The Data And AI Podcast

This podcast will cover a range of topics such as finding data talent, and AI training. We will also discuss more advanced subjects like assessing the value of your data team, identifying biases in AI and addressing pay gaps in Data and AI.

Latest Episodes

Data and ai podcast: All Episodes

Dive deep into the world of AI, data, and analytics

Episode 23: Beyond Compliance: Rethinking Data Protection in an AI-Driven World

Episode 22: Bridging the Data Skills Gap – How to Upskill and Build Analytics Culture

Episode 21: GenAI breakthroughs, roadblocks and what to learn next

Episode 20: How Incrementality and MMM Are Changing Marketing Analytics

Episode 19: How AI Innovation & Hiring Are Evolving Hand in Hand

Exclusive! Harnham to 15,000: The Shift to Personalisation

Episode 18: Beyond the Numbers: Humanising Your Customer Data

Episode 17: Bridging the Consumer Experience Gap: What Brands Get Wrong

Episode 16: The Past, Present, and Future of Experimentation

Episode 15: Utilising Data for Market Fit

Episode 14: Geospatial Analytics – Past, Present and Future

Episode 13: Democratising Data

Episode 12: How to Build and Retain High-Performing Analytics Teams

Episode 11: Leading with a People-First Approach: Navigating Growth in Data and AI

Episode 10: From Payday Lending to AI: Navigating the Credit Risk Landscape

Episode 9: The State and Future of AI

Episode 8: The Next Data Wave: Emerging Trends in Data Management and Governance

Episode 7: Futurecast: Skillsets, Decisions, and the Role of AI

Episode 6: Getting Into the Data Industry Without a STEM Degree

Episode 5: Diversity Equity & Inclusion – How Data Leaders Can Take Action

Episode 4 – Key Findings from Harnham’s 2023 US Data & AI Salary Guide

Episode 3: Key Findings from Harnham’s 2023 UK Data & AI Salary Guide

Episode 2 – Data Literacy (with Waseem Ali & David Reed)

Episode 1 – Quantifying the Benefit of Data (with Waseem Ali & Craig Civil)

Data Recruitment & AI Talent Solutions

JOIN THE HARNHAM TEAM

LATEST HARNHAM
OPPORTUNITIES

Welcome to a recruitment journey like no other. At Harnham, we're always interested in finding the right people to join our team.

 

VP – Data Engineer

Dallas

$220000 - $275000

+ Data Engineering

Permanent
Dallas, Texas

To Apply for this Job Click Here

Vice President, Data Engineering
Dallas, TX | $230K-$300K total compensation (includes bonus)

This is a high-impact leadership opportunity to shape enterprise-wide data platforms within a globally scaled, highly regulated environment. You will play a central role in standardising financial and risk data across divisions, combining hands-on engineering with strategic leadership in a true player-coach capacity.

The Company

Globally recognised financial services organisation operating at significant scale across investment banking, asset management and trading. Their centralised engineering function supports critical areas including finance, risk and compliance. The business is investing heavily in data platform convergence, governance and regulatory readiness, with a clear mandate to standardise and unify data across the organisation. This creates a unique opportunity to influence transformation at scale.

The Role

You will lead the design and delivery of modern data engineering platforms that enable consistent, governed financial data across multiple business units. Your responsibilities will include:

* Leading architecture and development of scalable data pipelines and platforms
* Driving data standardisation across finance, risk and treasury functions
* Improving data lineage, governance and regulatory reporting alignment
* Acting as a hands-on technical lead, including code reviews and system design
* Supporting the adoption of cloud-based data platforms using AWS and distributed processing tools

Your Skills & Experience

* Strong commercial experience in data engineering and backend systems
* Expertise in distributed data processing using Spark or similar technologies
* Experience with cloud platforms, particularly AWS and tools such as Databricks or Glue
* Proven capability in designing data models for financial or regulatory systems
* Strong system design and architecture skills
* Experience leading or mentoring engineering teams in complex environments
* Background in financial services or another highly regulated domain

