VP, Head of Data Science

About the role

Penta is seeking a technical leader to manage and grow our Data Science team while remaining hands-on with design and implementation. You will be responsible for translating our product roadmap into reliable, production-ready AI and data science solutions that directly improve client outcomes.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Manage, mentor, and set priorities for the Data Science team to ensure high-quality, consistent delivery.
• Partner with Product, Advisory, Database, Development, and DevOps departments to align technical output with business goals.
• Architect and build production-grade data science systems, including NLP, LLM workflows, and machine learning models.
• Implement MLOps and DevOps practices to automate deployments in AWS, ensuring monitoring, cost control, and reliable provider routing.
• Develop AI workflows, skills, and MCP tools within OpenWebUI to enhance internal productivity and client-facing applications.
• Evaluate new AI models and agentic patterns for integration into our existing systems.

Requirements

• Approximately 10+ years of hands-on experience in applied AI or data science, including recent work with frontier LLMs and agentic workflows in production environments.
• Proven track record in technical leadership and team management.
• A degree in Software Engineering or a related technical discipline.
• Ability to explain complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong judgment regarding build-versus-buy decisions, code quality, and balancing speed with long-term maintainability.

Nice to have

• Familiarity with OpenWebUI, LiteLLM, MCP tools, or Claude Code.

Skills & tools

• Advanced Python for data science.
• Expertise in frontier AI tools: expert-level prompting, context engineering, model evaluation, and agentic workflows.
• Experience with production LLM pipelines: RAG, embeddings, vector search, and human-in-the-loop orchestration.
• Proficiency in foundational ML and classic NLP techniques.
• Advanced SQL skills, preferably with PostgreSQL, including CTEs and complex joins.
• AWS services: EC2, ECS, S3.
• Git version control.

Practical notes

• Compensation includes a competitive salary and benefits package.
• The company offers generous paid time off and regular social events.
• We prioritize internal growth and professional development for all team members.