Senior Data Scientist

Introduction

Our Data Science team harnesses big data, natural language processing, and machine learning to help create next generation products for Optimizely’s Experimentation, CMS, e-commerce, and data platforms. 

This team emerged as a result of the acquisition of two start-ups (Peerius and Idio) that provided personalisation products for e-commerce and content. Over the past years, the consolidated company has improved the lives of customers such as Intel, HP, Fitch Ratings, Sainsbury’s and many other brands. Episerver’s acquisition of Optimizely has paved the way for interactions between data-driven experimentation and AI. 

This role is within a team whose primary focus lies in the following areas: Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning, and Recommendation Systems. Our stack employs a variety of technologies, including (i) code written in Python, Scala, and TypeScript, (ii) data pipelines using Spark, Luigi, Kubernetes, and Terraform, (iii) prototyping and deploying Machine Learning solutions using Pandas, Scikit-learn, and Dask.
 

Job Responsibilities

As a Senior Machine Learning Engineer, you will play a pivotal role in developing and implementing advanced ML systems that drive our company's success. In this role, you will independently develop and ship medium to large features, design and implement reliable and scalable machine learning solutions, and collaborate with the Data Science team on projects related to NLP, Recommender Systems, and Predictive modeling.

• Develop and ship medium to large features independently or with minimal support from other team members
• Architect, design, and implement reliable, scalable machine learning systems
• Assist the Data Science team in maintaining and extending projects related to NLP, Recommender Systems, and Predictive modelling
• Prototype and implement production-ready approaches based on recent research
• Provide technical mentorship to engineers and demonstrate strong expertise in your field
• Drive the delivery of high-quality epics in a timely manner, ensuring operational excellence in your services/components
• Proactively communicate technical decisions, work through conflicts, and partner with Technical Leads on vision and strategy
• Break down and solve complex problems, make explicit design trade-offs, and perform complex debugging and root cause analysis
• Actively participate in technical discussions and team meetings
• Effectively collaborate with cross-disciplinary team members and stakeholders
• Deliver timely feedback to peers and manager, create an inclusive environment, and play an influential role in hiring, retaining, and growing diversity in the company
• Apply software engineering and machine learning engineering best practices
   

Knowledge and Experience

• 3+ years of hands-on experience in a development team
• Excellent Python programming skills and experience in software development
• Strong understanding of Machine Learning, Recommender Systems, and Natural Language Processing
• Experience designing and shipping ML models to production environments
• Experience with cloud computing infrastructure (AWS/Azure/GCP)
• Experience with distributed data processing (Spark or similar cloud services)
• Experience with data querying
• Basic understanding of Generative AI and LLMs
• Experience with source control tools (GitHub/GitLab)
• Great ability to convey complex concepts to a non-technical audience
• Understanding of the ML development life cycle and/or prior experience working with teams of ML Engineers
• Ability to work in an inclusive environment and share our values
• Continuous learning and improvement mindset

Bonus points:

• Experience prototyping ideas discussed in research papers into code that can be assessed and benchmarked
• Experience with Deep Learning / Reinforcement Learning / Statistics applied to Machine Learning
• Experience with A/B testing
• Experience with data processing pipeline frameworks (e.g., Luigi or Airflow)
• Experience working with teams of Data Engineers or Product Managers
• Experience with functional programming concepts and architecture

Keywords: Machine Learning, Data Science, GenAI, Cloud, Python, Recommendation systems, NLP, Scikit-learn, Pandas, Luigi, Airflow, Docker, Git
 

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or equivalent

Competencies