What They Offer

* Competitive VP-level package with total compensation typically between $275K and $300K
* Bonus and equity as part of a comprehensive rewards structure
* Opportunity to lead large-scale data transformation across critical financial systems
* Clear progression within a global engineering organisation
* Exposure to senior stakeholders and high-impact regulatory initiatives

To Apply for this Job Click Here

Principal Frontend Developer- AI Augmented

New York

$165000 - $190000

+ Data Engineering

Permanent
New York

To Apply for this Job Click Here

This role is about making the right decisions, shaping architecture, and raising the engineering bar. You’ll use AI tools as force multipliers while maintaining high standards for correctness, maintainability, performance, and testing.

What You’ll Do

  • Own technical quality across design reviews, code reviews, testing, and production readiness
  • Collaborate with product, design, and engineering to shape solutions and tradeoffs
  • Architect frontend-first, full-stack systems that are modular, scalable, and resilient
  • Improve performance, reliability, and maintainability across the stack
  • Champion functional programming and immutability for simpler, more predictable systems
  • Leverage AI-assisted development (prototyping → refinement → production hardening)
  • Build and enforce robust testing strategies (unit, integration, UI, end-to-end)

What You Bring

  • 8+ years building production web applications
  • Expert in TypeScript + React, with strong experience in Next.js (SSR) or similar frameworks
  • Strong full-stack fundamentals and experience designing scalable systems
  • Ability to clearly communicate technical tradeoffs to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
  • Track record of building simple, reusable, and adaptable systems
  • Deep understanding of testing strategies and CI-driven development
  • Proven mentorship and leadership through code reviews and technical guidance

AI/LLM-Assisted Engineering

  • Hands-on experience with AI-powered dev tools (e.g., Cursor or similar)
  • Strong judgment on when to rely on AI-and when not to
  • Ability to explore multiple approaches quickly and converge on high-quality, production-ready solutions (not “AI-generated” code)

Why This Role

  • Work in a modern AI-augmented engineering environment
  • Influence architecture and engineering standards
  • Solve complex problems with a high degree of ownership and autonomy
  • Be part of a team that values craft, clarity, and thoughtful decision-making

To Apply for this Job Click Here

Commercial Analyst

Birmingham

£30000 - £35000

+ Advanced Analytics & Marketing Insights

Permanent
Birmingham, West Midlands

To Apply for this Job Click Here

Commercial Analyst

£30,000-£35,000
Birmingham – Hybrid (2-3 days onsite)

I’m hiring a Commercial Analyst for a well‑established UK medical manufacturing business, supporting commercial strategy across sales, marketing, and product.

This is a great opportunity for someone early in their career to step into a broad, business‑facing analytics role with real exposure and impact.


The company

A long‑standing, family‑run organisation operating globally within the healthcare sector, producing specialist medical products.

With strong growth and a turnover of £150m+, they’re investing further in data and analytics to support commercial decision‑making.


he role

This role sits within a growing analytics team and will focus on supporting commercial performance across the business.

In your first 6-12 months, you’ll work closely with the sales team, helping identify opportunities to improve:

  • revenue
  • margins
  • customer performance

You’ll also gain exposure to marketing, product development, and market insight work as the role evolves.


What you’ll be doing

  • Deliver commercial reporting across sales, customers, and product performance
  • Analyse performance against targets and identify trends and opportunities
  • Support forecasting, planning, and business decision‑making
  • Build and improve existing reports, while developing new analysis
  • Work closely with stakeholders across sales, marketing, and operations
  • Support product launches and market analysis with data insights
  • Contribute to improving reporting processes and data quality

What you bring

Must‑haves

  • 1-2 years’ experience in a data, analytics, or commercial role
  • Strong Power BI or Tableau skills
  • Experience using SQL and/or Python
  • Ability to communicate insight clearly to non‑technical stakeholders
  • A proactive mindset and willingness to learn

Nice to have

  • Experience with data visualisation tools (Tableau, Power BI)
  • Background in a commercial or business environment (not just academic)
  • STEM or numerate degree

What they’re looking for

  • Early‑career analyst with strong potential
  • Comfortable working across different teams and stakeholders
  • Curious, hands‑on, and eager to understand how businesses operate
  • Able to work in a collaborative, fast‑moving environment

The team

  • Commercial Analytics Manager
  • Data Engineer
  • Marketing Analyst
  • Manufacturing Analyst

This role has been created to free up senior team members and add dedicated commercial analytical support.


