Head of Data Science

What is a Head of Data Science?

A Head of Data Science leads the data science function — building the team, setting the analytical agenda, and ensuring the company uses data to make better decisions. They own the full data science portfolio: predictive modeling, experimentation, business analytics, and in many cases, the data infrastructure that makes all of it possible. At a startup, the Head of Data Science is often the first data leader, hiring a team from scratch and establishing data culture from the ground up.

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At what stage should you hire a Head of Data Science?

Series B through Series D, when the data science function has proven its value (successful experiments, reliable models, trusted dashboards) and needs dedicated leadership to scale. The trigger: the VP of Engineering or CTO is managing data scientists alongside product engineers, and the data agenda is not getting the attention it needs.

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What does a Head of Data Science do at a startup?

• Lead, hire, and develop a team of data scientists and analysts
• Set the data science agenda: which analytical bets to make, which models to build
• Own the company's experimentation infrastructure: A/B testing frameworks, statistical methodology
• Partner with product and engineering on data-driven roadmap decisions
• Build and maintain core business metrics and the dashboards that report them
• Represent data science to executive team and board
• Drive data culture: data literacy, self-serve analytics, documentation standards

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Key skills and qualifications

• 7–12 years of data science or applied research experience, with 2+ years in a leadership role
• Track record of building data science teams and delivering measurable business impact
• Deep statistical and ML expertise paired with strong product intuition
• Proficiency in Python and SQL; familiarity with the modern data stack (dbt, Snowflake, BigQuery)
• Executive communication: presents complex analyses clearly to non-technical stakeholders
• Experience managing data scientists with diverse skill sets (statisticians, ML engineers, analysts)

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Why hire your Head of Data Science through RFS?

• Data science leadership is a hard search — we've placed data scientists at Palantir, Scale AI, and Mercor and understand this talent market
• 29-day average time to hire — data science leadership searches are long; our network compresses them
• Pre-vetted for management track record and quantitative depth
• 300+ placements at VC-backed companies
• No upfront fees