The ASA is the UK regulator of advertising across all media, including online. UK consumers are exposed to a huge volume of digital content, creating challenges of scale for regulators. Our new Data Science team is using machine learning and automation to improve advertising regulation in the UK. We are seeking an experienced Data Scientist to take a leading role in the development of these tools and the delivery of innovative solutions to a unique set of data science problems.

Reporting directly to the Head of Data Science you will take end-to-end ownership of data science projects. You will work directly with stakeholders across the organisation to understand their needs, designing and implementing solutions. As a senior member of a small and growing team you will have input into the ASA’s overall data science strategy. You will be responsible for delivering value and will directly see how your work protects UK consumers from harmful and misleading digital content.

As well as complaints received from the public, you will deal with ads in a variety of formats including images, videos and text from websites, social media, search and display advertising. We are building systems that proactively monitor digital advertising at scale, ensuring we spot potentially harmful ads and take action early to protect people. Current projects within the team focus on diverse topics such as ensuring influencer marketing on social media follows advertising rules; monitoring the green claims companies make to consumers; and understanding how cryptocurrency products are advertised.

We are seeking an experienced and talented Data Scientist who believes in our team mission and wants to make an impact through their work. You should have experience working in Python to build and deploy machine learning solutions to real world problems. You should also be comfortable collaborating, supporting more junior team members and communicating your work, including to non-technical stakeholders.

We think the ASA is a great place to work. We recently moved to a fantastic new office in Shoreditch and operate a hybrid working model with 40% of our hours in the office. We have a culture that’s open, friendly and collaborative, with a real focus on making the right decisions in the right way, and learning while we’re doing it. We welcome applications from all sections of the community and we’re committed to being a diverse and inclusive organisation, both so we can represent everyone in the UK and so our own colleagues feel at home at work.

Role

The Senior Data Scientist will lead the delivery of data science projects that address real-world data science challenges faced by the ASA in the regulation of digital advertising at scale.

Responsibilities

With support from the Head of Data Science and time to learn new skills where needed the Senior Data Scientist will:

Work with key stakeholders to understand the goals and needs of the data science team and the ASA overall
Take ownership of complex and unusual data science challenges involving unstructured data such as text, images and videos from a variety of sources
Design end-to-end solutions that are practical, effective and ethical
Lead the implementation of those solutions, collaborating with Data Engineers and supporting more junior Data Scientists where appropriate
Take responsibility for the performance of those solutions in a production setting

Requirements

We are looking for an experienced and talented Data Scientist who believes in our team mission.

Candidates should also have:

Impact Focus – A desire to deliver pragmatic solutions that deliver real value
Statistics/Machine Learning – Experience applying statistical and/or machine learning techniques to real world problems
Programming Skills – Experience delivering high-quality code as part of data science solutions, with at least part of that experience in Python
Communication – The ability to collaborate with a mixed team and communicate clearly, including advising less experienced team members and explaining technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders

Personal Attributes

The ideal candidate will also have the following personal attributes:

Interest in our mission - A desire to make a positive contribution to the regulation of digital advertising in the UK
Creative problem solver - Able to think about a complex problem from multiple perspectives, identifying potential improvements/solutions
Takes ownership - Willing to take responsibility for delivering work end-to-end
Critical thinker - Able to reflect on their work, spotting mistakes and weaknesses and correcting them where practical
Team worker – Able to work collaboratively with a team of individuals with mixed expertise and backgrounds, making a positive contribution to team culture

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