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 • Define and lead the long-term data science strategy for critical product areas. • Partner with Product leaders to influence roadmap prioritisation through data and experimentation. • Design and execute advanced analytical frameworks to measure customer behaviour, product performance and business impact. • Lead complex experimentation programs, including A/B testing, causal inference, uplift modelling and quasi-experimental methods. • Develop machine learning, optimisation and decision science solutions that improve customer experience and operational efficiency. • Translate ambiguous business challenges into structured analytical problems and actionable recommendations. • Communicate insights and recommendations to senior executives and leadership teams. • Establish best practices for scientific rigor, experimentation, measurement and model governance. • Mentor and develop other data scientists across the organisation. • Influence company-wide analytics and product science standards. Preferred Experience • 8+ years of experience in Data Science, Product Analytics, Decision Science, Operations Research, Applied Science or related fields. • Demonstrated success influencing product strategy through data. • Strong experience with experimentation, causal inference and measurement frameworks. • Experience developing machine learning models in production environments. • Experience with optimisation, decision science, forecasting, recommendation systems or machine learning at scale. • Proven track record delivering measurable business impact. • Experience leading cross-functional initiatives involving Product, Engineering and senior stakeholders. • Previous experience operating at Staff, Principal or equivalent level. Technical Skills • Expert-level Python and SQL • Experimentation and statistical inference • Machine Learning and Predictive Modelling • Causal Inference • Optimization / Operations Research (preferred) • Large-scale data processing • BI and visualization tools • Cloud-based analytics environments Nice to Have • Airline, transportation, logistics, marketplace, e-commerce or technology experience. • Experience with mathematical programming (Gurobi, CPLEX, OR-Tools). • Experience with network optimisation, routing, scheduling, pricing or revenue management. • Advanced degree (MSc or PhD) in Data Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Operations Research,