Job Title: Lead Data Scientist
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Employment Type: Full-time
Work Style: Hybrid
Overview
A leading global financial services organization is seeking a Lead Data Scientist to drive advanced analytics and AI initiatives that enhance customer engagement and business performance. This position combines hands-on technical leadership with people management responsibilities, overseeing end-to-end data science projects while developing a high-performing analytics team.
The successful candidate will work closely with business stakeholders, engineering teams, and senior leadership to transform complex business challenges into scalable data-driven solutions leveraging machine learning, GenAI, and cloud technologies.
Key Responsibilities
Lead multiple data science and advanced analytics projects from concept through production deployment.
Partner with business stakeholders to define priorities, project scope, success metrics, and delivery timelines.
Drive end-to-end project execution including problem definition, solution architecture, model development, testing, deployment, and optimization.
Manage and mentor a team of Data Scientists and external resources, providing coaching, performance management, and career development support.
Guide senior team members in people management, project leadership, and delivery excellence.
Establish and improve team operating frameworks, including planning, documentation, quality assurance, and governance processes.
Maintain high engineering standards through strong Python development practices and rigorous code reviews.
Collaborate closely with Data Engineering, Platform, and IT teams to manage dependencies and ensure successful solution deployment in cloud environments.
Communicate project progress, risks, outcomes, and recommendations to stakeholders and executive leadership.
Present analytical findings to both technical and non-technical audiences, tailoring communication to different stakeholder groups.
Partner with Product, Marketing, Sales, Customer Success, Engineering, IT, and Compliance teams to align priorities and drive execution.
Establish and maintain strong data governance practices including data quality, documentation, lineage tracking, and metric standardization.
Ensure responsible AI adoption in compliance with internal policies and regulatory requirements.
Requirements
Business-level Japanese and English communication skills.
8+ years of experience in Data Science, Advanced Analytics, or related fields with demonstrated business impact.
Proven experience leading end-to-end data science projects from ideation to production deployment.
Strong Python programming expertise and code review experience.
Hands-on experience with Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs).
Experience building or deploying solutions on Azure or comparable cloud platforms.
People management experience, including leading technical teams and project delivery.
Experience mentoring managers or senior individual contributors.
Strong stakeholder management, communication, and collaboration skills.
Ability to thrive in a dynamic and evolving business environment.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience within financial services, with insurance industry exposure considered a strong advantage.
MLOps experience including CI/CD pipelines, deployment automation, monitoring, and model lifecycle management.
Experience with Power BI.
Experience with PySpark.
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Data Science, or a related discipline.
Technical Environment
Programming & Data Science
Python
PySpark
Machine Learning
Advanced Analytics
Statistical Modeling
AI & Machine Learning
Generative AI
Large Language Models (LLMs)
AI Governance
Cloud & Infrastructure
Azure
Cloud-based Analytics Platforms
Data & Visualization
Power BI
Data Governance
Data Quality Management
Data Lineage
MLOps
CI/CD
Model Deployment
Monitoring
Model Lifecycle Management
Leadership & Stakeholder Management
Team Leadership
Cross-functional Collaboration
Executive Communication
Project Delivery Management
Compensation & Benefits
Competitive salary package
Hybrid work environment
Flexible working arrangements
Comprehensive social insurance coverage
Annual paid leave and additional company leave programs
Commuting allowance
Group insurance programs
Professional development support
Employee wellness and work-life balance initiatives
Family-friendly benefits and flexible working policies
Career Level
Senior Management / Lead Individual Contributor
Industry
Financial Services / Insurance / Data & AI
Function
Data Science | Machine Learning | Advanced Analytics | AI Leadership | People Management