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AI Lead Data Scientist - BPL

London, United Kingdom

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Date live: 21/04/2026

Business Area: Barclays Payments Merchant Services

Area of Expertise: Data & Analytics

Contract: Permanent

Reference Code: JR-0000106393

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Barclays Data and Analytics

A career in Data & Analytics at Barclays is a hub for top talent, from beginners to experts, fostering innovation and excellence. You'll drive business strategy, leverage data potential, and enhance the experience of millions of customers in today’s data-driven world.

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What you'll do as the AI Lead Data Scientist Director for BPL:

Provide strategic leadership and responsibility for AI / ML‑driven decisioning across the Payments domain.

Be responsible for supporting teams in translating complex business problems into explainable, regulated, and commercially impactful decision systems, ensuring that advanced analytics and AI are applied in a manner consistent with Model Risk Management (MRM), AI governance, and regulatory expectations.

Scope & Complexity

  • Operates at enterprise Payments domain level, influencing multiple product lines and decision processes

  • Responsible for end‑to‑end model development lifecycle, from problem framing to production monitoring

  • Influences senior stakeholders across Payments leadership, Risk, Compliance, Product, and Engineering

Key Accountabilities

  • AI / ML Development - responsibility for AI / ML‑driven decisioning and model development practice across the Payments domain, ensuring models support delivery, merchant acquisition, pricing, fraud, risk, and customer experience outcomes

  • Modelling Standards & Strategy -Definition and enforcement of modelling standards, experimentation frameworks, and analytical best practices across Payments use cases

  • Senior Stakeholder Advisory - Acting as a senior advisor to Payments leadership and control functions on AI‑driven decisioning strategy and risk trade‑offs

  • Capability & Culture - Building sustainable data science capability and embedding a culture of responsible, outcome‑driven AI

Key Responsibilities

  • Payments‑Focused Problem Framing & Strategy

  • Support the definition of AI / ML strategies for core Payments use cases, including delivery, merchant acquisition, pricing optimisation, fraud detection, and transactional analytics

  • Translate business objectives into structured modelling, experimentation, and decision frameworks

  • Define KPIs aligned to commercial and risk outcomes, not just predictive accuracy

  • Advanced AI, Modelling & Decision Intelligence

  • Lead development of advanced models and advanced analytical techniques (e.g. GenAI, propensity, LTV, fraud, pricing optimisation)

  • Ensure models are robust, explainable, and production‑ready

  • Establish closed‑loop learning systems where decisions are continuously monitored and improved

  • Generative AI & Agentic Analytics

  • Apply generative AI and LLMs to analytics workflows, insight generation, and feature discovery

  • Design and validate AI agents supporting Payments decisioning and analytics processes

  • Partner with AI Engineering and AI Ops to deploy governed production solutions

  • Model Risk, Validation & Governance

  • Define validation, monitoring, and drift detection standards

  • Ensure AI governance, fairness, and explainability requirements

  • Produce audit‑ready documentation and evidence

  • Data & Feature Strategy

  • Support the definition of the AI/ML the data strategy and it’s implementation working with other engineering teams.

  • Promote reuse of shared AI/ML assets

Essential Skills/Experience (Job Architecture)

  • Advanced quantitative expertise (Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Economics or equivalent)

  • Deep knowledge of machine learning, statistical modelling, experimentation, and causal inference

  • Strong Python and modern data science tooling capability

  • Proven experience delivering AI / ML models into production within regulated environments

  • Strong understanding of model validation, monitoring, and governance

  • Ability to influence senior commercial and risk decision‑makers

Desirable Knowledge & Experience

  • Experience in Payments, merchant acquiring, fintech, or financial crime

  • Experience with large‑scale transactional datasets

  • Familiarity with cloud‑based AI platforms and agent frameworks

  • Experience with generative AI and agentic analytics

  • PhD or equivalent advanced research experience

Risk and Control:

You may be assessed on the key critical skills relevant for success in role, such as risk and controls, change and transformation, business acumen strategic thinking and digital and technology, as well as job-specific technical skills.

