Data Lead - AI and Automation

Job Purpose: Establish, manage, and evolve the company's Data, AI and Automation processes, support senior management in developing and achieving the organisations strategic plan as well as the development and delivery of the data, AI and Automation capabilities. Oversee the development and use of data, AI and Automation systems, driving the adoption of a centralised standard of these solutions across Smiths Group and its divisions, actively promoting CoDe. capabilities. Solutioning innovative ways to organise AI and automation processes, including hands-on software development, through the creation and validation of algorithms, applications, neural networks, and other machine learning techniques. Provide leadership on the implementation of security & authorisations best practice for accessing AI and Automation solutions. Work proactively with internal and key business partners that contribute to the delivery of analytic, AI models through projects and BAU, exploring new analytics and dashboard tools and where appropriate advice on new solutions that can improve the effectiveness of organisation. Help to solution, implement and maintain operating models that optimise onshore and offshore resourcing to create the maximum value for Smiths Group Manage and distribute workloads to the D&A team members, balancing the key strengths of the D&A team along with career aspirations, providing direction and day-to-day oversight, striving to deliver outstanding results. Take leading role in the growth of Team and support the development of D&A and Divisional team members through coaching and mentoring Data Responsibilities: Design, deliver, and support Data, AI, and automation solutions, including analytics, models, dashboards, and related platforms. Own the roadmap for trusted data foundations across BIS and divisions, covering master/reference data, data quality, governance, cataloguing, traceability, and access controls. Provide technical and business leadership across data architecture, integration, visualisation, and emerging AI technologies, ensuring solutions are scalable, secure, and aligned to business needs. Establish and maintain effective data management policies, standards, and operational controls, including code promotion, platform administration, performance monitoring, and compliance with company and legal requirements. Partner with divisional and business stakeholders to shape requirements, resolve data issues, and enable adoption through documentation, training, and user support. Support team effectiveness through mentoring, workload and capacity visibility, regular reporting, and leadership of team engagement activities. Technical Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Educated to degree level or equivalent. Experience with machine learning, deep learning, NLP, and computer vision. Proficiency in Python, Java, and R Strong knowledge of AI frameworks such as TensorFlow or PyTorch. Experience in Data Science techniques and methodologies. Azure Datalake, Databricks, Python (Azure Reference architecture). Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to work in a team environment. Thorough and proven understanding of the principles of data security, management, and administration Proficient at digesting and analysing large amounts of data. Excellent understanding of data administration and management functions (collection, analysis, distribution etc.) Experience in working with offshore and onshore support model. Experience in working with information technology. Experience in BI tools (PowerBi, OBIEE, Tableau, QlickView etc). Good knowledge of SQL language and simple analysis techniques to profile data Technical experience and knowledge in On-Premise and Public Cloud Data Services focused on: Database architecture, ETL, Data Mining, Business Intelligence, Big Data, Data Governance, Data quality, Data Cleansing Experience with Microsoft Azure a plus: Azure SQL Database, Analysis Services, Databricks, Data Lake, Logic Apps and Data Factory Understanding of Big Data technologies (Hadoop, Spark) Able to create rich visualisations that appropriately represent the underlying datasets. Review and align the reporting attributes against the Enterprise and conceptual data models Business functional knowledge - able to work with Business SMEs to relate the process to the underlying data. ERP experience and implementations (nice to have) Excellent organisational and project management skills Passionate and curious about new technology and the tech industry Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to interact at all levels within the Smiths Group General understanding of PaaS Concepts - ideally in MS-Azure Cloud BI experience could be an asset Diversity & Inclusion: We believe that different perspectives and backgrounds are what make a company flourish. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, economic status, disability, age, or any other legally protected characteristics. We are proud to be an inclusive company with values grounded in equality and ethics, where we celebrate, support, and embrace diversity. At no time during the hiring process will Smiths Detection, Smiths Group, nor any of our recruitment partners ever request payment to enable participation – including, but not limited to, interviews or testing. Avoid fraudulent requests by applying jobs directly through our career’s website ( Careers - Smiths Group plc ) We believe that different perspectives and backgrounds are what make a company flourish. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment regardless of color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, economic status, disability, age, or any other legally protected characteristics. We are proud to be an inclusive company with values grounded in equality and ethics, where we celebrate, support, and embrace diversity. At no time during the hiring process will Smiths Group, nor any of our recruitment partners ever request payment to enable participation – including, but not limited to, interviews or testing. Avoid fraudulent requests by applying jobs directly through our career’s website ( Careers - Smiths Group plc ) Smiths Group designs, manufactures and delivers smarter engineering solutions for mission-critical applications, solving some of the world's toughest problems for our customers, our communities and our world. For over 170 years, Smiths Group has been pioneering progress by improving the world through smarter engineering. We serve millions of people every year, to help create a safer, more efficient and better-connected world, across four major global markets: Energy, General Industry, Security & Defence, and Aerospace. Listed on the London Stock Exchange, Smiths employs 14,600 colleagues in over 50+ countries. This pioneering spirit continues to drive us today, underpinned by our powerful culture. Improving our world is what we do, how we think, and how we will continue to use our passion for technology and engineering to tackle our customers biggest challenges today and in the future. We're looking for people with curious minds. Who want responsibility and relish a challenge. Whether you're an experienced professional or just starting out, our global scale and focus on growth means we have some great career opportunities for you. There's never been a better time to join Smiths. Visit us at -