Director, Search & AI Evaluation (AI)

TL;DR

Director, Search & AI Evaluation (AI): Leading the strategic direction and technical vision for search relevance, retrieval optimization, and AI quality measurement systems with an accent on RAG, semantic search, and large-scale evaluation frameworks. Focus on building scalable evaluation methodologies, mentoring high-performing data science teams, and driving evidence-based decision-making across AI-powered discovery platforms.

Location: London

Company

A global leader in information and analytics, combining publishing heritage with advanced technology to support science, research, and healthcare discovery.

What you will do

• Define and drive the long-term strategy for search relevance, retrieval evaluation, and AI system quality.
• Lead and mentor a multidisciplinary team of Senior Data Scientists and Analysts.
• Operationalize evaluation frameworks for IR metrics, LLM faithfulness, and RAG performance.
• Partner with Product, Engineering, and Applied AI teams to align technical investments with business priorities.
• Establish best practices for offline benchmarking, online experimentation, and reproducible evaluation workflows.
• Translate complex technical findings into strategic recommendations for senior leadership.

Requirements

• Master’s or PhD in Computer Science, Data Science, Machine Learning, NLP, or related quantitative field.
• Significant experience leading and scaling high-performing technical teams in complex organizations.
• Deep expertise in search relevance, information retrieval, RAG, and AI evaluation methodologies.
• Advanced programming skills in Python and experience with modern AI/ML frameworks like PyTorch, Hugging Face, or LangChain.
• Strong understanding of statistical analysis, experimentation design, and A/B testing.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence senior stakeholders.

Culture & Benefits

• Flexible working hours to support work-life balance.
• Comprehensive pension plan and generous vacation entitlement.
• Support for wellbeing through various initiatives, sabbaticals, and family care leave.
• Personal choice budget and internal communities for professional growth.
• Commitment to a fair, inclusive, and accessible hiring process.