Why this role

  • Exposure across sales, marketing, and product functions
  • Opportunity to develop into a well‑rounded commercial analyst
  • Strong mentorship in a collaborative team
  • Real ownership and visibility early in your career
  • Sociable, supportive working environment

Location & working pattern

  • Based in Aston, Birmingham
  • 2-3 days per week onsite (flexible)
  • Slightly more office‑based during onboarding

Interview process

  • Stage 1: Hiring Manager discussion
  • Stage 2: Technical + presentation (dataset exercise) + cultural fit

If you’re an early‑career analyst who wants to move into a role with real commercial exposure and career growth, this is a great opportunity.

To Apply for this Job Click Here

Commercial Analyst

Birmingham

£30000 - £35000

+ Advanced Analytics & Marketing Insights

Permanent
Birmingham, West Midlands

To Apply for this Job Click Here

Commercial Analyst

£30,000 – £35,000

Aston, Birmingham (2-3 days a week in office)

This is an opportunity to join a commercially focused analytics function where your insights will directly influence strategic decisions across sales, marketing, and operations. You will work with varied data sets, translating complex information into clear, actionable recommendations that drive measurable business impact.

THE COMPANY

They are a well-established organisation operating across UK and international markets, with a strong focus on innovation and customer-led growth. The business places data at the centre of its commercial strategy, enabling informed decision-making across multiple teams. With a collaborative culture, they encourage cross-functional working and value individuals who can bring clarity and insight to complex challenges. They continue to invest in analytics capabilities to support future growth.

THE ROLE

As a Commercial Analyst you will deliver high-impact commercial insights by analysing complex data, supporting strategic decision-making, and driving performance across sales, marketing, and operations.

Specifically, you can expect to be involved in the following:

  • Deliver regular commercial reporting across sales, product, cost, and customer performance.
  • Analyse performance against targets, budgets, and forecasts, identifying key trends and growth drivers.
  • Provide actionable insights through sales, CRM, and ad-hoc reporting.
  • Work with customer, product, and territory data to uncover risks and opportunities.
  • Support forecasting, planning, and target setting across different markets.
  • Partner with sales, marketing, finance, and operations to inform business decisions.
  • Contribute to new product initiatives through market insight and performance analysis.
  • Support data automation and process improvements to enhance reporting efficiency.
  • Analyse global market data to provide insight into trends and evolving customer needs.

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

The successful Commercial Analyst will have the following skills and experience:

  • Strong commercial experience in data analysis, reporting, and insight generation
  • Experience with data visualisation tools such as Power BI or Tableau, or a strong desire to develop these skills
  • Familiarity with SQL or Python for data analysis is advantageous
  • Ability to translate complex data into clear, commercial recommendations
  • Strong stakeholder management skills across cross-functional teams

BENEFITS

The successful Commercial Analyst will receive the following benefits:

  • Salary between £30,000 – £35,000 – depending on experience

HOW TO APPLY

Please register your interest by sending your resume to Majid Latif via the Apply link on this page.

To Apply for this Job Click Here

Senior Actuarial Analyst

London

£45000 - £50000

+ Risk Analytics

Permanent
London

To Apply for this Job Click Here

Senior Actuarial Analyst
London, very flexible working
Salary 45-50,000

This is a rare opportunity to step into a highly autonomous role where you will own the capital modelling process for a growing insurance business. You will work closely with senior leaders, influence key decisions, and help build in‑house capability as the organisation scales.

The Company
They are a specialist insurer, established but growing and with a collaborative team. They combine a lean structure with strong technical expertise and a culture built around bright, driven people.

