AI & Data Engineer

About WPP Media

WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. With exceptional talent, trusted data and intelligence, and world-class partnerships – all united by our pioneering agentic marketing platform, WPP Open – we help clients navigate change, capture opportunity, and deliver transformational growth.

WPP Media is WPP's AI-driven media operating unit, bringing together media, data, and partnerships to deliver creative personalisation at scale. Connected through WPP Open and powered by Open Intelligence, clients see exactly where, how, and why their media investment is working.

About the Role

Are you ready to lead in rapid innovation and transform groundbreaking AI and data science concepts into tangible Minimum Viable Products (MVPs)? At WPP Media, the largest media organization in the Netherlands, we are looking for an AI & Data Engineer to strengthen our dynamic Innovation Development Team.

This role is for a proactive, solution-oriented visionary with a deep understanding of data science methodologies and the technical expertise to quickly prototype, validate, and demonstrate the feasibility of groundbreaking AI solutions. If you thrive on exploring new ideas, rapidly building experimental systems, and demonstrating the power of data and AI without being bound by the full complexity of large-scale production, then this is your chance to shape the future of media for our A-list clients.

What will you do as an AI & Data Engineer?

As an AI & Data Engineer, you will be a key driving force of our Innovation Development Team, focused on conceptualizing, researching, and rapidly prototyping new AI and data-driven solutions. Your expertise will bridge the gap between advanced data science concepts and functional, demonstrable MVPs.

You will actively collaborate with our Data Scientists and Solution Engineers, contributing to the conceptualization, methodological design, and experimental implementation of marketing solutions. Your role is to quickly bring these innovative ideas to life as functional prototypes, proving their value and potential. This involves working across the entire stack – from developing interactive front-end demonstrations (React/TypeScript) to creating Python-based back-end services that integrate groundbreaking models. You will set up agile, experimental environments (e.g., in AWS, utilizing Docker) to validate new approaches, prioritizing speed, iteration, and demonstration of functionality. Your goal is to explore, validate, and demonstrate the next generation of AI products for our clients and colleagues, thus laying the foundation for future scalable solutions.

Your Key Responsibilities:

• AI/Data Innovation & Prototyping: Lead the exploration, conceptualization, and rapid development of proofs-of-concept and MVPs for innovative AI and data-driven products. Focus intensely on demonstrating technical feasibility and business value.
• Applied Data Science Engineering: Work closely with Data Scientists on model conceptualization, experimental design, and initial implementation. Translate advanced statistical and machine learning models into functional prototypes and demonstrable solutions.
• Full-Stack Prototyping: Develop both the front-end components (React, TypeScript) for intuitive interfaces of new tools and the Python-based back-end services that power our innovative solutions, always with an eye on rapid iteration and effective demonstration.
• Technical Bridge & Methodological Contribution: Act as a crucial link between Data Scientists and Engineers. You actively contribute to methodological discussions from an engineering perspective, help translate complex data science needs into feasible technical designs for rapid prototyping, and guide the evolution of our innovation pipeline.
• Exploration & Research: Continuously research and evaluate emerging AI/ML technologies, data science techniques, and engineering tools to identify new innovation opportunities and recommend their application within the team.

Who are you?

You are a proactive, curious, and solution-oriented individual with a passion for innovation, rapid experimentation, and a strong desire to build.

• You have a Master's degree or equivalent work experience in a quantitative or technical field such as Data Science, Econometrics, Computer Science, Mathematics, or Statistics.
• You have a minimum of 8 years of hands-on experience in a similar innovation-oriented role, demonstrably with a strong track record in quickly bringing new technical solutions to life.
• A strong fundamental knowledge of statistical modeling, machine learning algorithms, and data science methodologies, including the ability to discuss and contribute to experimental design, model validation, and evaluation.
• Familiarity with core concepts such as time series analysis, regression, and clustering algorithms is highly beneficial.
• Experience with Bayesian statistics is a plus.
• Proactive & Experimental Mindset: You are naturally curious, thrive in ambiguity, and are driven to rapidly iterate, experiment, and learn quickly from failures. Your primary focus is on efficiently generating and proving new ideas.
• Expertise in Python for data manipulation, scripting, and rapidly building API-driven prototypes that integrate AI/ML models.
• Proficiency in setting up and utilizing cloud services (AWS is preferred) for experimental environments (e.g., Lambda, S3, RDS, EC2 for rapid deployments).
• Familiarity with containerization (Docker) for consistent prototyping environments.
• Comfortable with SQL for efficient data exploration and integration (e.g., with Snowflake).
• Experience with Git for version control in an agile, experimental setting.
• Bridging & Communication: Exceptional ability to translate deep data science concepts into technical implementation details, fostering collaboration and alignment between disciplines for rapid innovation. You excel at facilitating technical discussions and connecting specialists.

What do we offer?

At WPP Media, you work in an ambitious and creative team on a brand that is constantly evolving. You get the space to make a real impact on how we position ourselves in the market, how we launch propositions, and how we bring thought leadership to life.

• Flexibility: Possibility to work from home, flexible working hours, and even for a while abroad (EU).
• Growth Opportunities: Plenty of room for development in an innovative and dynamic team.
• Salary: A market-conform salary (based on 38.75 hours per week).
• Access to M Academy: For extensive training and workshops in both hard and soft skills, including specific AI training.
• Mental Wellbeing: Access to the Tellus platform.
• Travel allowance: Travel expenses are fully reimbursed.
• Vacation: 8% holiday pay and 26 vacation days per year (plus 9 extra to buy!).
• Hybrid Working allowance: €30 net per month for full-time.
• Bring Your Own Device (BYOD): You will receive a monthly phone allowance of €57.50 net.
• Alleo benefits: Through our collaboration with Alleo, you receive a monthly €10 personal budget that you can spend on benefits that suit your lifestyle and well-being.
• Lunch facilities: Affordable lunch in the canteen and a barista for fresh coffee.