Data & AI Consultant for Defence

Job Title: Data & AI Consultant for Defence

Reporting to: Head of Front Line Commands, UK Industry and Head of Special Projects 

Job Type: Permanent

Location: No permanent workplace

Salary range: £60,000 - £80,000 per annum

Methods Analytics founded in 2011 as a Data and AI Consultancy. Since 2016 it has been working across the UK Defence Sector to support on all Data and AI needs, to help the UK Defence landscape achieve its strategy to make the world a safer place and for the UK MOD to make better decisions with their Data.

Methods Analytics since its foundation seeks to improve organisations and its people to help them make better decisions with data. Combining passionate people, sector-specific insight and technical excellence to provide our customers the full end-to-end data service. We use a collaborative, creative and user centric approach data to do good and solve difficult problems. We ensure that our outputs are transparent, robust and transformative.

Methods Analytics Defence business started in 2016 and has seen the business grow to work across the whole of UK MOD, from the enabling organisations, across the Front Line Commands and UK Strategic Command. Methods Analytics works closely with defence professionals who have a passion for Data and AI. We are proud to be a signed Gold Member of the Armed Forces Covenant and have a good reservist policy.

We will question assumptions, ambition and process – but do so with respect and humility. We relish difficult problems, and overcome them with innovation, creativity and technical freedom to help us design optimum solutions. Ethics, privacy and quality are at the heart of our work, and we will not sacrifice these for outcomes. We treat data with respect and use it only for the right purpose. Our people are positive, dedicated and relentless. Data is a vast topic, but we strive for interactions that are engaging, informative and fun in equal measure.

Methods Analytics was acquired by the Alten Group in early 2022.

As a Data & AI Consultant, you will work within our skilled Data & AI Consulting Practice. The team act as strategic advisors supporting clients on their journey to derive business value from Data & AI.

You will be innovative, outcome driven, and passionate about enabling enterprise-wide improvement in the use of Data & AI. You are able to operate at a senior level and experienced in identifying, developing, and deploying AI to solve business problems and bring the value to organisations.

You will work closely with clients acting as a trusted advisor, combining business consulting experience with Data & AI expertise to help clients innovate and become data-led and AI-assisted.

Key Tasks:

• Responsible primarily for client delivery with contribution to business development and collaboration within the Data & AI Practice and Front Line Command, UK Industry and Special Projects Business Unit.
• Leading the delivery and supporting the growth of client engagements, supported by a multi-disciplinary team of Consultants from across our practices of Business Analysis, Delivery Management, Engineering, Architecture and Data Science.
• Collaborating with clients to understand their business processes and objectives, identifying high-value Data & AI use cases, providing guidance and recommendations on solutions, and advising stakeholders on data governance and responsible AI.
• Actively exploring trends in data, analytics, ML and AI to shape strategic advice to clients, keeping abreast of emerging opportunities, funding mechanisms, competitor moves, shifting priorities and pain points in target public and private sector domains.
• Educating executives on data & AI technologies, techniques, market offerings to empower leadership decisions.
• Advising C-suite teams on comprehensive enterprise data strategies, ensuring robust data foundations before AI implementations.
• Guiding data-driven initiatives and building tailored Data & AI strategies spanning detailed plans and business cases to roadmaps.
• Supporting clients to grow a lasting data & AI capability by leading on data literacy, mentoring and knowledge sharing.
• Articulating and quantifying the value proposition of the consultancy’s data and AI capabilities to prospects across public and private sector.
• Working within the practice to build offers, provide thought leadership, training, and mentoring.
• Understanding how to deliver projects and the management of them from start to finish.

Essential Skills and Experience:

• Experience setting strategic direction for use of Data & AI, shaping and supporting delivery of impactful solutions spanning business strategy, transformation, and operations.
• Confidence conveying complex technical concepts of AI and ML to a wide range of stakeholders, including technical and non-technical audiences.
• Ability to assess relevant techniques for a use-case, decide on an appropriate evidence-based approach, and communicate and justify that approach to stakeholders.
• Understanding of data governance and ethics principles, including security, privacy, and risk control metrics.
• Strong stakeholder management and leadership experience, proactively identifying clients, building rapport and identifying opportunities.
• Strong analytical, problem solving and critical thinking skills.
• Experience identifying and implementing Data & AI initiatives and use cases to improve business processes and outcomes.
• Appetite and evidence of continuous learning and improvement in the area of Data & AI.
• Strong foundational knowledge of Data & AI with hands-on experience of data and AI during your career, applying analytical and statistical methods within business or academic field.
• Knowledge of recent innovations such as GenAI, MS Copilot and Microsoft Fabric and/or certifications with leading cloud providers and around topics of data science AI and ML.

 Desirable Skills and Experience:

• Knowledge and experience of the Defence Sector, including Front Line Commands, UK Defence Industry and Defence procurement practices.
• Experience in management consulting or large organisational data strategy delivery, with engagement up to executive level.
• Experience in developing winning proposals, bids and value propositions to identify client needs, nurture executive relationships, drive new business pipeline and expand market share.
• Experience and awareness of recognised data governance and management practices such as data strategy, data maturity assessments.
• Recognised industry standard data management qualification, such as DCAM or CDMP and understanding of data governance and maturity assessments.
• Working knowledge of use cases and application of different AI technologies including Computer Vision, ML, Gen AI etc. AI, ML frameworks and Data Science Principles.
• Technical background with an undergraduate or advanced degree (Masters, MBA, PhD etc) in a technical field (sciences, computer science, mathematics, engineering, data science) or equivalent experience.

This role will require you to have or be willing to go through Security Clearance. As part of the onboarding process candidates will be asked to complete a Baseline Personnel Security Standard; details of the evidence required to apply may be found on the government website Gov.UK. If you are unable to meet this and any associated criteria, then your employment may be delayed, or rejected. Details of this will be discussed with you at interview.

Methods Analytics is passionate about its people; we want our colleagues to develop the things they are good at and enjoy.

By joining us you can expect

• Autonomy to develop and grow your skills and experience
• Be part of exciting project work that is making a difference in society
• Strong, inspiring and thought-provoking leadership
• A supportive and collaborative environment

As well as this, we offer:

• Development access to LinkedIn Learning, a management development programme and training
• Wellness 24/7 Confidential employee assistance programme
• Social – Breakfast Tuesdays, Thirsty Thursdays and Pizza on the last Thursday of each month as well as commitment to charitable causes
• Time off 25 days a year
• Pension Salary Exchange Scheme with 4% employer contribution and 5% employee contribution
• Discretionary Company Bonus based on company and individual performance
• Life Assurance of 4 times base salary
• Private Medical Insurance which is non-contributory (spouse and dependants included)
• Worldwide Travel Insurance which is non-contributory (spouse and dependants included)