The Role
* Lead the maintenance and ownership of capital modelling across the business
* Work closely on reserving and pricing analysis
* Support Solvency II reporting and contribute to broader regulatory work
* Collaborate closely with pricing, actuarial and wider commercial teams to influence decisions
* Drive project work linked to business needs, solving complex problems with analytical approaches
* Play a key role as they transition capital models, solvency processes and actuarial reporting in‑house

Your Skills and Experience
* Strong commercial experience in pricing, capital modelling or reserving
* Coding capability in Python
* Experience in retail insurance
* Motivated, proactive and comfortable working independently in a fast‑paced environment

What They Offer
* Salary between 45-50,000 depending on experience
* Very flexible working, with the option to meet in London occasionally
* Study support for part‑qualified candidates
* High visibility across the business and genuine ownership of key modelling work

To Apply for this Job Click Here

Senior Actuarial Analyst

London

£45000 - £50000

+ Risk Analytics

Permanent
London

To Apply for this Job Click Here

Role Title
Senior Actuarial Analyst

Salary
£45,000-£55,000

Location + work pattern
London (flexible hybrid working)

THE COMPANY

  • A forward-thinking insurance business focused on innovative and niche areas of the motor insurance market.
  • Operating with a lean, high-calibre team, the company has invested heavily in its actuarial and pricing capabilities in recent years.
  • The business takes a technology-driven approach, using modern tools to support growth and decision-making.

THE ROLE
This is a broad and hands-on actuarial role, with a strong focus on capital modelling alongside exposure to reserving and pricing. You’ll play a key role in supporting regulatory processes and providing insights that influence business strategy.
Specifically, you can expect to be involved in:

  • Running and maintaining the internal capital model and supporting regulatory submissions
  • Producing Solvency II reporting outputs and assisting with actuarial reporting processes
  • Supporting reserving analyses and contributing to ongoing monitoring activities
  • Developing forecasting and scenario analysis to support business decisions
  • Collaborating with stakeholders across the business, including pricing and underwriting teams

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

  • Experience in general insurance within actuarial, capital modelling, reserving or pricing
  • Working knowledge of actuarial concepts and regulatory frameworks (e.g. Solvency II)
  • Programming capability, ideally with Python
  • Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret and communicate results clearly
  • A proactive attitude and ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment

THE BENEFITS

  • High level of ownership and autonomy within your role
  • Exposure to senior stakeholders and business decision-making
  • Opportunity to work across multiple areas of actuarial (capital, reserving, pricing)
  • Support for professional development and actuarial study
  • Flexible working arrangements

THE PROCESS

  • Initial 30-minute interview focused on experience and motivations
  • Technical interview with actuarial team members
  • Final interview with senior leadership focusing on culture and fit

HOW TO APPLY
Please register your interest via the apply link on this page.

To Apply for this Job Click Here

Principal Data Engineer

San Francisco

$200000 - $240000

+ Data Science & AI

Permanent
San Francisco, California

To Apply for this Job Click Here

Principal Data Engineer (L5) / Staff Data Engineer

Remote – United States
Base Salary: $220,000 – $240,000
Eligibility: U.S. Citizen or Green Card holder required


Overview

A leading digital product and AI engineering firm is seeking a Principal Data Engineer (L5) to join a high-impact, multi-disciplinary team building modern, enterprise-grade data platforms.

This is a senior technical leadership role suited for an experienced engineer who can define data strategy, make end-to-end platform decisions, and influence engineering direction across complex engagements. You will operate at the intersection of data engineering and AI, helping deliver production-ready systems at speed while maintaining high standards in performance, reliability, and security.


Why This Role Matters

You will play a critical role in shaping how AI-powered data systems integrate into real-world enterprise workflows. The team operates at high velocity, delivering production-grade solutions in accelerated timelines, requiring strong ownership, technical craftsmanship, and the ability to execute with precision.

This role provides visibility across platform architecture, client impact, and internal engineering standards-ideal for someone who wants to influence both technical direction and team capability.


