Head of Data Science Job Trends

Head of Data Science
UK

The median Head of Data Science salary in the UK is £79,250 per year, according to job vacancies posted during the 6 months leading to 21 October 2025.

The table below compares current salary benchmarking and summary statistics with the previous two years.

6 months to
21 Oct 2025
Same period 2024 Same period 2023
Rank 648 743 729
Rank change year-on-year +95 -14 +383
Permanent jobs requiring a Head of Data Science 4 7 15
As % of all permanent jobs in the UK 0.008% 0.010% 0.027%
As % of the Job Titles category 0.009% 0.011% 0.028%
Number of salaries quoted 4 4 6
10th Percentile £66,775 £102,250 £95,625
25th Percentile £67,563 £105,625 £100,313
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £79,250 £127,500 £116,250
Median % change year-on-year -37.84% +9.68% +22.37%
75th Percentile £99,063 £150,625 £123,750
90th Percentile £113,125 £151,750 £146,250
UK excluding London median annual salary £79,250 £115,000 £122,500
% change year-on-year -31.09% -6.12% +27.27%

All Permanent IT Job Vacancies
UK

For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all permanent IT job vacancies. Most job vacancies include a discernible job title that can be normalized. As such, the figures in the second row provide an indication of the number of permanent jobs in our overall sample.

Permanent vacancies in the UK with a recognized job title 44,066 65,835 53,518
% of permanent jobs with a recognized job title 89.75% 95.36% 95.62%
Number of salaries quoted 25,983 37,615 41,369
10th Percentile £28,000 £31,250 £32,000
25th Percentile £35,000 £41,345 £43,125
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £52,500 £56,252 £60,000
Median % change year-on-year -6.67% -6.25% -
75th Percentile £73,750 £75,000 £80,000
90th Percentile £93,750 £95,000 £97,500
UK excluding London median annual salary £45,000 £50,000 £52,500
% change year-on-year -10.00% -4.76% -

Head of Data Science
Job Vacancy Trend

Historical trend showing the proportion of permanent IT job postings featuring 'Head of Data Science' in the job title relative to all permanent IT jobs advertised.

Head of Data Science job vacancy trend in the UK

Head of Data Science
Salary Trend

Salary distribution trend for Head of Data Science job vacancies in the UK.

Salary distribution trend for Head of Data Science job vacancies in the UK

Head of Data Science
Salary Histogram

Salary distribution for jobs citing Head of Data Science over the 6 months to 21 October 2025.

Salary histogram for Head of Data Science in the UK

Head of Data Science
Top 7 Job Locations

The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median salaries quoted in IT jobs citing Head of Data Science within the UK over the 6 months to 21 October 2025. The 'Rank Change' column provides an indication of the change in demand within each location based on the same 6 month period last year.

Location Rank Change
on Same Period
Last Year
Matching
Permanent
IT Job Ads
Median Salary
Past 6 Months
Median Salary
% Change
on Same Period
Last Year
Live
Jobs
England +96 4 £79,250 -37.84% 12
UK excluding London +79 4 £79,250 -31.09% 8
West Midlands - 3 £71,000 - 3
Work from Home - 3 £71,000 - 8
Midlands - 3 £71,000 - 3
North West +16 1 £115,000 - 2
North of England +15 1 £115,000 - 2

Head of Data Science Skill Set
Top 30 Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities

For the 6 months to 21 October 2025, Head of Data Science job roles required the following skills and capabilities in order of popularity. The figures indicate the absolute number of co-occurrences and as a proportion of all permanent job ads featuring Head of Data Science in the job title.

1 4 (100.00%) AI
1 4 (100.00%) Analytics
1 4 (100.00%) Data Science
1 4 (100.00%) Machine Learning
2 3 (75.00%) LLM
2 3 (75.00%) Python
3 2 (50.00%) Actionable Insight
3 2 (50.00%) Computer Science
3 2 (50.00%) Data Governance
3 2 (50.00%) Decision-Making
3 2 (50.00%) Deep Learning
3 2 (50.00%) Degree
3 2 (50.00%) Natural Language Processing
3 2 (50.00%) Predictive Modelling
4 1 (25.00%) AWS
4 1 (25.00%) Azure
4 1 (25.00%) Conversational UI
4 1 (25.00%) Data Analysis
4 1 (25.00%) Data Visualisation
4 1 (25.00%) Data-Driven Decision Making
4 1 (25.00%) Generative AI
4 1 (25.00%) Master's Degree
4 1 (25.00%) Mathematics
4 1 (25.00%) Mentoring
4 1 (25.00%) MLOps
4 1 (25.00%) PhD
4 1 (25.00%) Physics
4 1 (25.00%) Predictive Analytics
4 1 (25.00%) Process Improvement
4 1 (25.00%) Prompt Engineering

Head of Data Science Skill Set
Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities by Category

The following tables expand on the one above by listing co-occurrences grouped by category. They cover the same employment type, locality and period, with up to 20 co-occurrences shown in each category:

Cloud Services
1 1 (25.00%) AWS
1 1 (25.00%) Azure
General
1 3 (75.00%) Social Skills
2 2 (50.00%) Public Sector
3 1 (25.00%) Analytical Skills
3 1 (25.00%) Inclusion and Diversity
3 1 (25.00%) Law
3 1 (25.00%) Legal
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 1 (25.00%) TensorFlow
Miscellaneous
1 1 (25.00%) Algorithms
1 1 (25.00%) Onboarding
Processes & Methodologies
1 4 (100.00%) AI
1 4 (100.00%) Analytics
1 4 (100.00%) Data Science
1 4 (100.00%) Machine Learning
2 3 (75.00%) LLM
3 2 (50.00%) Actionable Insight
3 2 (50.00%) Computer Science
3 2 (50.00%) Data Governance
3 2 (50.00%) Decision-Making
3 2 (50.00%) Deep Learning
3 2 (50.00%) Natural Language Processing
3 2 (50.00%) Predictive Modelling
4 1 (25.00%) Data Analysis
4 1 (25.00%) Mathematics
4 1 (25.00%) Physics
4 1 (25.00%) Predictive Analytics
4 1 (25.00%) Risk Assessment
4 1 (25.00%) Stakeholder Management
4 1 (25.00%) Statistics
4 1 (25.00%) Visualisation
Programming Languages
1 3 (75.00%) Python
2 1 (25.00%) SQL
Qualifications
1 2 (50.00%) Degree
2 1 (25.00%) Master's Degree
2 1 (25.00%) PhD