Data Science Engineer

Blis is the leading privacy-first, location-powered programmatic advertising partner. We deliver accurate targeting at scale without reliance on personal data, helping the world’s largest brands and media agencies drive key business outcomes through personalised and high-performing digital advertising. 

Blis uses real-world and online data, as well as behaviour and lifestyle indicators, to profile and understand audiences better than anyone else. Using a global planning and measurement panel of 1.5 billion consented devices and taking an aggregated and anonymous approach to audience targeting, Blis reaches precise audiences at scale without reliance on personal data. 

Established in the UK in 2004, Blis now operates in more than 40 offices across five continents. Working with the world’s largest and most customer-driven companies across all verticals including Unilever, Samsung, McDonald's, HSBC, Mercedes Benz and Peugeot, as well as every major media agency, Blis reaches over a billion mobile devices a year.

We are seeking brilliant, creative, and curious Data Science Engineers to join our data science team. Blis’ proprietary algorithms help us deliver privacy-first advertising at scale, rich consumer behavioural insights, and outstanding performance against our clients’ goals. You’ll use big data, cloud technologies, and machine learning across fields such as classification, clustering, optimization, and deep learning, to accomplish this and help ensure Blis remains an innovative industry leader. As a tech-first product company, the work you do will have a direct impact on our customers and the business.

At Blis, engineers problem-solver through engineering and code with a passion for innovation. You'll be involved in the full lifecycle of product development, from ideation and design to implementation and support. Our collaborative environment encourages you to discuss the 'why' behind every project, helping shape the future of our technology. You'll work closely with other engineers, data scientists, and product managers, gaining a holistic understanding of how our systems come together.

We adhere to good design principles inspired by Lean Development, and we encourage continuous learning and growth. As part of our team, you'll enjoy mentoring, brainstorming, and pairing up to tackle ambitious challenges. Our supportive culture fosters a collaborative atmosphere where everyone can thrive.

This is a full-time position based in Scotland for residents of Scotland, supported by an R&D grant from the Scottish government. We have embraced remote working, but co-working offices are available in Edinburgh for those who prefer a hybrid model. Occasional in-person meetings are necessary, typically averaging once a month or less. The Scottish team hosts monthly social events that all are welcome, but not required, to join and we normally all gather in London twice a year for a fun social event with the wider company.

Join us and be a part of a team that is changing the world with new algorithms and innovative thinking. Apply now and help us drive the future of technology at Blis!

The Role:

• Work with people across the business to understand our problem domain
• Translate business requirements into technical solutions with the team
• Innovate, implement, support, and iterate on our scalable AI, machine learning, and data analysis algorithms and products
• Write robust, efficient, and highly maintainable Python (and sometimes Scala) code
• Support and mentor other members of the team
• Operate using lean development principles that emphasize iterative, fast-paced releasing and a strong build-measure-learn feedback loop

Required Knowledge:

• Mastery of Python, PySpark and related Python libraries (e.g. pandas, scikit-learn, scipy, numpy) for advanced data science tasks
• Hands-on implementation and architectural familiarity with streaming data, relational and non-relational databases, and distributed processing technologies
• Advanced knowledge of cloud-based services, specifically GCP
• Excellent understanding of server-side Linux
• Competency in managing complex tasks with appropriate levels of documentation, testing, and monitoring

Desired Knowledge:

• Familiarity with Scala as an efficient data science production language
• Experience with production-level engineering around GIS and geospatial data processing

• Experience with market and consumer research
• Strong background in software engineering and cloud architecture
• Familiarity with DevOps practices and tools for MLOps
• Ability to work quickly and precisely, capturing requirements and designing before implementation
• Comfort with occasional context switching as necessary and commercially important
• Knowledge of Google BigQuery and tools for solving data-centric problems
• Experience with Python Notebooks (e.g., Jupyter, Zeppelin, Google Datalab)
• Knowledge of working with graph datasets and databases
• Experience with deep learning and large language models, especially related to generative and inferential AI

Expected Background:

• 5 years of experience solving complex, large-scale data and algorithmic challenges
• Degree in Computer Science, with a strong background in AI/ML, data structures, algorithms, big data, and design thinking

Key Technologies We Use (not necessarily all required for the role):

• Python and Scala: Pandas, TensorFlow, PyTorch, Numpy, SciPy, Matplotlib, Keras, Scikit-learn, PySpark, BeautifulSoup, Scrapy, Statsmodels
• Infra & Tech: Apache Airflow, Kafka, Spark, Spark SQL, RDD, DataFrames, DataSets, Jenkins, Cassandra, Redis, Docker, Prometheus, Github, Linux
• GCP Cloud (MLOps): AI Platform, BigQuery, Dataproc, Dataflow, CloudStorage, Cloud Functions, BigTable, PubSub, Vertex AI, TensorFlow Extended (TFX)
• Database: Graph, RDBMS, Columnar

What Blis Can Offer:

We want you to be well and thrive and we care about your growth as a person and in your career. Our benefits include:

• Comprehensive private healthcare, including vision and dental
• Matched pension scheme
• 25 days holiday and one extra day off for your birthday
• Enhanced paternity and maternity leave
• Career coaching and development paths
• “Thanks Ben” flexible spending accounts that you can use on what makes you happy
• Financial coaching from Bippit
• Hybrid working
• … and more!

Our values

Brave
We're leaders not followers

An innovation and growth mindset helps us solve everyday challenges and achieve breakthroughs. Our passion drives
us to innovate. We don’t see barriers, just possibilities.
We take ownership and hold ourselves accountable for outcomes, good and bad – and we don’t pass the buck.

Love Our Clients

We're client obsessed

We do what we say and build trusted relationships with our partners for the long term.
We act with integrity. We put our clients at the centre of our business. We obsess over the best insights, ideas and solutions to deliver WOW and work with honesty and accountability to get it done.

Inclusive

We're one team

We are empathetic and embrace diversity. Everyone has a voice and can bring their authentic self to work.
We care about and support each other – with humility and good humour. Mutual respect and wellbeing are key. We strive to eliminate bias and be open and transparent.

Solutions Driven

We're action oriented

Speed matters in business, so we're solution-driven and action-oriented. We value simplification and calculated risk taking.
We are lean, agile and resourceful self-starters. We collaborate and break silos, working thoughtfully and with urgency to solve problems, while learning from mistakes and celebrating wins.