Staff Machine Learning Engineer - Ads Bidding

Deliveroo; Greater London; Vor Ort; GBP 120.000 - 180.000; Vollzeit

Benefits dieser Stelle

Equity options

Competitive salary

Zusammenfassung

Deliveroo in the United Kingdom is seeking a Staff Machine Learning Engineer for Ads Bidding to lead the CPC-to-CPO migration and define how the system balances external visibility with internal optimization. You will shape the bidding surface with goal-based automated bidding, Target CPO, and ROS-targeted strategies, partnering with product and commercial teams across DoorDash and Wolt where relevant.

This role demands deep expertise in ad economics, auction theory, and Python production ML,

Qualifikationen

• Expertise in ad economics, marketplace bidding, or auction theory.
• Direct experience with optimised CPC, target CPO, goal-based automated bidding, and target ROAS.
• Strong self-driven leadership to set direction in ambiguity.
• 7+ years writing production Python code with ML fundamentals in ranking, recommender systems, or bidding/auction tech.
• Bias for simplicity and shipping work with measurable business impact.
• Strong cross-functional communication with Product, Commercial, and wider teams.

Aufgaben

• Own the design and execution of the CPC-to-CPO migration.
• Build and improve the bidding surface: goal-based automated bidding, Target CPO, optimised CPC, and Target ROAS.
• Own yield management tied to ROS targeting.
• Partner daily with the DoorDash US team to align on approach across markets.
• Set technical direction for the domain.

Kenntnisse

Ad economics

CPC optimization

Target CPO

Automated bidding

Target ROAS

Leadership

Python

ML ranking

Cross-functional communication

Jobbeschreibung

Our Global Structure

Deliveroo is now part of DoorDash, bringing together teams with even greater reach, scale, and ambition. Depending on your role, you may collaborate with teammates, systems, and leaders across DoorDash and Wolt. Together, we’re unlocking new possibilities as one global team.

Staff Machine Learning Engineer – Ads Bidding

The Team

The Ads ML team builds and maintains the machine learning models powering Deliveroo's advertising product — connecting consumers with relevant ads and helping merchants, grocers, and FMCG brands grow through the platform. The UK team is ~11 MLEs across ads and promotions, and collaborates closely with the US team (meetings capped at 4pm UK to protect reasonable hours).

The Problem

Deliveroo is migrating ads from cost-per-click (CPC) to cost-per-order (CPO) — merchants pay when an ad drives an order, not when it's clicked. This is a genuinely open, cutting-edge problem: very few companies have solved it, and there's no established playbook to follow. The exact approach is under active discussion and you'd be central to driving it.

You will:

• Own the design and execution of the CPC-to-CPO migration, including the core open question of whether the system stays CPO-facing externally while optimising CPC behind the scenes, or some hybrid of the two

• Build and improve the bidding surface: goal-based automated bidding, Target CPO, optimised CPC, and Target ROAS

• Own yield management tied to ROS targeting

• Partner daily with the DoorDash US team to align on approach across markets

• Set technical direction for the domain

Requirements

• Expertise in ad economics, marketplace bidding, or auction theory

• Direct working experience with optimised CPC, target CPO, goal-based automated bidding, and target ROAS

• Strong self-driven leadership baseline — you'll be setting direction in an ambiguous space, not executing against an established one

• 7+ years writing production code in Python; solid ML fundamentals in ranking, recommendation systems, or bidding/auction systems

• A bias for simplicity and a focus on shipping work with measurable business impact

• Strong cross-functional communication — you'll be working closely with Product, Commercial, and the wider DoorDash team

Why Join Us?

At Deliveroo, you'll do work that matters—solving real-world problems in a three-sided marketplace that’s constantly evolving. We’re food lovers, problem solvers, community builders and more, brought together by a shared drive to make things better. Working here you can expect to:

Solve meaningful problems at real scale
Work on a complex, always-on marketplace that impacts millions every day.

See your impact, fast
Ship, test and improve ideas quickly in a low-hierarchy, high-ownership environment.

Grow through challenge and ownership
Take on big, ambiguous problems and accelerate your career with strong support.

A culture built for builders
High standards, collaboration, flexible working and continuous learning.

Share in the success you help create
Competitive salary and equity options, so you’re rewarded for the impact you make.

Want a deeper look at how we build? Check out our Tech Blog.

Our Global Structure

Deliveroo is now part of DoorDash, bringing together teams with even greater reach, scale, and ambition. Depending on your role, you may collaborate with teammates, systems, and leaders across DoorDash and Wolt. Together, we’re unlocking new possibilities as one global team.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

At Deliveroo, we know that a great workplace reflects the world around us and that true diversity and inclusion make us stronger, more creative, and better at what we do. We’re committed to fostering an environment where everyone can do their best work and feel they belong.

We believe in equality of opportunity and welcome candidates from all backgrounds regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion, or belief.

If you have a disability or long-term health condition and need support to apply for one of our roles, or require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, you’ll have the opportunity to let us know once you’ve submitted your application. We’ll share details on how to request support so we can ensure you have a fair and equitable experience.

If you’re excited about making a real impact in a fast-moving marketplace and growing your career alongside ambitious, supportive teams, we’d love to hear from you!