Lead Data Scientist

Here’s your chance to shape the future of data science at Virgin Red. You’ll keep our ambitious team moving forward, bringing technical leadership, hands-on expertise and a spark of curiosity to the models that help us create richer, smarter and more personalised customer experiences. If you love data, solving problems creatively, and making a real impact, this is one to get excited about.

Our Virgin Family

Join the Virgin Group – a diverse collective driving change, enhancing customer experience, and having a blast. We're daring, disrupting industries from finance to space, united as part of the Virgin Family.

Virgin Red rewards customers who live the Virgin lifestyle. Earn Virgin Points across our vast partner network, unlocking everyday rewards and exclusive experiences. As the Virgin network hub, we foster deeper customer understanding, opening doors for partners. Bold, distinctive, customer-centric – that's Virgin Red.

We’re a huge brand, but not a huge team, which means we take a hands-on approach while thinking strategically. Everyone rolls up their sleeves to get things done, making it an exciting and collaborative place to work.

Tell me more

• Lead the design and development of machine learning and AI-powered data products, ensuring accuracy, scalability and real-world impact.
• Act as the day-to-day technical authority across our modelling work, championing rigour, quality and reliability.
• Guide our customer intelligence and personalisation models, including our recommender system.
• Work closely with our Data Product Owner, Revenue Management and Pricing teams to explore and test opportunities that move us towards our dynamic pricing engine north star.
• Collaborate with Product, Delivery and ML Engineering to bring models into production smoothly and successfully.
• Mentor and support junior data scientists, fostering curiosity, learning and technical excellence.
• Champion a data-driven culture through experimentation, storytelling and clear communication.

What you’ll need

• Proven experience implementing or optimising revenue management systems and pricing strategies.
• Strong background in optimisation and machine learning, including modern methods such as time-series forecasting, regression and mathematical optimisation.
• Experience leading and supporting other data scientists across impactful ML and optimisation projects.
• Excellent Python and SQL skills, with an emphasis on clean, maintainable code.
• Practical knowledge of MLOps, including deployment, monitoring and lifecycle management.
• Experience working with AWS or similar cloud environments.
• Confidence working with large, imperfect datasets and making sound judgments to create high-quality solutions.
• Familiarity with recommender systems, personalisation, and generative AI is a bonus.

The extra details

Role type: Contract (11 months)
Location: London hub (approx. once per week) & your home space
Salary: £95,000 - £105,000 plus bonus - We're putting our salaries out there for everyone to see - no smoke and mirrors, just honest numbers. We'll offer a salary that matches your skills, always aiming for room to grow.
Working hours: Full time - We embrace flexible working. Let us know what hours empower you to be at your best both professionally and personally, we’ll try to find a perfect match for you and us.
Benefits: Buckle up for an adventure with Virgin! Our benefits package isn't just a list - it's your ticket to an extraordinary career and life. Imagine unlimited leave for your globe-trotting dreams, a "Screw it, let's do it pot" to enjoy being you, and a learning budget to fuel your curiosity. We've got your back with top-notch health care, family support that goes the extra mile, and a pension plan to keep your future bright. From electric vehicles to flexible volunteering, we're not just offering a job - we're inviting you to join a community that celebrates your whole self.

Closing date: 10 December 2025

Some of the attributes that define a Virgin person just can’t be quantified in words. We pride ourselves on welcoming people from all walks of life, with all sorts of skill sets. Most recently, we successfully campaigned to add ‘Dyslexic Thinking’ as a skill on LinkedIn. We truly value passion for Purpose and Sustainability, welcoming creative thinkers and innovators. Any uniqueness is a strength and will be considered an asset to our workforce. If there is something you would like us to consider, to tailor the hiring process to the way you work best, please don’t hesitate to let us know. 

Ready to turn your career into the ultimate adventure? Virgin's got the map, the compass, and the crew. Your great adventure awaits!