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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Director, Agentic AI, Data Science Lead, AI Labs - **Company:** BlackRock, Inc. - **Location:** Edinburgh, UK (Remote available) - **Experience:** Expert - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Artificial Intelligence, Amazon Web Services, Application Frameworks, Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems, Microsoft Azure, Big Data, Python (Programming Language), Machine Learning, Tensorflow, Software Deployment, Reinforcement Learning, Google Cloud, Pytorch, Retrieval-Augmented Generation, Large Language Models, Information Technology, Free and Open-Source Software, Machine Learning Operations, Virtual Agents, Software Library - **Published:** August 20, 2026 - **Apply:** https://dejobs.org/x/x/17C9846496E44758A460060899651E2D/job/ ## About the Role * PhD in a quantitative field (machine learning, AI, statistics, computer science, physics, engineering) with 8+ years of professional experience OR * MS degree in a quantitative field plus 11+ years of professional experience in machine learning, artificial intelligence, or other aspects of the AI / data science and agent development process. * Track record of leading complex, ambiguous technical initiatives end-to-end, from scoping through production, and delivering measurable business impact. * Experience managing or mentoring AI scientists or similar technical talent, including supporting their career growth and development. * Strong familiarity with Python programming, and hands-on experience guiding solutions architecture for production-grade AI/ML systems. * Strong theoretical background in and practical experience using AI, machine learning, optimization, or statistical techniques. * Experience assessing performance of machine learning methods and agentic systems: benchmark construction, metric design, and statistically sound measurement of quality, safety, and reliability. Additional experience we value: you don't need all of these. We're looking for depth in some areas and the range to grow into the rest. * Depth in one or more research areas relevant to our work, e.g. LLM reasoning, reinforcement learning, machine learning, statistical modeling, or quantitative optimization. * Academic publications, preprints, or open-source contributions. * Experience building and deploying AI agents and agentic workflows using open-source frameworks (e.g. LangGraph, Pydantic AI, OpenAI Agents SDK), agent platforms (e.g. Amazon Bedrock, Microsoft Agent Framework, Claude Agent SDK), or comparable tools, including standards such as Model Context Protocol (MCP) for connecting agents to tools and data. * Experience with retrieval systems for agents: retrieval-augmented generation, embedding models, vector databases, and long-term memory. * Experience with machine learning libraries (e.g. PyTorch, Tensorflow), cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP), and the analysis of financial or economic data. * Experience helping define technical standards, best practices, or ways of working adopted across multiple teams, and exposure to financial services or another regulated environment. ## Description As a Data Science Director, you will take end-to-end ownership of flagship AI Labs initiatives - from initial scoping and stakeholder alignment, through research, prototyping, and technical build-out, to testing, iteration, and production deployment. You will partner directly with business and technology stakeholders to translate ambiguous problems into well-scoped programs of work, own the solutions architecture, and ensure delivery is reliable and at scale. Alongside this technical and delivery accountability, you will manage and mentor more junior AI scientists, helping to grow their skills, guide their career development, and build a strong bench of talent within AI Labs. This role reports to the Head of Science in AI Labs and manages a team of 3-6 AI scientists., * Own flagship AI Labs initiatives end-to-end: scoping, stakeholder alignment, research, prototyping, build, and production deployment. * Partner with senior business and technology stakeholders to turn ambiguous problems into scoped programs with agreed priorities and success criteria. * Lead the design, build, and evaluation of AI agents and agentic workflows - tool use, memory, multi-step reasoning - on large, complex datasets, iterating as findings emerge. * Partner with engineering to make solutions production-grade and compliant, with observability, guardrails, and evaluation pipelines in place. * Manage and mentor AI scientists, guiding technical approach and career growth to build the bench in AI Labs. * Communicate technical work and outcomes to senior leaders and general audiences, including white papers, publications, and presentations. ## Related Videos - [Alibaba Big Data and Machine Learning Technology](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/37-alibaba-big-data-and-machine-learning-technology) - [Agentic employees in world's most downloaded FinTech app](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100123-agentic-employees-in-world-s-most-downloaded-fintech-app) - [Machine learning in the browser with TensorFlowjs](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/155-machine-learning-in-the-browser-with-tensorflowjs) - [Photonic Computing: Programming a New Class of AI Accelerators (incl. Live Coding)](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100196-photonic-computing-programming-a-new-class-of-ai-accelerators-incl-live-coding) - [Developing an AI.SDK](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/198-developing-an-ai-sdk) - [AI Agents & Agentic AI](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/2017-ai-agents-agentic-ai) ## Related Articles - [From Prototype to Production: Build AI Agents with This Free 4-Course Learning Path](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/655-from-prototype-to-production-build-ai-agents-with-this-free-4-course-learning-path) - [How to Become an AI Engineer](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/331-how-to-become-an-ai-engineer) - [Graph and AI Trends 2026: Why Is AI Running but Not Yet Delivering?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/680-graph-and-ai-trends-2026-why-is-ai-running-but-not-yet-delivering) - [Coffee with Developers - Maria Apazoglou - Making AI understandable for all in production](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/475-coffee-with-developers-maria-apazoglou-making-ai-understandable-for-all-in-production) - [What is Agentic Programming and Why Should Developers Care?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/625-what-is-agentic-programming-and-why-should-developers-care) - [Navigating the AI Shift](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/629-navigating-the-ai-shift)