Principal Data Scientist (Fine-tuning and Model Optimisation)

Principal Data Scientist (Fine-tuning andamp; model optimisation) - AI Models LeadHybrid: RemotePaying up to £130,000 + BenefitsPermanentExperis are delighted to be partnering with a highly successful and growing software organisation as they invest heavily in building a cutting-edge AI capability at the heart of their product suite.We are supporting them in the search for an AI Models Lead, a key foundational hire who will own the development, fine-tuning, and production delivery of domain-specific AI models within a large-scale programme.This is a rare opportunity to join at an early stage and build a fine-tuning capability from first principles, shaping how AI models are developed, evaluated, and deployed in real-world, regulated environments. Looking for someone who has moved beyond prompt engineering and RAG into genuine model adaptation, evaluation, optimisation and fine-tuning.What You''ll Be DoingDesigning and leading the end-to-end model fine-tuning strategy, such as SFT, LoRA/QLoRA, and optimisation approachesSelecting and evaluating base models (eg Mistral, Qwen, PHI, Falcon) based on performance, cost, and use caseDefining evaluation frameworks and standards to ensure models meet production-grade quality and reliabilityBuilding and scaling a suite of fine-tuned models to support multiple product use casesOwning experiment design and reproducibility, including tracking, benchmarking, and iteration cyclesWorking closely with data, domain and product teams to ..... full job details .....