Data Science Lead

Alto Software Group is a B2B SaaS company that powers more than half of all UK housing transactions each year. We create software solutions that connect businesses and consumers, delivering a one-stop shop for estate agents and home builders. Our goal is to drive efficiency, speed up transactions, reduce risk, and improve the end-customer experience. While we’re not a start-up, we have a start-up mindset and want our people to operate with this mindset so that we can achieve our ambitions.

The Role

We are looking for a Data Science Lead to build and lead Alto’s data science capability from the ground up. We have rich data flowing through our Mission Control platform and a clear commercial ambition to turn it into predictive insight — this hire gives us the leadership and technical depth to make that happen. You’ll work at the intersection of data, product, and commercial strategy, with direct access to executive leadership and a platform that’s ready to be exploited.

What You’ll Do

• Define and own Alto’s data science roadmap, prioritising use cases based on measurable ROI and commercial impact.

• Build, deploy and maintain production-grade predictive models across churn, customer health, propensity and capacity forecasting.

• Design and analyse experiments to test pricing, product and operational changes, raising the standard of statistical rigour across the business.

• Partner with Platform and Data Engineering to productionise models on Mission Control, defining data quality and feature requirements for reliable modelling.

• Develop segmentation and scoring frameworks that Customer Operations and Commercial teams can act on directly.

• Work with the Head of AI Operations to identify automation opportunities grounded in data science outputs.

• Surface insights through ThoughtSpot and AI-enabled reporting for senior stakeholders, up to executive level.

• Mentor analysts and grow data science capability across the business, building a team rather than a one-person silo.

Who You Are

• A Builder: You don’t just advise on data science — you write production code, ship models, and take personal accountability for outputs that are actually used.

• Commercially Sharp: You understand SaaS metrics (MRR, churn, NRR, GRR) and have personally connected data science work to measurable business outcomes, not just model performance.

• A Technical Authority: You bring expert-level Python and SQL, a solid grounding in statistics and causal inference, and a track record of models in production — not just notebooks.

• Cross-Functionally Effective: You move comfortably between engineering, commercial, and operational stakeholders, translating between data science and business outcomes without losing either audience.

• Outcome-Focused: You prioritise ruthlessly, track ROI on your work, and resist the pull of interesting-but-unactionable projects.

• Comfortable in Ambiguity: You can define the problem as well as solve it — you don’t need a fully formed brief to make progress, and you bring structure where there isn’t any.

Our Technology Stack

Languages

• Python, SQL

BI & Reporting

• ThoughtSpot

Platform

• Mission Control (Alto’s internal data platform)

AI / ML

• Modern ML frameworks; experimentation and causal inference tooling; LLMs and practical AI applications

Why Join Alto?

This is a rare opportunity to build a data science function with a blank sheet, executive sponsorship, and a data platform already in production. You’ll have the mandate and the access to make data science a structural part of how Alto operates — from retention and pricing to operational efficiency and intelligent automation. For a technically strong data scientist who wants to lead, not just contribute, this is that role.

Benefits

• Hybrid — 2 days/week in London HQ

• Everyday Flex — greater flexibility over where and when you work

• 25 days annual leave — plus extra days for years of service

• Day off for volunteering & Digital detox day

• Festive Closure — business closed between Christmas and New Year

• Cycle to work and electric car schemes

• Free Calm App membership

• Enhanced Parental leave

• Fertility Treatment Financial Support

• Group Income Protection & private medical

• Gym on-site in London

• 7.5% pension contribution by company

• Discretionary annual bonus up to 10% — of base salary

• Talent referral bonus up to £5K