Head of Research

**Hi, we’re Sparta Commodities**:
Sparta is the next generation, AI-first commodity trading data platform. Our technology is revolutionising trading workflows, delivering market intelligence that empowers traders and analysts across all energy verticals. Sparta combines the largest selection of broker and pricing data on the market with our news and insight and real time predictive intelligence. Sparta enables traders to make better decisions, faster and with greater conviction.

We’ve recently secured a $42M Series B funding round and are scaling aggressively. It’s a great time to join us and build the future of market intelligence for commodity trading.

The **Head of R&D** — also known as **“Sparta Labs”** — plays a pivotal role in realising Sparta’s vision of becoming the market-leading, _AI-first_ commodity trading platform. The mission of Sparta Labs is to build an intelligent interface that empowers our users through agentic and predictive systems — acting as a true _trading co-pilot_ to enhance decision-making and execution.

You will lead a small to medium-sized, high-calibre team dedicated to delivering measurable customer impact through the creation and deployment of cutting-edge, AI-powered solutions. This role combines strategic vision with hands-on technical leadership, ensuring Sparta remains at the forefront of innovation in the commodities market.

Day-to-day, you will:

- Lead, inspire, and enable the R&D team to deliver world-class results.
- Collaborate at a deep technical level when required, shaping architecture and solution design.
- Act as the owner of the R&D function, interfacing closely with the wider engineering organisation and the executive team to align research initiatives with business priorities.

**What you'll be doing**:

- **Shape the vision** for the R&D team in alignment with Sparta’s overall mission, ensuring both inspire and reinforce each other.
- **Define and drive strategy** that keeps Sparta’s platform _AI-first_ and ahead of the curve in innovation.
- **Lead the team with purpose**:
- Set the pace and standards for excellence.
- Take accountability for outcomes and deliverables.
- Lead from the front—contribute as an individual contributor when necessary.
- Empower rather than control, fostering autonomy and ownership.
- **Own the R&D function**, collaborating closely with the executive team, engineering leadership, and other key stakeholders to maximise the impact of research initiatives.

**About you**:
**Must have**:

- ** Strong technical foundation** - at least 7 years’ experience as a hands-on software engineer in technical teams.
- **Proven technical leadership** - at least 2 years leading engineering teams, with a track record of delivering impactful results.
- **Strong people skills** - able to inspire, motivate, and align teams toward a shared vision.
- **Depth and breadth in machine learning** - hands-on experience across multiple ML domains, including work with state-of-the-art approaches and technologies; able to go deep when required.
- **Expert problem solver** - thrives in ambiguity, seeks out complex challenges, and finds creative, practical solutions.

**Nice to have**:

- ** Research background** - relevant PhD or equivalent qualification in a related field.
- **Industry expertise** - domain knowledge in commodity trading or related markets.

**Why Join Sparta?***:

- **Equity in a high-growth, VC-backed company**:

- **$42M in Series B funding—strong market traction and investment**:

- **Early-stage growth—build your career as we scale**:

- **Market-leading product—we are redefining energy trading intelligence**:

- **Top-tier tools and technology to support your success**

***:
**Our Culture**:
At Sparta, our culture is our operating system. Our values aren’t just words on a wall - they’re behaviours we put into practice every day. They shape how we work, make decisions and grow - individually and collectively.

We don’t sit back. We move fast, speak up, stay curious, and push together toward real impact.

We value courage, ownership, and ambition - the kind that serves the mission, not the ego.

These are the principles that define what it means to be Spartans.

We live them. We stand by them. We hold each other to them.

**Our Values**:

- **Ask for forgiveness, not permission**: We are building a category-defining company, and that requires speed, boldness, and ownership. If you see something that needs doing, do it. Don’t wait. Own it. If it goes wrong, learn fast and fix it. Celebrate initiative. Mistakes are feedback, not failure.
- **Discomfort is where growth happens**: Growth doesn’t come from playing it safe. It comes from stretching beyond what you already know. Embrace change, seek new challenges, push your boundaries. We reward those who are brave enough to try, fail, and learn.
- **Stay hungry, ditch the ego**: Spartans are ambitious - but for the mission, not for the politics. Leave your ego at the door. Titles don’t matter