Lead Data Scientist

Bauer Media Group Heinrich Bauer Verlag KG; London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Lead Data Scientist to drive impactful business outcomes through data. This role focuses on predictive modeling, experimentation, and decision science, shaping audience targeting and revenue growth. You will lead initiatives that translate commercial goals into actionable data solutions while fostering a culture of experimentation. Join a collaborative team that values data as a strategic partner, working across various domains to deliver insights that enhance engagement and operational efficiency. If you're passionate about leveraging data for meaningful impact, this opportunity is for you.

Benefits

25 days holiday plus bank holidays

2 volunteer days

Internal training access

Enhanced parental leave

Flexible working

Qualifications

• 5+ years in applied data science roles with proven success.
• Expert in Python and SQL with modern data science toolkits.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end data science initiatives from ideation to deployment.
• Translate commercial goals into data-driven use cases.

Skills

Python

SQL

scikit-learn

XGBoost

statsmodels

dbt

Git

Jupyter

Airflow

Education

Bachelor's in Data Science or related field

Tools

Snowflake

BigQuery

Redshift

Power BI

Looker

Braze

Adswizz

Covatic

Job description

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The Data and Decision Sciences (DDS) team is at the core of Bauer Media Audio with a mission to leverage data as a strategic enabler across our nine European markets. Our goal is to provide trusted, actionable insights and robust data solutions that empower business growth, enhance audience engagement, and drive operational efficiency.

The DDS team operates as a collaborative, cross-functional unit that bridges the gap between data and business strategy, delivering solutions that align with our organizational goals and market needs. We are structured to support our stakeholders with a combination of centralized capabilities and localized expertise, ensuring that data drives value across the entire organization.

We see data not as a support function but as an integral business partner that collaborates across all domain and markets expertise to deliver impactful business outcomes.

Role Overview:

We’re seeking a pragmatic, commercially-minded Lead Data Scientist who can build intelligent solutions that drive real business outcomes. You will work at the intersection of predictive modelling, experimentation, and decision science — shaping how we target audiences, grow revenue, personalise content, and optimise campaigns.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead end-to-end data science initiatives: from ideation and stakeholder alignment to deployment and measurement.
• Translate commercial and audience goals into data-driven use cases (e.g. monetisation, segmentation, churn, pricing, optimisation).
• Champion pragmatic solutions — whether custom, open-source, or off-the-shelf.
• Foster a culture of experimentation, iteration, and value delivery.
• Mentor and support the growth of junior team members and analysts.

Modelling & Advanced Analytics

• Build and deploy predictive models for key areas like:
• Pricing & inventory optimisation
• Competition/gaming dynamics and participation forecasting
• Leverage statistical and machine learning approaches while prioritising explainability and business fit.
• Embed A/B testing frameworks, causal inference, and uplift modelling into decision-making processes.

Commercial and Domain Alignment

• Work closely with cross-functional teams in Digital Media, Revenue Management, and Competitions & Consumer Promotions to develop impactful data solutions.
• Understand the unique regulatory, monetisation, and audience dynamics in markets where consumer games intersect with gambling-like models.

Technical Excellence

• Write clean, modular, well-documented code; promote peer reviews and CI/CD practices.
• Collaborate with engineering teams to productionise models efficiently.
• Stay informed on modern tooling (AutoML, APIs, cloud platforms, vector DBs, recommendation frameworks).
• Evaluate and recommend new tools and packages where appropriate.

Desired Skills & Experience:

Core Technical Skills

• Expert in Python, SQL, and modern data science toolkits (e.g. scikit-learn, XGBoost, statsmodels).
• Solid grasp of dbt for data transformation.
• Experience with modern cloud data stacks — Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift, etc.
• Comfortable working in agile environments with tools like Git, Jupyter, Airflow.

Domain & Business Experience

• 5+ years in applied data science roles.
• Proven success in delivering business value from data in one or more of the following:
• Digital Media

Revenue/Yield Management

• Gaming, Gambling, or Consumer Competitions
• Familiar with regulatory and privacy considerations for data-driven products.

Ways of Thinking

• Obsessed with value — knows when good is good enough.
• Balances experimentation with speed and commercial sensitivity.
• Prioritises business understanding as highly as technical perfection.
• Thrives in environments with ambiguity and multiple stakeholders.

Bonus Points For

• Familiarity with tools like Power BI, Looker, Braze, Adswizz, or Covatic.
• Experience integrating models into marketing platforms, ad servers, or CRM systems.
• Hands-on experience with personalisation, dynamic creative optimisation, or segmentation platforms.

About Bauer Media Group

We are a media business focused on creating content that matters to millions of people across Europe. Our offering extends from print and online publishing to audio broadcasting and entertainment, alongside investments in other media related sectors. With more than 500 million copies sold each year, we are one of Europe’s largest Publishers. From women’s and celebrities’ magazines to TV listings to food and special interest, we own some of the most popular publishing brands in Germany, UK, Poland and France – both digital and print. But not only that. Reaching over 61 million listeners weekly, we operate over 150 radio and podcast brands in nine countries, spanning the UK, Ireland, Poland, Slovakia, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway and Portugal. Family-owned in the 5th generation, Bauer Media focuses on the long-term, with a consumer-first mindset that guides us across our diverse portfolio. Our workforce of 12,000 shares a common purpose: to deliver content and services that enrich people‘s everyday lives.

What’s in it for you

• You’ll have 25 days holiday, bank holidays & 2 volunteer days to use.
• Your development matters, so access to our internal training provider – Bauer Academy, is a huge win.
• We have enhanced Maternity/Adoption, Paternity and Shared Parental Leave Pay.
• You’ll have the opportunity for flexible working.
• And much more! Find the full details of our benefits here

Please Note: We are actively seeking this position. You should hear from us within 48 hours of the expiry date. Please note on some occasions the role may be closed before date shown or need to be extended.

If you have any feedback regarding our UK recruitment process, please email [e-mail] we would love to hear from you.