National AI Awards 2025Discover AI's trailblazers! Join us to celebrate innovation and nominate industry leaders.

Nominate & Attend

Principal Data Scientist Consultant

Ascent
London
1 week ago
Create job alert

We are looking for an ambitious Principal Data Science Consultant to join our UK-based Data Science team (30+) of smart, curious minds. We are looking for someone who loves to solve problems, delight customers, and inspire their teammates.

About Us
We are Ascent! and we help our customers solve problems, elevate operations, and enhance existing practices. We are on a mission to help our customers connect data, software, and purpose to create extraordinary outcomes. You could say we are a digital transformation business.
We specialise in software product development, analytics, data science, IoT solutions, machine learning, DevOps optimization, and modernisation of applications, data, and platforms.
We work with incredible clients in all types of industries such as smart home devices, space exploration, beer manufacturing, finance, ecology, and logistics. We work with some of the sharpest minds in the brightest businesses and we employ the sharpest minds too!
At Ascent, we also believe in fostering a vibrant office community where collaboration thrives and connections flourish. With our hybrid approach, we prioritize hiring individuals who reside in close proximity to our offices. Our aim is to cultivate a positive atmosphere and sense of belonging by facilitating easy access to the office. However, we welcome applicants from all other areas in the indicated countries, as we value diversity and recognize the unique perspectives each individual brings to our team. Join us in shaping a workplace where proximity enhances collaboration while inclusivity strengthens our community.

About the role
As Principal Data Scientist Consultant you will report to the Head of Data Science and support them in pre-sales, customer engagement and project delivery. You will also help to identify emerging trends, advocate for the adoption of cutting-edge technologies and methods and take part in market facing thought leadership marketing.
Additionally, you will lead cross-functional initiatives, mentor teams, and promote a culture of excellence and continuous improvement, and ultimately deliver value to our customers.

Responsibilities

Presales Solutions:

Meet with customers to understand their needs and requirements, run workshops, bring insight and help them define the right solutions for them.
Collaborate with the Ascent sales and solutioning teams to design and present solutions that meet customer needs.

Customer Engagement:

Lead large-scale customer engagements in a strategic role, driving the successful implementation of data science solutions. Leading Ascent and customer teams where needed.
Build and maintain strong relationships with customers, understanding their business challenges and providing tailored solutions.

Data Science Expertise:

Apply diverse data science techniques across multiple industries and use cases, including machine learning, data visualization, natural language processing (NLP), application development (e.g. Shiny), MLOps, and generative AI (GenAI).
Develop and deploy advanced data science models and algorithms to solve complex business problems.
Mentor and guide junior data scientists, fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation.

Industry Expertise and Innovation:

Serve as an industry vertical expert such as the financial sector, pharmaceuticals, retail, and FMCG.
Acquire insights to help shape capability development and drive innovation within the organization.
Network with industry professionals and thought leaders to foster collaboration and knowledge sharing.
Contribute to the development of go-to-market strategies and thought leadership pieces, leveraging industry insights to position the company as a leader in data.

Skills and Experience

5+ years of Data Science experience;
Proficient in Python, R and SQL;
Proven track record of applying diverse data science techniques across multiple industries and use cases;
Experienced in leading and managing large customer engagements;
Experienced in deploying workloads on Cloud infrastructure;
Familiar with software development best practices;
Extensive experience in machine learning, data visualisation, NLP, application development, MLOps, and GenAI;
Strong strategic thinking and problem-solving skills;
Excellent communication and presentation skills;
Certifications: Azure Data Scientist Associate DP-100 (nice to have AI-102, DP-203, AZ-400, Databricks Certified Machine Learning Professional);
Right to work in UK and/or EU;

Working at Ascent
At Ascent we promote a healthy work-life balance by offering flexibility in where you work. We also promote well-being and provide access to Well Being Coaches.
Your development and learning will be taken seriously, and we'll support your professional development with training and certification, with regular feedback and review. It is a fun, supportive and modern workplace where we really live by our company values of Empathy, Energy and Audacity! Ascent also offers a variety of benefits in each of our countries.
Ascent is an equal opportunities employee. We take intentional steps to ensure inclusion and belonging are something real here, not just something we talk about. No person will be treated less favourably because of their gender, pregnancy, and maternity status, marital or civil partnership status, sexual orientation, race, nationality, ethnic origin, age, religion or belief, or disability status. If you require any reasonable accommodation, please let us know when you apply. If you have any questions contact our Talent Acquisition team on .
For more details about

life at Ascent , check out our Life Page here .

