Senior / Lead Data Scientist, Strategic Finance (FP&A)

About the role We're hiring a Senior / Lead Data Scientist, Strategic Finance (FP&A). You'll own FP&A analytics end-to-end working closely with the Head of Commercial FP&A, and proactively shaping the relationship with the wider Strategic Finance team. You'll build the tooling, reporting, and lightweight models that FP&A and the wider business rely on to make decisions, and translate the metrics and drivers behind them so business stakeholders can act on them. You'll partner with Product, Data, Engineering, and the CEO's office on the work that shapes our financial strategy - scenario modelling, cohort analysis, and the systems that monitor how we're tracking against plan. You'll sit within a wider Commercial Analytics team, with this being the first role fully dedicated to the automation and reporting layer within Strategic Finance. What You'll Be Doing

• Build the decision-support tooling behind our financial statements - revenue, gross profit, operating costs, cashflow. Lightweight models where they help; clear analysis where they don't.
• Translate proposed product and business changes into their commercial impact before they ship - scenario modelling revenue, margin, and KPI effects so decisions are made with the numbers in front of them.
• Own the weekly trading metrics: how we're tracking vs. targets, deep dives into the drivers behind the numbers, and using that to influence business decisions.
• Proactively identify issues and opportunities. Spot where the business is drifting (or where there's upside on the table) and surface it with a clear point of view.
• Automate recurring finance workflows: investor reporting, board prep, financial close tasks.
• Work cross-functionally with Commercial, Product, and Engineering to define and maintain the data models behind executive and operational decisioning.
• Own the reporting architecture - dashboards, semantic layers, and pipelines that underpin financial and strategic reporting.
• Improve documentation and data governance so the numbers can be trusted across internal and external reporting.

What We're Looking For

• 5+ years in data analytics, data science, BI engineering, analytics engineering, or hybrid data/finance roles, ideally in a high-growth, product-led company.
• Experience owning analytical systems end-to-end at a company level, including some exposure to modelling (scenario, cohort, simple predictive).
• Strong grasp of financial and commercial metrics - ideally from working closely with FP&A, Strategic Finance, Commercial or similar teams.
• Comfortable presenting and defending analysis at senior forums, with a track record of shaping decisions at executive level.
• Hands-on with BI tools (e.g. Looker, Mode, Tableau)
• Expert SQL.
• A builder's instinct: bias for automation, ownership, and shipping.
• Comfortable using AI tools (Claude, Cursor) as leverage - with the judgement to know when to trust output and when to verify.
• Interest in fintech and Cleo's mission to make money easier and more human.

Nice to have

• Experience with dbt modelling
• Prior experience automating or supporting investor-facing reporting or board materials.
• Experience working in environments with a blend of consumer tech and financial services (e.g. AI, lending, credit, payments).
• Time-series forecasting experience.
• Python (or similar) for scripting and automation.
• Workflow orchestration tooling (e.g. Airflow).

What do you get for your hard work?

• A competitive compensation package (base + equity) with 3-annual reviews, aligned to our termly OKR planning cycles.
• This is a Senior (AX3) or Lead (AX4) level role:
• AX3 banding: £75,000 - £95,000 UK, Hybrid / £69,000 - £87,400 UK, Remote
• AX4 banding: £95,000 - £120,000 UK, Hybrid / £87,400 - £110,400 UK, Remote
• Work at one of the fastest-growing tech startups, backed by top VC firms, Balderton & EQT Ventures
• A clear progression plan. We want you to keep growing. That means trying new things, leading others, challenging the status quo and owning your impact. Always with our complete support.
• Flexibility. We can't fight for the world's financial health if we're not healthy ourselves. We work with everyone to make sure they have the balance they need to do their best work
• Work where you work best. We're a globally distributed team. If you live in London we have a hybrid approach, we'd love you to spend one day a week or more in our beautiful office. If you're outside of London, we'll encourage you to spend a couple of days with us a few times per year. And we'll cover your travel costs, naturally.
• Company-wide performance reviews every 4 months
• Generous pay increases for high-performing team members
• Equity top-ups awarded across all levels in performance reviews
• 25 days annual leave a year + public holidays (+ an additional day for every year you spend at Cleo, up to 30 days)
• 1 month paid sabbatical after 4 years at Cleo
• 6% employer-matched pension in the UK
• Private Medical Insurance via Vitality, dental cover, and life assurance
• Online mental health support via Spill
• Enhanced parental leave
• Workplace Nursery Scheme
• Paid for access to multiple AI platforms (ChatGPT, Codex, Claude)
• Access to the latest AI coding models
• Pick your kit - choose between a Windows or an Apple computer
• Regular socials and activities, online and in-person
• And many more!

Welcoming everyone We strongly encourage applications from people of colour, the LGBTQ+ community, people with disabilities, neurodivergent people, parents, carers, and people from lower socio-economic backgrounds. If there's anything we can do to accommodate your specific situation, please let us know. Download the Test Flight App access for people in the UK & Europe: If you are an iOS user, please use this link to sign up to our TestFlight version of the app, so you can have a play around with the functionality and features: https://testflight.apple.com/join/fDG9hWng