About BPL:

Barclays’ payments acceptance business provides critical infrastructure to the UK economy, processing billions of pounds of payments annually for both small businesses and domestic and international corporate clients.

In April 2025, we announced a long-term partnership with Brookfield Asset Management to grow and transform the payments acceptance business by broadening the range of services offered, enhancing the experience for both existing and prospective clients. Leveraging extensive client relationships and deep experience of UK payments, we will create an environment of continuous innovation - activated by Brookfield’s global private equity expertise in payments, technology, operational transformation and corporate carve-outs - to ensure the business is strategically positioned for long-term growth.

Barclays will invest approximately £400m in the new business, the majority of which will be incurred during the first three years. Performance-linked incentives will drive greater alignment between the partners, underpinning the long-term commitment to the transformation. Barclays and Brookfield will work to create a standalone entity over time, continuing to use the Barclaycard Payments (BPL) brand and acting as the sole payments acceptance services provider to Barclays’ clients for a minimum of ten years. 

For more information on our partnership with Brookfield, please visit Barclays.com.

To use innovative data analytics and machine learning techniques to extract valuable insights from the bank's data reserves, leveraging these insights to inform strategic decision-making, improve operational efficiency, and drive innovation across the organisation. 

Accountabilities

  • Identification, collection, extraction of data from various sources, including internal and external sources.
  • Performing data cleaning, wrangling, and transformation to ensure its quality and suitability for analysis.
  • Development and maintenance of efficient data pipelines for automated data acquisition and processing.
  • Design and conduct of statistical and machine learning models to analyse patterns, trends, and relationships in the data.
  • Development and implementation of predictive models to forecast future outcomes and identify potential risks and opportunities.
  • Collaborate with business stakeholders to seek out opportunities to add value from data through Data Science.

Director Expectations

  • To manage a business function, providing significant input to function wide strategic initiatives. Contribute to and influence policy and procedures for the function and plan, manage and consult on multiple complex and critical strategic projects, which may be business wide..
  • They manage the direction of a large team or sub-function, leading other people managers and embedding a performance culture aligned to the values of the business. Or for an individual contributor, they lead organisation wide projects and act as deep technical expert and thought leader, identifying new ways of working and collaborating cross functionally. They will train, guide and coach less experienced specialists and provide information affecting long term profits, organisational risks and strategic decisions..
  • Provide expert advice to senior functional management and committees to influence decisions made outside of own function, offering significant input to function wide strategic initiatives.
  • Manage, coordinate and enable resourcing, budgeting and policy creation for a significant sub-function.
  • Escalates breaches of policies / procedure appropriately.
  • Foster and guide compliance, ensure regulations are observed that relevant processes in place to facilitate adherence.
  • Focus on the external environment, regulators, or advocacy groups to both monitor and influence on behalf of Barclays, when appropriate.
  • Demonstrate extensive knowledge of how the function integrates with the business division / Group to achieve the overall business objectives.
  • Maintain broad and comprehensive knowledge of industry theories and practices within own discipline alongside up-to-date relevant sector / functional knowledge, and insight into external market developments / initiatives.
  • Use interpretative thinking and advanced analytical skills to solve problems and design solutions in often complex/ sensitive situations.
  • Exercise management authority to make significant decisions and certain strategic decisions or recommendations within own area.
  • Negotiate with and influence stakeholders at a senior level both internally and externally.
  • Act as principal contact point for key clients and counterparts in other functions/ businesses divisions.
  • Mandated as a spokesperson for the function and business division.

All Senior Leaders are expected to demonstrate a clear set of leadership behaviours to create an environment for colleagues to thrive and deliver to a consistently excellent standard. The four LEAD behaviours are: L – Listen and be authentic, E – Energise and inspire, A – Align across the enterprise, D – Develop others.

All colleagues will be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship – our moral compass, helping us do what we believe is right. They will also be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Mindset – to Empower, Challenge and Drive – the operating manual for how we behave.

Barclays welcomes applications from all candidates and is committed to ensuring reasonable adjustments (accommodations) are put in place to allow for a fair and inclusive recruitment process. For more information and how to request one, please review Adjustments to the recruitment process.

