Head of Data Science

In a nutshell 

We’re a business serving millions of customers a day, with the UK’s largest loyalty scheme and an ever-evolving set of digital platforms. All this equals over 1.2 billion transactions a year, presenting a volume, depth, and complexity of data that few can match.  
 
We don’t think we’re exaggerating when we say we have the most exciting data set in the country. We’ve got data from billions of transactions for our teams to play with. From it, we build scalable, high-performance products using cutting-edge technology that give our customers an amazing experiences. In an inclusive, agile environment, you’ll have the space to be curious, to experiment, and solve real-world challenges. And you’ll get to see your creations in the hands of millions of people across the UK. 

In the Data & Analytics team, we’re embarking on a major transformation and you’ll stretch the imagination of what the power of data and insights can bring to how we do things. This is a leadership role within Data Science and will drive Machine Learning and Algorithm development for Sainsbury’s. You’ll unlock value and use your intense curiosity to find creative ways to land impactful solutions that directly support Sainsbury’s Next Level strategy. 

What outcomes I need to deliver 

• You will lead an agile, high calibre team of Data Scientists and Data Science Managers and be responsible for developing in-house AI solutions that assist/automate decision-making across the business. You will be the machine learning, simulation, and optimisation subject matter expert, exploiting Sainsbury’s data assets to support the realisation of Sainsbury’s Next Level strategy. 

• Your primary focus will be on delivering value for our Food and GM Commercial, Supply Chain, Retail and Digital divisions and working across the brands of Sainsbury’s, Argos, Tu and Habitat. 

• You’ll develop & maintain the relationship with stakeholders at all levels: this is a senior role and you’ll support your team by understanding the art of the possible in the functions that we work with so that you can influence our approach and ask the questions that make our stakeholders think differently. 

• Our Business Partners and Product Managers are dedicated to understanding our stakeholders' strategies, visions, KPIs, pain points, and aspirations. As part of the Chief Data Office, which includes Analytics, Data Visualization & Automation, Data Governance, and Data Science, you will help determine the appropriate disciplines to solve specific problems and create resource plans that focus on delivering demonstrable business value.  

• You will collaborate closely with our engineering teams to ensure our algorithms are efficiently deployed into the Tech systems where they will have the most impact.  

• You will work with tech-architecture, and platform-engineering teams to ensure that our Data Science tooling meets the needs of you and your team.  

• At the core of shaping our ways of working, you will ensure they are effective for your team, other teams, and the matrix virtual teams. You will continuously inspect and adapt our processes to make sure our efficiency of delivery is always improving. 

• You will lead and uphold the development and standards of your team and their outputs, championing Data Science across the business. 

• With excellent commercial acumen and stakeholder management skills, you will help the business identify opportunities and effectively communicate our developments in simple and accessible ways to drive impact.  

• You will be an ambassador for good data standards, including ethics, governance, security, and assurance. 

What you need to know and show 

• An inquisitive mind, constantly seeking opportunities and solving problems with curiosity. 

• Confidence in handling complexity and ambiguity, partnering effectively with the business to understand their problems and deliver value through commercial acumen and compelling communication. 

• A passion for high-quality data storytelling that effectively articulates the value of data science in business decisions to drive real change. 

• You excel in managing experienced teams, elevating their performance by coaching and upskilling them in data science techniques, and supporting them through the scoping, research, and development product life cycle. This includes utilising multiple modelling techniques across the data science discipline, from simple heuristics to advanced methods like machine learning, deep learning, Gen AI, and operational research methods. 

• You champion the adoption of engineering best practices in data science, leading a team that collaborates closely with engineering colleagues to on production codebases. 

• You have deep experience using our core technologies (Python, SQL) to develop and deploy innovative and impactful data-science solutions. 

• Our strategic tooling includes Snowflake, DBT, Azure Machine Learning Studio. Ideally, you have experience with these technologies or comparable alternatives. Experience building and deploying on AWS (S3, EC2, Batch, etc.) would also be highly regarded.  

• You’ll have extensive experience using Git to ensure a robust, versioned, and traceable codebase. 

• Ideally, you’ll have worked in Kanban, Scrum or if you’re a ninja, both. We use Teams, Confluence and Jira to collaborate, communicate and coordinate. 

• You can adapt your ways of working to make technical concepts simple, working effectively with both deep technical experts and those who need information broken down into its simplest form, driving impact with data science. 

• You have a good understanding of Data Governance Principles. 

Resources available to me  

• A brilliant team of 4 direct reports and c.23 colleagues with plans for growth. 

• You'll have access to a wide range of tools and technologies, primarily including Snowflake, DBT, Azure Machine Learning Studio, AWS, Git, Python, and MicroStrategy.  

• You'll benefit from a fully committed and supportive leadership team, along with highly engaged stakeholders. 

• Access to Technology teams to progress outcomes, tools requirements and capabilities  

• A great analytics community including support of Data Management, Quality and Governance teams  

• Access to appropriate third party resources.  

What decisions can I make 

• How to turn our complex problems into modern algorithmic products 

• How to tell the story of the product, its impact and the business transformation required 

• How to recruit, develop, train, and unify your team and the data science community of practice 

• How to drive data science excellence into the areas you work with 

• How to structure your team and resource it  

• How to remove blockers to ensure your team delivers on outcomes and continuously improves 

• Autonomy to distribute multiple programme budgets in the most effective way to deliver against business and customer  

We are committed to making Sainsbury’s a place where people love to work where a diverse and engaged team really matters. Sainsbury’s is committed to being the most inclusive retailer, and flexible working including job sharing is welcomed wherever possible. In Sainsbury’s we welcome such conversations and are proud to champion a diverse and inclusive culture.

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