Company Description

Sports betting, gaming and interactive entertainment is changing, and we’re leading that change. By putting people first. By placing exciting, engaging and entertaining experiences at more fingertips than ever before. We're pulling into pole position by pushing boundaries further. With innovation. With technology. But most importantly, with people like you. Because when you join Entain, it’s your game. So let’s win together.

Job Description

We’re Entain. Our vision is to be the world leader in sports betting and gaming entertainment by creating the most exciting and trusted experience for our customers, revolutionising the gambling space as we go. We're home to a global family of more than 25 well-known brands, and with a focus on sustainability and growth, we will transform our sector for our players, for ourselves and for the good of entertainment. 

We are seeking an experienced Head of Data Science to lead our artificial intelligence initiatives. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of creating and developing centres of excellence for data science, machine learning (ML), and artificial intelligence (AI) within large global businesses. This role requires expertise in hyper-personalisation for consumer goods, preferably in entertainment categories, and experience with gamification principles. The candidate should be adept at managing executive stakeholders and leading strategic programs, prioritising effectively within a value framework they have created. As a FTSE100 company building AI and Data Science almost from the ground up, the candidate must be highly self-motivated and focused, with demonstrable experience of building from the ground up with a commercial value focused lens.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and lead the AI centre of excellence, fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration.
• Build and lead cross-functional AI, data science, and ML teams, ensuring alignment with business objectives. With the ability to mentor and incubate talent. 
• Lead the creation and implementation of value measurement frameworks to quantify the impact of AI initiatives.
• Be responsible for the development and deployment of advanced AI and ML models to solve complex business problems.
• Lead hyper-personalisation efforts for consumer goods, with a preference for experience in entertainment categories.
• Apply gamification principles to deliver innovative solutions in the domain.
• Collaborate with stakeholders across the organisation to identify opportunities for AI-driven improvements and innovation.
• Ensure the scalability and sustainability of AI solutions, operating within constrained resources and demonstrating value to secure additional funding.
• Manage executive stakeholders and engage with them to align AI initiatives with strategic goals.
• Lead strategic programs and prioritise effectively within a value framework they have created.
• Develop a framework for a buy vs build decision-making approach that balances velocity with competitive traction.
• Acknowledge when AI is not the most appropriate solution for a problem, and balance decision making based on commercial viability

Qualifications

• Proven experience in leading AI, data science, and ML teams and developing centres of excellence.
• Strong background in AI, ML, data science, and advanced analytics.
• Direct experience in hyper-personalisation for consumer goods, preferably in entertainment categories.
• Experience with gamification principles and delivering solutions in that domain.
• Expert-level understanding and experience in the application of supervised and unsupervised learning, recommender systems, natural language processing, and reinforcement learning.
• Pragmatic and sensible approach to generative AI.
• Excellent leadership and team-building skills, with the ability to manage cross-functional teams.
• Strong strategic thinking and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to operate with constrained resources and demonstrate value to secure further investment.
• Excellent communication, influencing, and storytelling skills, with the ability to engage stakeholders at all levels.
• Highly self-motivated and focused, with demonstrable experience of building AI and Data Science capabilities from the ground up.
• Experience operating in highly regulated industries is beneficial but not essential.

Additional Information

At Entain, we know that signing top players requires a great starting package, and plenty of support to inspire peak performance. Join us, and a competitive salary is just the beginning.

Depending on your role and location, you can expect to receive benefits like

• A regular bonus
• Healthcare support
• A stake in our success through our ShareSave scheme
• Great development opportunities
• Wellbeing support, and so much more.

And outside of this, you’ll have the chance to turn recognition from leaders and colleagues into amazing prizes, join a winning team of talented people and be a part of an inclusive and supporting community where everyone is celebrated for being themselves.

Should you need any adjustments or accommodations to the recruitment process, at either application or interview, please contact us.

At Entain, we do what's right. It's one of our core values and that's why we're taking the lead when it comes to creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive future - for our people, and the wider global sports betting and gaming sector. However you identify, our ambition is to ensure our people across the globe feel valued, respected and their individuality celebrated.