Are you legally entitled to work in the UK without the need of sponsorship and/or VISA? * *
Could you please indicate your earliest availability to join our team following a prospective offer? (Notice Period). In Days. *
Please state your annual gross salary expectations in GBP: *
Would you like to share any further details with us at this stage?
Do you consent for your data to be kept for a period of 12 months following this application process? This would allow us to reach out to you should we have similar roles in the future. *

#J-18808-Ljbffr

Related Jobs

View all jobs

Principal Consultant (CMC)

Principal Consultant (CMC)

Principal Aquatic Ecologist

Principal / Senior Data Scientist

Principal Statistical Programmer

Principal Water Resources Scientist (Oxford)

National AI Awards 2025

Subscribe to Future Tech Insights for the latest jobs & insights, direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of service.

Industry Insights

Discover insightful articles, industry insights, expert tips, and curated resources.

How to Present Biotech Concepts to Non-Scientists: A Public Speaking Guide for Job Seekers

In today’s biotechnology job market, your ability to explain complex science clearly is just as important as your lab skills. Whether you're applying for a research role, pitching to investors, or collaborating with marketing teams, you'll often need to present technical information to people without a scientific background. This blog explores how biotechnology job seekers can develop and deliver compelling presentations that make sense to non-scientists. From structuring your content to designing effective slides and using storytelling to bring data to life, these techniques will help you stand out in interviews and on the job.

Biotech Jobs Employer Hotlist 2025: 50 UK Companies Actively Hiring Right Now 

Bookmark this guide – we refresh it every quarter so you always know who’s really expanding their life‑science teams. The UK biotechnology scene is on a tear in 2025. Venture & follow‑on funding hit £3.5 billion last year, up 94 % on 2023, and Q1 2025 alone brought in another £924 million of equity for scaling therapeutics, diagnostics & deep‑tech platforms  bioindustry.org. Meanwhile, Westminster’s new industrial strategy pledges a record £86 billion for science & tech, with life sciences top of the eight “high‑growth” priority sectors . The consequence? Hiring is white‑hot. From big‑pharma giants to gene‑editing start‑ups, employers need research scientists, QC analysts, bioprocess engineers, bioinformaticians, regulatory specialists & commercial leads – right now. Below you’ll find 50 organisations that have posted UK vacancies or announced head‑count growth during the past eight weeks. They’re grouped into five bite‑size categories so you can jump straight to the type of employer – & mission – that excites you. For every entry you’ll see: Main UK hub Example recent vacancy Why it’s worth your time (tech, culture, impact) Use the internal search on BiotechnologyJobs.co.uk to pull up live roles, or set a free alert so fresh openings land in your inbox.

Return-to-Work Pathways: Relaunch Your Biotechnology Career with Returnships, Flexible & Hybrid Roles

Returning to work after a career break can feel like stepping into a new frontier—especially in a fast-evolving sector such as biotechnology. Whether you’ve paused your professional journey for parenting, caring responsibilities or another life chapter, the UK’s biotech industry now offers a variety of return-to-work pathways designed to help you transition back smoothly. From formal returnships and part-time contracts to hybrid and fully flexible roles, these programmes acknowledge the value of your transferable skills and life experience. In this guide tailored for parents and carers, you’ll discover how to: Grasp the current demand for biotech talent in the UK Translate your organisational, communication and resilience skills into the laboratory and beyond Tackle common re-entry challenges with practical solutions Refresh your scientific and technical knowledge through targeted learning Access returnship and re-entry programmes specifically in biotech Find roles that fit around family commitments—be they flexible, hybrid or full-time Balance work with caring duties Navigate applications, interviews and networking in the biotech world Learn from inspiring returner success stories Get quick answers in our FAQ section Whether you’re keen to step back into a research lab, quality control, regulatory affairs or bioinformatics team, this article will map out the steps and resources you need to reignite your biotechnology career.