Applied Data Scientist III

Title: Applied Data Scientist III
Location: Bay Area - (Hybrid/Very Flexible)
Industry: Advertising Technology Services
Salary: $160,000 - $220,000 base + RSUs + Benefits

Overview
We have partnered with a global ad tech business to hire an Applied Data Scientist III for their algorithmic and research science team, which sits at the core of their Exchange business, the real-time marketplace that powers ad auctions worldwide. This group is highly technical, deeply mathematical, and research-oriented, with many scientists holding advanced quantitative degrees.

This is a true algorithmic research + production science role, not an applied ML engineering, analytics, LLM, or general data science position. You will design novel algorithms and deploy them directly into large-scale production systems that influence tens of trillions of auction decisions daily. Your work will have immediate and measurable impact on auction efficiency, bidding/pacing, marketplace performance, and revenue.

Applied Data Scientist III - Responsibilities

• Develop and evaluate algorithms for real-time auctions, bidding and pacing, dynamic allocation, traffic shaping, ad quality, and marketplace optimization.
• Build models grounded in reinforcement learning, multi-armed bandits, online learning, Bayesian methods, causal inference, forecasting, optimization, and game theory.
• Prototype rapidly and run experiments with hours-level feedback cycles in a highly iterative environment.
• Own scientific solutions end-to-end: problem formulation, theoretical modeling, algorithm design, experimentation, production deployment, and ongoing monitoring.
• Partner closely with engineering and product teams to run live experiments and refine deployed algorithms based on real-time marketplace outcomes.
• Contribute to internal scientific knowledge-sharing and participate in external research where appropriate.
• Identify and pursue new algorithmic opportunities across the exchange to improve auction outcomes, marketplace dynamics, and overall system efficiency.
• Work with large-scale distributed systems such as Spark and modern big-data platforms.

Applied Data Scientist III - Requirements

• PhD preferred (Computer Science, Statistics, Math, Physics, Operations Research) or a Master's with equivalent research depth.
• 5.5-7+ years of experience in applied research science, algorithmic modeling, or production-scale decision systems.
• Deep theoretical grounding in optimization, probability, statistical learning theory, causal inference, game theory, or reinforcement learning.
• Strong experience in reinforcement learning, multi-armed bandits, online learning, auction theory, marketplace modeling, dynamic allocation, pacing/bidding algorithms, or RL-driven optimization.
• Proven ability to design original algorithms, not just apply existing ML techniques or deploy pre-built models.
• Expertise in Python and scientific computing frameworks (NumPy, SciPy, PyTorch, TensorFlow).
• Substantial experience with distributed computing and large-scale data processing (e.g., Spark).
• Demonstrated ability to take research-grade models from prototype to production in high-scale systems.
• Publication record or research contributions (conference papers, workshops, open-source).
• Experience in marketplaces, auctions, optimization systems, or multi-agent environments is a strong plus.

This role is ideal for candidates who are:

• Deeply grounded in algorithmic research with a strong theoretical foundation.
• Experienced in reinforcement learning, marketplace modeling, and auction/optimization problems.
• Hands-on scientists who enjoy bringing novel algorithms from research into high-impact production environments.
• Curious, rigorous thinkers who thrive in a fast-paced, research-driven culture.
• Motivated by solving some of the most complex, high-scale decisioning challenges in ad marketplaces.

Sphere Digital Recruitment currently have a variety of job opportunities across digital so feel free to get in touch with us to find out how we can help you. Please take a look at our website.

Sphere is an equal opportunities employer. We encourage applications regardless of ethnic origin, race, religious beliefs, age, disability, gender or sexual orientation, and any other protected status as required by applicable law.

If you require any adjustments or additional support during the recruitment process for any reason whatsoever, please let us know.