Principal Product Data Scientist

Principal Product Data Scientist

Contract Length: 12 Months

Location: Hybrid - 3 days a week at Heathrow Airport

IR35 Status: Insid3

About the Role

We are looking for a Principal Product Data Scientist to drive the next generation of data-driven decision making across our products, platforms and customer experiences. This role combines advanced analytics, experimentation, machine learning, optimisation, and strategic leadership to solve complex business problems at scale. As a Principal Data Scientist, you will shape product strategy, influence executive decision-making, and lead high-impact initiatives from ideation through deployment. You will partner closely with Product, Engineering, Design, Research and Business stakeholders to unlock customer value and improve operational outcomes.

What You'll Do

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• Define and lead the long-term data science strategy for critical product areas.
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• Partner with Product leaders to influence roadmap prioritisation through data and experimentation.
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• Design and execute advanced analytical frameworks to measure customer behaviour, product performance and business impact.
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• Lead complex experimentation programs, including A/B testing, causal inference, uplift modelling and quasi-experimental methods.
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• Develop machine learning, optimisation and decision science solutions that improve customer experience and operational efficiency.
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• Translate ambiguous business challenges into structured analytical problems and actionable recommendations.
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• Communicate insights and recommendations to senior executives and leadership teams.
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• Establish best practices for scientific rigor, experimentation, measurement and model governance.
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• Mentor and develop other data scientists across the organisation.
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• Influence company-wide analytics and product science standards.
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Preferred Experience

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• 8+ years of experience in Data Science, Product Analytics, Decision Science, Operations Research, Applied Science or related fields.
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• Demonstrated success influencing product strategy through data.
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• Strong experience with experimentation, causal inference and measurement frameworks.
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• Experience developing machine learning models in production environments.
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• Experience with optimisation, decision science, forecasting, recommendation systems or machine learning at scale.
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• Proven track record delivering measurable business impact.
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• Experience leading cross-functional initiatives involving Product, Engineering and senior stakeholders.
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• Previous experience operating at Staff, Principal or equivalent level.
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Technical Skills

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• Expert-level Python and SQL
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• Experimentation and statistical inference
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• Machine Learning and Predictive Modelling
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• Causal Inference
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• Optimization / Operations Research (preferred)
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• Large-scale data processing
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• BI and visualization tools
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• Cloud-based analytics environments
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Nice to Have

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• Airline, transportation, logistics, marketplace, e-commerce or technology experience.
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• Experience with mathematical programming (Gurobi, CPLEX, OR-Tools).
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• Experience with network optimisation, routing, scheduling, pricing or revenue management.
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• Advanced degree (MSc or PhD) in Data Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Operations Research,
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