Lead Software Engineer - Dynamic Creative Optimisation (DCO)

Bauer Media Outdoor; City of Westminster; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading media company in the UK is looking for a Lead Software Engineer to spearhead their new Dynamic Creative Optimisation (DCO) function. This role involves leading a small team, defining architecture, and directly engaging with stakeholders. The ideal candidate will have strong skills in HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript, and be passionate about innovation. The position offers a hybrid working model with excellent benefits, including a competitive salary, 33 days of holiday, and a matched pension scheme.

Benefits

Salary DOE + bonus

33 days holiday

Pension matched up to 8%

Healthcare Cash Plan

Life insurance + income protection

Cycle to Work

Travel/season ticket loan

Discounts with hundreds of retailers

Qualifications

• Proven experience in leading and mentoring engineering teams.
• Hands-on coding experience in HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript.
• Familiarity with ad tech and dynamic creative optimization.

Responsibilities

• Architecht DCO frameworks, templates, and solutions.
• Lead and grow the DCO engineering team.
• Support execution and delivery of dynamic campaigns.

Skills

HTML5

CSS3

JavaScript

Animation

Canvas/WebGL

Ad tech ecosystems (DSPs, SSPs, etc.)

API integration

Job description

At Bauer Media Outdoor, we own and operate 33,000+ advertising sites across the UK. Millions see our screens every day. Now imagine those screens responding dynamically to weather, location, audience, time of day, live events, inventory, data triggers… that's the magic of DCO. And that's where you come in. We're launching a brand-new Dynamic Creative Optimisation (DCO) engineering function, and we need a Lead Software Engineer to build it, shape it, and set the standard for it. No small pressure. Maximum impact. About the role This isn't just another tech lead job. This is a blank canvas. You'll lead a talented team (currently two engineers), define the architecture, build the frameworks, write the standards, get hands‑on with code, and partner directly with product, ad‑tech platforms, creative agencies, and global brands. Expect a mix of:

• Engineering leadership
• Product collaboration
• Client and stakeholder engagement
• Hands‑on development
• Creative problem‑solving
• Making billboards do very clever things with data

What you’ll be doing: Design & Build

• Architect DCO frameworks, templates and dynamic solutions using HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript
• Define how dynamic content flows across our DOOH network
• Develop solutions using live data feeds (APIs, JSON, XML), animation libraries, and integrations

Technical Leadership

• Lead, mentor and grow a DCO engineering team
• Establish gold‑standard coding, testing and documentation practices
• Own and evolve the team, tech and roadmap

Standards & Enablement

• Create clear technical guidelines for internal teams, agencies and DSP/SSP partners
• Host knowledge‑shares, training, documentation, and best‑practice sessions
• Become the business’s go‑to DCO subject‑matter expert

Campaign Delivery & Support

• Support the execution, testing and monitoring of live dynamic campaigns
• Debug issues, optimise performance, and maintain delivery excellence
• Work with product teams (AdAstra, LaunchPAD) and tech partners (e.g. Broadsign)

Innovation

Stay ahead of trends: personalisation, automation, real‑time data, dynamic creative tech.

You’ll thrive here if you’re:

• A hands‑on tech lead who isn’t afraid to code, prototype and review
• Experienced in HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript (animation, Canvas/WebGL a bonus)
• Familiar with ad tech ecosystems (DSPs, SSPs, VAST, programmatic ad delivery, DCO)
• Comfortable integrating live data sources and APIs
• A mentor and team builder with strong technical opinions (loosely held)
• A communicator who can translate complexity into clarity for non‑technical audiences
• Energised by innovation, experimentation and building something from scratch
• Obsessed with reliability, performance, and doing impressive things at scale

At Bauer Media Outdoor, we are committed to treating everyone with fairness and respect, regardless of their race, gender, age, ethnicity, background, sexual orientation, disability, or any other differences. We work hard to foster an inclusive environment, a place you can be yourself. We support reasonable adjustment requests from candidates and employees. If you’re interested in joining us to shape the future of out‑of‑home media, we’d love to hear from you.

Make a real impact

Your work will literally shape what millions of people see in the real world. Build something from the ground up. You’ll define the tech, the tooling, the standards and the roadmap. Engineering meets creativity. Where marketing imagination meets real‑world technical execution. Hybrid, flexible, and built for humans. 2‑3 days in the London office, autonomy to flex the rest. And the usual good stuff.

Benefits

• Salary DOE + bonus
• 33 days holiday (including bank holidays)
• Pension matched up to 8%
• Healthcare Cash Plan
• Life insurance + income protection
• Cycle to Work
• Travel/season ticket loan
• Discounts with 100s of retailers
• A team that’s genuinely brilliant, supportive and uncompromisingly curious

Our Culture

At Bauer Media Outdoor, we don’t want you to blend in. We want you to bring you. Shape us. We move fast, question assumptions, and build things that work in the real world. We’re big enough to matter, small enough to move, and curious enough to invent.