Data Science & AI Manager

Company Description

Join iLOF to manage the day-to-day delivery of the Data Science team, working with physicists, biologists and engineers to turn optical measurements into validated models for blood-based diagnostics. You will work with iLOF’s scientific and executive leadership, take the company's priorities and turn them into clear plans, and make sure the team delivers rigorous, well-engineered work on time. You will also own how the team learns and grows, and lead iLOF's strategy for adopting AI tools in Data Science work.

This is a hands-on management role for someone who has led technical teams in industry. You do not need to be a physicist, but you will be comfortable with signal data and able to speak the language of the teams you work with.

Job Description

• Manage the Data Science team day-to-day: set clear expectations, run 1:1s, give regular feedback, support development plans and handle performance.

• Turn priorities set by scientific and executive leadership into sprint and project plans; allocate people, manage dependencies and track milestones.

• Be the first point of call for prioritisation questions, escalating trade-offs early and keeping the team focused on what matters most.

• Keep projects on track from scoping through validation and hand-over, flagging risks and slippage early.

• Make sure software is built properly: version control, code review, testing, reproducible pipelines and documentation, working closely with the software team.

• Bridge the gap between development and production-ready requirements, so prototypes and models move into robust, validated and deployable products.

• Bring structure to how the team works: lightweight processes, clear definitions of done, and standards for analysis review and model validation.

• Work across Biology, Photonics, Engineering and Clinical teams so data acquisition, analysis and product needs stay aligned.

• Train and upskill the team: identify skill gaps, run structured training, pair programming and code/analysis reviews, and bring in external courses or experts where needed, so the team keeps pace with modern data science, ML and software practice.

• Lead AI tools strategy and implementation: set the strategy for how the team uses AI tools (coding assistants, LLMs and agents, AutoML and experiment tooling), select and roll out tools, define guidelines for safe and rigorous use, including data protection and validation of AI-generated work, measure the impact on productivity and quality, and share what works with the wider company.

• Report progress, risks and decisions clearly to leadership.

• Contribute to hiring and onboarding into the team.

Qualifications

• Who we are looking for

• You have led technical teams in industry and know how to get a group of strong specialists to deliver. You are organised, calm under changing priorities and comfortable saying what is and isn't a priority. You understand data science and machine learning well enough to judge quality and spot problems, even if you are no longer the deepest technical expert in the room. You enjoy teaching, and you are an early, critical adopter of AI tools who can bring a whole team along. You are used to running several projects in parallel, each with its own timeline and owner, and to keeping those owners aligned on what the team can deliver and when.

• Qualifications

• Must have

• Several years of industry experience leading data science, machine learning or engineering teams to delivery (managing people, not only projects).

• Degree (MSc or PhD preferred) in a quantitative field such as electrical engineering, signal processing, physics, applied mathematics, statistics or computer science.

• Hands-on background in data science or ML, with a working understanding of modelling, validation and the pitfalls of small or noisy datasets.

• Strong software engineering practice: you can set and enforce standards for code quality, testing and reproducibility.

• Hands-on experience leading the adoption of AI tools in a technical team: choosing tools, rolling them out, setting usage guidelines and showing measurable gains.

• A track record of developing people: designing training, coaching and mentoring that visibly raised a team's skills.

• Proven project and delivery management: planning, prioritisation, risk management and stakeholder reporting.

• Experience running Agile delivery (for example Scrum or Kanban): sprint planning, backlog management, stand-ups and retrospectives.

• Hands-on proficiency in Python, SQL and Git, and practical experience building with agentic AI (LLM agents, tool use and multi-step automated workflows).

• Excellent communication in English with technical and non-technical colleagues.

• Strong plus

• Experience with signal or sensor data (signal processing, spectroscopy, time series, instrumentation).

• Experience in a scale-up or start-up with an AI or deep-tech component

• Work experience on clinically certified or other regulated products (for example CE-IVD or FDA-cleared devices, or software as a medical device), or wider exposure to medtech and diagnostics.

• The opportunity

• Build the operating rhythm of iLOF's Data Science team and help a proprietary biomedical technology move from experiments to validated products.

• Additional Information

• ​​​​​​iLOF in a nutshell

• As personalized medicine becomes the norm, scientists, patients, and healthcare systems worldwide face massive barriers in providing the right treatment to the right patient.

• Recognized by CB Insights and Financial Times as one of the most promising Digital Health companies in the world, iLOF is building an AI-powered platform capable of transforming precision medicine.

• Our goal is to become the platform that democratizes access to personalized medicine for millions of people living with complex diseases around the globe.

• Thanks to our proprietary optical fingerprint library of disease biomarkers and biological profiles we can offer personalized patient screening and stratification in a faster and more affordable way, saving up to 40% of the cost and 70% of the time while enabling a more human patient experience.

• Supported by leading institutions like Microsoft Ventures, Mayfield, and the Oxford University, iLOF is currently focusing on validating its platform technology in one of the biggest challenges of our times: Alzheimer's, while maintaining ongoing verticals on Digestive Cancer, Stroke, and Infectious diseases.

• Our Team

• We are a mix of scientists, entrepreneurs, and inventors based in London and Porto, with a passion for healthcare!

• Recognized by CB Insights as one of the most promising Digital Health companies in the world and by the Financial Times as a Transformational Business in Healthcare, iLOF has been regularly featured in leading outlets like Tech Crunch, Wired, and Sifted and listed as a rising star in AI-Driven Drug Discovery, Health Screening & Data Analytics.

• What we value

• A Be Kind attitude is the main guideline within iLoF

• A hand in the hammer and another free to support your co-workers as a true team player

• An honest and egoless attitude towards discussions and critics working in good faith

• The braveness to speak your heart in any situation

• Through words or actions be always sure to make a difference at any moment!

• Be proud to drive your responsibilities to success and help others do the same, embracing ownership!

• Perks

• An exciting future with a deep-tech company selected by Financial Times and CB Insights as one of the most transformative companies in the world

• A high‑paced, flexible environment: adaptable working hours, strong remote work culture

• A stimulating atmosphere with room for creativity – fast‑paced, fun, and energetic start‑up with a friendly culture

• Weekly happy hours with amazing food and drinks

• Free coffee and snacks

• The opportunity to work with a world‑class, talented team – and potentially change healthcare as we know it for millions of patients living with complex diseases around the globe

• We share a passion for being part of a mission that matters, and we are always looking for curious and collaborative people who share our values and want to be part of our journey.