Big breakthroughs in learning and growth happen when great educators and great technology work together. Elastik is seeking a Lead Data Scientist with strong expertise in both advanced applied machine learning. This role will lead the development of intelligent systems that enable educators and school leaders to be at their best, creating space for teachers to do what only they can – and that is:

Connect with heart.

Inspire the mind.

Nurture understanding.

The ideal candidate will have a deep grasp of the fundamentals of machine learning and statistical methods, hands-on experience working with large language models (LLMs) and experience working with complex data in the real-world, having taken several machine learning or AI concepts into production with high-volume use. An ability to create clear, insightful documentation of your work is important, evaluating model performance using task-specific quantitative metrics.

At Elastik, we are deeply passionate about education. While previous experience in education is not mandatory, you will be someone who experiences a strong sense of purpose in contributing to the experience of teachers and children in schools.

We welcome applications from professionals who are excited by our mission even if you don’t meet every requirement. If you need assistance due to a disability, please reach out to the hiring manager. This information will be treated as confidential and used only for the purpose of accommodating you in the interview process.

Key Responsibilities

Lead the design and implementation of LLM-powered features and tools across Elastik’s product suite.

Lead the development of proprietary algorithms and AI models tailored to optimise marking and assessment processes, ensuring educational impact and differentiation.

Establish and articulate an AI and machine learning strategy and architecture for the application of AI in education, ensuring Elastik remains at the forefront of innovation in EdTech.

Collaborate with product, engineering, and education teams to ensure data-driven features are pedagogically meaningful and practically useful.

Develop and apply quantitative evaluation frameworks to assess model performance, including accuracy, fairness, interpretability, and educational relevance.

Write clear, structured documentation that communicates model performance and insights to technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Leverage cloud infrastructure (e.g., AWS) to deploy, monitor, and optimize LLM-powered features at scale.

Design and maintain reproducible cloud infrastructure using IaC to support scalable deployment and monitoring of LLM-powered features.

Apply best practices in product development, including agile methodologies and scrum ceremonies, to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.

Ensure best practices in software engineering and MLOps are followed, including reproducible pipelines, rigorous testing, monitoring, and scalable deployment.

Engage with external stakeholders including teachers, principals, and education experts to gather feedback, validate insights, and ensure alignment with real-world educational needs.

Represent Elastik in the wider AI and education community through conference presentations, research publications, or contributions to open-source projects.

Ensure ethical and responsible use of AI and data, maintaining privacy and compliance standards.

In the future, lead and manage a team of data scientists, driving their career progression, setting cultural standards, and fostering a high-performance, collaborative environment.

Experience & Qualifications

Mandatory:

Hands-on experience with LLMs (e.g., GPT, BERT, Claude) in applied settings.

Experience deploying or scaling LLM applications using cloud platforms such as AWS (e.g., SageMaker, Bedrock, Lambda, or EC2 for inference and fine-tuning workflows)

Experience leading projects or teams

Proven ability to write performance evaluation reports using quantitative metrics.

Experience presenting technical insights to executive or industry audiences, with the ability to influence strategic decisions.

Proven track record of managing budgets, timelines, and resources in the successful delivery of AI or machine learning projects.

Demonstrated ability to align technical direction with organisational strategy and commercial objectives.

Preferred:

Advanced degree in Data Science, AI, NLP, or related field.

Experience with prompt engineering, fine-tuning, or evaluation of LLMs, as well as familiarity with LLM orchestration frameworks such as LangChain or LlamaIndex.

Experience with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools such as AWS Amplify or CloudFormation for managing cloud resources and automating deployment pipelines for LLM applications.

Familiarity with EdTech platforms and school assessment practices.

Experience publishing research papers, case studies, or articles in AI or education-related fields.

Why join Elastik?

You will be in an environment that was founded on a deep passion for education and care for the lives of teachers and learners. Elastik has a wealth of experience in education and is in prime position to improve the experience and outcomes of teachers and learners, contributing to elevating the performance of the education system, so you will be working in an organisation with a strong sense of purpose and a big mission, with high potential for benefitting society. We offer an inclusive work environment that values innovation and customer outcomes focus. We provide our employees with ample opportunities for growth and development, together with competitive remuneration and benefits.