We’re a global, vital and highly respected financial organisation with an inspiring Purpose. Operating in 39 countries and employing around 100,000 people across the world, we help communities, individuals and businesses thrive. And we’ve created financial solutions and technology that the world now takes for granted. A career with us can offer incredible variety, depth and breadth of experience, and the chance to learn from some of the best minds in technology and finance.

To find out more about Barclays' strategy please click here.

We are an equal opportunity employer and opposed to discrimination on any grounds. It is the policy of Barclays to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, colour, creed, religion, national origin, alienage or citizenship status, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or domestic/civil partnership status, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by law.

Barclays is required by law to confirm that you have the Legal Right to Work in any role that you apply for. If you currently hold a work visa sponsored by Barclays, or you would require sponsorship from Barclays, you must declare this as part of your application. Sponsored visas are role and entity specific and any changes must be reviewed. It is important that you ensure you are working on the correct visa at all times. Failure to accurately disclose your visa status or Legal Right to Work may result in your application or any employment offer being withdrawn at any time.

This is Barclays London

Our global HQ is in Canary Wharf, at the heart of London’s financial district. There are over 10,000 colleagues here – a hugely diverse workforce made up of the world’s best financial and tech talent. If you love the buzz of city life, this is the place to be.

Cycle or run to work? We’ve got everything you need – from cycle hire and parking areas to new showering and changing facilities.

CoSpace is our drop-in co-working space, where networks are built, problems are solved collectively and our community is strengthened.

Our Wellness Suite includes a well-equipped gym and exercise studios, and provides personal training sessions and massage therapy.

Our new trading floors enhance communication, integrate sustainability, and support health and wellbeing through innovative design and British-sourced furniture.

This is Barclays London

Our global HQ is in Canary Wharf, at the heart of London’s financial district. There are over 10,000 colleagues here – a hugely diverse workforce made up of the world’s best financial and tech talent. If you love the buzz of city life, this is the place to be.

Supporting active commuters

Cycle or run to work? We’ve got everything you need – from cycle hire and parking areas to new showering and changing facilities.

Time to connect

CoSpace is our drop-in co-working space, where networks are built, problems are solved collectively and our community is strengthened.

Wellbeing in focus

Our Wellness Suite includes a well-equipped gym and exercise studios, and provides personal training sessions and massage therapy.

Advanced trading floors

Our new trading floors enhance communication, integrate sustainability, and support health and wellbeing through innovative design and British-sourced furniture.

Multicultural ERGs at Barclays

Be you. Be valued. Belong.

We celebrate the unique perspectives and experiences each individual brings, believing our differences make us stronger and drive success.

You can learn more about our commitment to our colleague on our Inclusion and Opportunities page.

Learn more

Application Process

Your application

We’ll ask for information about you, your CV and cover letter.

1

Your assessment

Covering your behaviours and ability at work.

2

Your interview

Exploring your past experiences and skills.

3

Next step

We’ll request additional information so that you can complete our screening process

4
How to ApplyRead our FAQ's
Barclays

Working flexibly

We’re committed to providing a supportive and inclusive culture and environment for you to work in. This environment recognises and supports your personal needs, alongside the professional needs of our business. If you'd like to explore flexible working arrangements, please discuss this with the hiring manager. Your request will be reviewed in-line with the requirements of the role/business needs of the team.

Hybrid working

We have a structured approach to hybrid working, where colleagues work at an onsite location on fixed, ‘anchor’, days, as set by the business area. Please discuss the working pattern requirements for the role you are applying for with the hiring manager. Please note that working arrangements may be subject to change on reasonable notice to ensure we meet the needs of our business.

Barclays is built on an international scale.

Our geographic reach, our wide variety of functions, businesses, roles and locations reflect the rich diversity of our worldwide customer base. All of which means we offer incredible variety, depth and breadth of experience.
And the chance to learn from a globally diverse mix of colleagues, including some of the very best minds in banking, finance, technology and business. Throughout, we’ll encourage you to embrace mobility, exploring every part of our operations as you build your career.

Find more information

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