Senior English Linguistics Lead

Lead the linguistic intelligence behind a next-generation data and analytics platform.

This is an opportunity for an experienced linguist to take strategic ownership of English language expertise inside a fast-scaling data intelligence company. The Senior English Linguistics Lead will define the linguistic philosophy of a platform that turns vast amounts of qualitative information into commercially valuable insight for clients across the UK and beyond.

The brief

The hiring company is building a serious piece of analytics infrastructure. The platform ingests, processes and structures enormous volumes of language data so that clients can interrogate markets, companies and sectors with depth and confidence. As the business grows, the leadership team has identified linguistic intelligence as a strategic priority – not a back-office function, but a discipline that defines product quality. The Senior English Linguistics Lead will be the person they trust to shape that discipline.

Who they want

This Senior English Linguistics Lead role is calibrated for someone with the academic depth of a senior linguist and the practical instincts of a product builder. Experience in specialist English domains – financial, legal, regulatory, scientific – will be highly valued. The successful candidate will be comfortable owning ambiguity, defining direction and persuading senior stakeholders.

Strategic responsibilities

The Senior English Linguistics Lead will:

• Set the overall linguistic strategy for English across the platform, including frameworks for semantics, sentiment, tone, hedging and domain-specific terminology
• Build and lead a growing team of linguists and language analysts, from junior to specialist level
• Partner closely with engineering, machine learning, product and client teams to embed linguistic rigour into every release
• Define quality benchmarks, evaluation methodologies and audit processes for English language performance
• Drive innovation in how English is modelled within the platform, with an eye on emerging research and industry developments
• Represent the linguistics function externally, including in client conversations, partnerships and thought leadership

What you'll bring

• Significant experience in computational linguistics (5 years+), NLP, lexicography or applied English language research within a commercial environment
• A postgraduate qualification in linguistics, computational linguistics or a related field, with a PhD considered an advantage
• Track record of building or leading linguistic teams or functions
• Deep understanding of how linguistic decisions shape NLP and machine learning system behaviour
• Experience working with English language data in a specialist domain such as finance, law, regulation, healthcare or research
• Outstanding written and verbal communication, with the ability to translate linguistic complexity into clear business value

Work Permissions You must have the right to work in the United Kingdom. There may be an opportunity for sponsorship for the right Senior English Linguistics Lead candidate.

Compensation and package

• Salary of £65,000 – £80,000 depending on experience
• Performance-related bonus
• Hybrid working from a central London headquarters
• Private healthcare, enhanced pension, life assurance and 28 days annual leave
• Significant influence over product direction in a strategically important function
• Genuine leadership remit with budget and team-building authority

The broader context

The market for senior linguistics leadership in the UK data and analytics sector is tightening rapidly. As more companies discover that strong linguistic foundations are the difference between mediocre and exceptional language-driven products, Senior English Linguistics Lead positions of this calibre are becoming rarer and more competitive. For the right candidate, this London-based opportunity offers a level of strategic ownership that is difficult to find elsewhere – a chance to shape both a discipline and a product at the same time.

The OHUB UK – connecting senior linguistic talent with leadership roles that matter.