Lead Data Scientist (F/H)

Job description

Join us as a Lead Data Scientist!

Joining RATP means becoming part of one of the world’s largest urban-transport operators and contributing every day to the mobility of more than 8 million passengers in Île-de-France. At RATP, our 43,000 employees keep buses, metros, RER trains, and trams running, modernize infrastructure, and develop innovative solutions for more sustainable mobility. Your skills contribute directly to an essential public service, with many career opportunities across a wide range of professions. You will join the Innovation, Projects, and Industrial and Digital Performance Directorate (I2P), created to strengthen support for RATP business units in designing and deploying high-performance industrial and digital solutions. It serves the Group’s development, passenger satisfaction, and transport authorities, with the ambition of consolidating RATP’s position as a leader in sustainable mobility. As data and AI use grows, RATP is transforming. Under the Chief Data Officer, the I2P Data Unit defines the Group’s data and AI strategy and supports its implementation through a cross-functional service offering, a high-value use-case portfolio, and support to help business teams mature. Within the Data Unit, the Data Center of Expertise (CE Data) creates value from data in line with strategic priorities and the CDO’s governance. Led by the Chief Data Scientist, it assesses and delivers Data Science use cases to inform decisions. It serves all Group business areas, addressing challenges such as transport-operations planning, service regulation, passenger-information reliability, predictive maintenance, employee quality of life, and network adaptation to climate change. To meet business needs, CE Data explores, develops, and supports the deployment of custom AI and operations-research models to predict and optimize key business phenomena. It also conducts in-depth data analysis to diagnose complex business problems and inform action plans. Beyond individual use cases, CE Data builds a consistent, sustainable Data Science practice through shared quality standards, a Group Data Science community, and data literacy for business teams.

1. Role and responsibilities

As Lead Data Scientist, you will lead high-value Data Science and AI projects end to end: identify and qualify priority use cases and define their scope and required resources; bring together project stakeholders (sponsors, product owners, business and technical experts) and facilitate governance; functionally lead Data Scientist squads while remaining hands-on and regularly contributing to delivery; ensure scientific and technical quality and compliance with regulatory, ethical, and responsible-digital principles. Support management of CE Data’s service offering and activity: structure and promote its services to Group business units; develop and maintain business-client relationships, supporting the Chief Data Scientist in assessing new requests and securing long-term commitment; assist the Chief Data Scientist with project-portfolio tracking and trade-offs. Raise CE Data’s profile and build RATP’s data culture: communicate and demonstrate work internally and externally; contribute cross-functional expertise, business-team data literacy, and the Data Science community.

1. Candidate profile

Master’s degree (Bac+5) in Data Science or equivalent and at least 8 years of experience, ideally in large organizations and/or transport. Proven ability to lead end-to-end Data Science projects and balance technical performance with business value. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, interest in client relationships, and experience structuring and promoting a service offering. Able to understand operational challenges, translate them into high-value use cases, and bring diverse stakeholders together. Strong scientific and technical background: advanced mathematics, statistics, and AI (operations research is a plus); experience collecting, processing, and analyzing data from varied business contexts; experience developing and deploying models in industrial settings; proficiency in the Data Science stack, especially Python, SQL, and Git (Databricks and PySpark are a plus).

Compensation and benefits

Gross annual base salary: €65,000–€75,000, paid over 13 months. The package also includes performance-based variable pay and a profit-sharing plan; together these can total at least €2,000 when targets are met. Compensation is individually determined based on skills assessed during recruitment, demonstrated experience, internal parity for comparable roles, and labor-market conditions. The published range is indicative. If your experience or assessed skills differ from the level initially expected, the proposed compensation may be adjusted accordingly. Benefits include up to 9 weeks of leave and RTT; free travel on the RATP network and enhanced transport reimbursement in and outside Île-de-France; health insurance 70% covered by the employer; company-funded income-protection insurance; free access to medical centers and many specialists; employee savings plans with employer matching; sports, cultural, and leisure offers through the works council; and career opportunities across the Group, including internationally. Location: Paris 12th arrondissement. Remote work: yes, 2–3 days per week. Learn more about RATP Group: https://ratpgroup.com/fr/. All our roles are open to people with disabilities. Contract: permanent.

Why choose RATP Group?

RATP Group is the world’s third-largest public-transport operator, operating in 15 countries across five continents. Joining us means helping deliver an essential service for the daily travel of our passengers. Every day, our 71,000 employees worldwide develop, operate, maintain, and modernize innovative public-transport systems to meet the mobility needs of tomorrow’s cities. As public transport grows to support a lower-carbon world, the public interest guides our commitment. It gives purpose to our work, brings teams together, and supports our employees’ careers. You will continue developing your skills throughout your career at the Group and may move into other fields and roles through internal mobility. Why not join us?