-scale distributed computing systems
• Experience working in global or multi-stakeholder environments
• Knowledge of AI governance frameworks and responsible AI practices

• Competitive salary and benefits package
• Senior leadership role with strategic and technical impact
• Opportunity to lead AI transformation in a global fintech environment
• Exposure to large-scale financial institutions and complex regulatory systems
• Career growth in a fast-scaling regtech organisation
• Collaborative and international working culture

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: From £56,679.08 per year

Eastnets is a global leader in financial crime prevention, compliance, and payment solutions, trusted by over 800 financial institutions across 120+ countries, including 15 of the world's top 50 banks. For over 40 years, Eastnets has helped safeguard global financial systems through advanced screening, monitoring, analytics, and compliance technologies. We are a fast-growing regtech company combining AI innovation with deep regulatory expertise to enable secure global financial transactions. Website: www.eastnets.com