Key Responsibilities

Data Architecture & Platform Ownership

  • Define and lead data architecture strategy across data lakes, warehouses, and pipelines
  • Design scalable, high-performance systems for batch and real-time data processing
  • Drive modernization efforts, optimizing for cost, performance, and scalability
  • Establish data contracts and event-driven architectures across distributed systems
  • Integrate data platforms with APIs, middleware, and third-party systems

AI & Advanced Data Systems

  • Design and implement data pipelines supporting production AI/ML systems, including:
    • Embeddings and vector databases
    • Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) data preparation
    • Feature stores and model training/inference pipelines
  • Apply an AI-forward approach using modern development tools (e.g., Claude, Cursor)

Governance, Quality & Reliability

  • Define and enforce data governance, quality standards, and compliance frameworks
  • Implement monitoring, logging, and alerting systems across data pipelines
  • Contribute to CI/CD pipelines for data workflows and automated deployment

Leadership & Collaboration

  • Partner with leadership to shape data strategy and translate technical complexity into actionable decisions
  • Mentor and guide junior and mid-level engineers, elevating team capability
  • Establish engineering standards and best practices across data platforms
  • Collaborate with engineering, product, analytics, and AI teams to align on execution

Required Qualifications

  • 7+ years of experience in data engineering, including leadership of complex data platform initiatives
  • 7+ years of hands-on experience with AWS, with recent, production-level usage required
  • Strong background in distributed systems and large-scale data architecture
  • Expertise in Python, Scala, and SQL
  • Deep experience with cloud-native data platforms and enterprise data warehousing
  • Strong knowledge of data pipeline orchestration and transformation frameworks
  • Experience with streaming and real-time systems (Kafka, Kinesis, Pub/Sub, etc.)
  • Proven expertise in data modeling and scalable data design
  • Hands-on experience with governance, compliance, and data quality frameworks
  • Experience with containerization and CI/CD for data systems
  • Demonstrated experience building pipelines for AI/ML production systems
  • Strong communication skills with the ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders
  • Track record of mentoring engineers and leading technical decisions

Preferred / Nice-to-Have

  • Experience with data mesh, data fabric, or lakehouse architectures
  • Background in healthcare data systems
  • AWS certifications (e.g., AWS Certified Data Engineer – Associate)

Interview Process

  • 30-minute Culture Interview
  • 30-45 minute Technical Interview
  • Final Client Interview

To Apply for this Job Click Here

Lead Data Scientist

London

£80000 - £90000

+ Data Science & AI

Permanent
London

To Apply for this Job Click Here

Lead Data Scientist

London – hybrid (1 day every 2 weeks)

The Company
They are a London-based technology organisation operating in the digital advertising and media space. Established in recent years, they have grown to around 50 employees and are continuing to scale their product and data capabilities. Their SaaS platform integrates with major advertising ecosystems and combines advanced machine learning with external datasets to optimise campaign outcomes. The business offers a collaborative, product-focused environment with strong technical ownership.

The Role

  • Lead development of optimisation and predictive models for digital advertising campaigns
  • Build and refine bidding algorithms within auction-based environments
  • Take models from Python prototypes into production systems in AWS
  • Work closely with engineering teams to deploy and scale solutions
  • Utilise large-scale datasets from ad platforms and external sources
  • Act as the go-to expert for improving and troubleshooting models
  • Contribute to the ongoing evolution of data science capability across the platform

Your Skills and Experience

  • Strong commercial experience building and deploying machine learning models
  • Experience working on optimisation problems or performance-driven systems
  • Understanding of auction-based modelling, pricing, or similar complex environments
  • Proficiency in Python and exposure to production-level programming
  • Familiarity with languages such as Kotlin, Java or Scala
  • Experience working with large datasets, with exposure to tools such as PySpark beneficial
  • Interest in working across both data science and production environments

What They Offer

  • Flexible hybrid working with minimal office requirements in London
  • Technical ownership in a senior individual contributor role
  • Opportunity to work closely with engineering and influence product direction
  • Collaborative environment with strong growth potential

How to Apply
If you would like to find out more, please apply with your CV or get in touch for an initial discussion.

To Apply for this Job Click Here