Data & AI Practice Lead

We are on a mission to help our clients deliver results with clarity, fairness, and accountability. By combining deep technical and functional IT and digital expertise, we drive innovation, modernise systems, and strengthen the teams behind them.

Our Data & AI practice helps organisations turn complex data challenges into practical business outcomes. From modern data platforms and analytics to applied AI and GenAI, we create scalable, secure solutions that improve decision-making, efficiency, and customer experiences.

We are looking for an experienced Data & AI Practice Lead to shape and grow our UK capability while remaining hands on in client delivery.

This is a senior, commercially minded role combining technical leadership, practice development, people management, project delivery, and pre-sales. You’ll work closely with customers to understand their business needs, translate complex data and AI challenges into effective technical solutions, and lead the delivery of high-quality outcomes. You’ll be expected to spend a significant proportion of your time working directly with clients and project teams, with a target of at least 60% client-facing delivery. Alongside this, you’ll recruit and develop the team, build our market presence, manage the practice P&L, and take end-to-end responsibility for successful delivery. This is a role for someone who can move fluently between the architecture whiteboard, the customer workshop, the project plan, and the business plan.

• Work directly with customers to understand their data, analytics, AI, and business requirements

• Design, develop, and implement scalable solutions for data processing, data integration, analytics, and applied AI

• Provide hands-on technical leadership across platforms such as Microsoft Fabric, Azure Databricks, Snowflake, Azure Data Factory, Azure Synapse, and related services

• Translate complex technical and data challenges into clear, practical recommendations for both technical and non-technical stakeholders

• Lead or support architecture, engineering, implementation, and technical assurance activities

• Ensure solutions are secure, maintainable, scalable, and aligned with business objectives

• Work closely with other technical and functional teams to ensure seamless integration and collaboration

• Take end-to-end responsibility for project delivery within your area, including quality, scope, time, budget, risks, and customer outcomes

• Produce clear technical designs, documentation, implementation guidance, and knowledge-transfer materials

• Develop and promote best practices, standards, delivery methods, and reusable assets across the practice

• Define and execute the UK Data & AI practice strategy in line with wider business objectives

• Build a compelling proposition for data platforms, analytics, AI, and GenAI services

• Identify market opportunities, develop customer relationships, and contribute to account growth

• Lead pre-sales activities, including discovery workshops, proposals, estimates, solution designs, demonstrations, and presentations

• Help customers understand the value, feasibility, risks, and delivery considerations of Data & AI investments

• Support the development of case studies, accelerators, reference architectures, and other go-to-market material

• Own the practice P&L, including revenue, margin, utilisation, forecasting, and delivery performance

• Contribute to resource planning and ensure the practice has the capability required to deliver successfully

• Recruit, onboard, and retain talented Data & AI consultants and engineers

• Build a strong local Data & AI community within adesso UK

• Set clear expectations and support the professional development of team members

• Coach colleagues through project delivery, technical challenges, and career progression

• Create an environment in which people can share knowledge, challenge ideas, and continuously improve

• Develop capability plans to ensure the team remains aligned with customer demand and emerging technologies

• Lead or contribute to internal and international communities of practice

• Lead the UK contribution to adesso’s international New School of AI community

• Share practical knowledge, experience, and best practice around applied AI and GenAI

• Help customers and colleagues understand the implications of AI for architecture, delivery processes, governance, and operating models

• Explore how AI can support software development, testing, documentation, analysis, and other delivery activities

• Contribute to discussions around agent-ready architecture, responsible adoption, security, quality, and accountability

• Turn relevant developments in AI into credible customer propositions, internal guidance, and practical delivery approaches

• The New School of AI focuses on helping organisations make informed decisions about GenAI-powered software processes, AI-enabled architecture, and prompt-driven development.

• At least five years’ experience working in data, analytics, data engineering, cloud, or related technology consultancy

• Strong hands-on experience designing and delivering modern data solutions in complex client or enterprise environments

• Practical expertise in one or more of the following areas: Microsoft Fabric, Databrick, Snowflake, Azure Data Factory, Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure Data Explorer, Azure SQL, Data lakes and lake houses, Azure DevOps, Python and PySpark

• A strong understanding of data platform architecture, data integration, data processing at scale, analytics, and data governance

• Experience applying AI / GenAI / Agentic AI to real business or technology challenges

• Proven experience taking end-to-end responsibility for project delivery, ideally including project coordination, financial management, and customer governance

• Experience recruiting, managing, coaching, and developing technical consultants or engineers

• The ability to combine strategic thinking with hands-on technical contribution

• Strong commercial awareness and experience contributing to pre-sales, proposals, estimates, demonstrations, and presentations

• A relevant network and the ability to attract, engage, and build a high-performing Data & AI team

• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to tackle complex technical and organisational challenges

• Excellent communication, facilitation, stakeholder management, and influencing skills

• A collaborative leadership style, with a genuine interest in developing people and sharing knowledge

• A passion for continuous development across the Microsoft Azure, data, analytics, and AI ecosystems

• certifications in Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Fabric, Databricks, Snowflake, data engineering, or AI are desirable

• Fluency in spoken and written English