Lead Data Scientist, Applied AI, SEAA,

At Chanel SEAA, we aim to leverage data to power sustainable growth, improve business performance and elevate luxury client experiences across the region.

CHANEL SEAA is accelerating its data roadmap to expand from business intelligence towards decision intelligence: moving beyond reporting what happened to diagnosing issues, anticipating change and enabling confident, timely action for the brand, clients and business.

The Lead Data Scientist, Applied AI is SEAA’s senior technical authority for data science, machine learning and applied AI. The role turns complex business opportunities into analytically rigorous, scalable and responsible intelligence products that strengthen client understanding, business performance, foresight, judgement and action. This is a player-coach role for someone who combines deep technical credibility with commercial judgement, remains hands-on in priority work, and can influence how leaders understand and act on evidence.

Working across Southeast Asia and Australia, the role partners with business leaders, Insight & Foresight, Data Platform and Engineering, Data Products and Stewardship, Data & AI Enablement, Technology, Global teams and specialist partners. The role adapts its approach to different market contexts and levels of data maturity, while developing solutions that can scale across the region.

• Set technical direction, standards and leading practices across data science, machine learning, GenAI and agentic AI

• Remain hands-on in priority work through problem framing, exploratory analysis, methodological design, prototyping, and code or model review

• Guide practitioners and partners, uphold technical quality, transfer knowledge and help shape the future regional data science and applied AI capability

• Partner with business leaders to identify the decisions that matter and define the expected client, boutique, brand, operational or financial value

• Choose the simplest robust method, challenging whether AI is the right response

• Connect internal client and business evidence with external market, cultural and industry signals in partnership with Insight & Foresight

• Synthesise evidence into clear implications, uncertainties, trade-offs and recommended action

• Lead the design and validation of statistical, machine-learning, GenAI and agentic solutions for priority use case

• Establish rigorous baselines, evaluation methods, assumptions and limitations

• Work with engineering and Technology teams to product ionise, monitor and improve solutions on governed, scalable foundations

• Create reusable methods, assets and AI components that accelerate delivery and reduce duplication

• Turn complex analysis into compelling, decision-focused stories for executive, market and functional audiences

• Champion the shift from retrospective reporting towards diagnosis, foresight, judgement and proactive action

• Embed intelligence into business rhythms and use adoption, feedback and outcomes to improve, scale, pause or retire solutions

• Ensure AI and data science solutions are developed and used responsibly, with appropriate attention to data privacy, explainability, model risk, security and governance

• Stay close to emerging data science, GenAI and AI capabilities, assess relevance for Chanel use cases and continuously improve methods, components and delivery practices

• Strong technical judgement, with the depth to challenge methods and identify weak assumptions

• A hands-on mindset, with the willingness to work directly on priority use cases

• Commercial and brand judgement, focused on decisions that matter for clients, boutiques and business performance

• Clear and influential communication, turning complex evidence into a point of view and recommended action

• A collaborative leadership style, raising the capability of colleagues and partners rather than becoming the sole expert

• Business and Brand Value: Priority solutions improve decision quality, client experience, growth, operational effectiveness or productivity

• Adoption and Decision Impact: Trusted intelligence is embedded in relevant business routines, products and workflow

• Analytical Quality and Reliability: Solutions meet agreed standards for validity, performance, explainability,…