Lead Data Scientist (Safety)

About Faculty

Faculty was established in 2014 with the belief that AI would be the most important technology of our time. We have worked with over 350 global customers to transform their performance through human-centric AI. We innovate, build and deploy responsible AI which moves the needle, bringing unparalleled depth of technical, product and delivery expertise to clients spanning government, finance, retail, energy, life sciences and defence.

About the role

As a Lead Data Scientist at Faculty, you will drive the scientific direction and architectural rigour of upstream AI safety and evaluation standards. Partnering directly with Frontier Labs, you will lead the design of novel experiment frameworks, mentor technical teams, and ensure delivery excellence across high-stakes engagements.

You will bridge deep scientific research with client strategy, champion robust methodologies, guide cross-functional teams, and advance Faculty's thought leadership in practical AI safety.

What you'll be doing

• Directing project teams to deliver cutting-edge upstream AI safety solutions and evaluation standards to Frontier Labs

• Architecting core scientific experiment designs and robust software infrastructure for high-impact safety engagements

• Guiding and mentoring data scientists, nurturing technical capabilities, and fostering an inclusive, high-performing team culture

• Partnering with commercial leads and executive stakeholders to scope technical work, assess feasibility, and translate complex challenges into rigorous scientific frameworks

• Advancing Faculty's industry leadership by innovating novel evaluation methodologies, speaking at key forums, or publishing open-source research

• Establishing and upholding scientific methodology, rigour, and engineering best practices across the full project lifecycle

Who we're looking for

• Extensive leadership experience in quantitative data science, upstream AI safety research, or academic research with exemplary experiment design methodology

• Advanced Python expertise alongside deep familiarity with scientific stacks (NumPy, Pandas), AI evaluation frameworks (e.g., Inspect AI), and agentic harnesses and sandboxing environments

• Passion for advancing evaluation standards across complex, specialised domains, including the application of novel research avenues, with exceptional technical rigour

• Ability to empower others, share technical knowledge, and cultivate a collaborative environment where team members thrive

• Strong commercial acumen with the ability to articulate complex scientific strategies clearly to senior clients and external partners

• Drive for strategic execution, scoping high-impact projects effectively to meet structured timelines without compromising quality

The Interview Process

• Talent Team Screen (30 minutes)

• Introduction to the team (30 minutes)

• Take Home Technical Assessment

• Technical Interview (90 minutes)

• Commercial Interview (60 minutes)

Our Recruitment Ethos

We aim to grow the best team — not the most similar one. Diversity of individuals fosters diversity of thought, and that strengthens our principle of seeking truth. We're united by a deep intellectual curiosity and desire to use our abilities for measurable positive impact.

We strongly encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, religions and sexual orientations.

If you don't feel you meet all the requirements but are excited by the role and know you bring some key strengths, please don't hesitate in applying as you might be right for this role or other roles. We are open to conversations about part-time hours.

We're happy for you to use AI for research and interview prep, but please don't use it to generate answers during live interviews. We use an AI note-taker (Metaview) in interviews so interviewers can stay present — you can opt out by letting us know. Every application is reviewed by a human, never decided by AI.