Senior / Lead Data Engineer (AI-Focused)

At Synthesis we push the boundaries of what's possible with Open Data. It's a fast-paced, rapidly-changing environment at the intersection of data science, cultural analysis & brand consultancy. As a Senior Data Scientist at Synthesis, you will play a key role in shaping our data science practice and driving innovation across both client projects and internal products. You will lead end-to-end data projects, from shaping datasets and building models to designing scalable data workflows that power the insights and decision frameworks we deliver.You will work with diverse open data sources, ranging from search, social and e-commerce, to academic papers and patents, to understand audience behaviour and anticipate how needs will evolve over time. In this role, you will not only contribute hands-on but also guide junior data scientists, act as a thought partner to cultural strategists, and help define the roadmap for our data products and infrastructure.We are a small, collaborative team with diverse backgrounds-from computer science and engineering to anthropology and law-spread across Singapore, London and NYC. We value curiosity, creativity, and a spirit of experimentation. You'll be one of the first hires into our UK office, and you'll work closely with the teams in Singapore and the US.What you'll need.4+ years of experience in data science, with a strong record of delivering impactful projects from data exploration through to production deployment.Proficiency in Python and SQL, with strong software engineering fundamentals (clean, modular, well-documented code, testing, and version control with Git).Proven experience designing and building scalable data workflows or data-driven products, including architecting pipelines, modular components, and reusable frameworks.Experience applying large language models or advanced NLP techniques (e.G. embeddings, semantic parsing, topic modelling, text classification); familiarity with processing non-english languages is a plus.Comfortable working with large, messy, and unstructured datasets, particularly text and image-based data.Ability to translate complex technical insights into clear, actionable recommendations for non-technical stakeholders, and collaborate closely with strategists to drive business outcomes.A collaborative mindset, with openness to feedback and diverse perspectives.Bonus points if you have the following.Experience building and maintaining production-grade data pipelines (e.G. Airflow, Dagster) or integrating data from APIs, web scraping, or third-party providers.Familiarity with cloud environments such as Google Cloud or AWS, and deploying data science workflows at scaleStrong grasp of statistical methods and core machine learning algorithms, with practical experience using libraries such as scikit-learn, statsmodels, and the ability to select appropriate models based on data characteristics and problem context.Why Synthesis?Synthesis is known for delivering exceptional data models and products that unravel the stories of the people they represent and inspire our partners to act with confidence. Partnering with the world's most successful brands in food, health, media, and travel, we're building specialised solutions to solve problems of planning for the future. Rooted in culture, tested in data science, we spot and anticipate changes and connections in culture to inspire action and help brands grow with a new wave of audiences. After five years of iteratively developing and perfecting these models, we are in the midst of launching a series of products which you will be instrumental in shaping. We will be at the forefront of a shift towards leveraging open data to develop rich, honest, human insight. In an industry that has for too long relied on 'question-response' approach to understanding changes in behaviour, we prioritise layering behavioural, performative, search and sales data to highlight the discrepancies between what people say they do and what they actually do. We see a $40 billion industry that has failed to innovate for too long and we are just getting started.About SynthesisWe do Human Centred Data Science.It's a way of reimaging open data sources from a human perspective. It prioritises behaviour and context to unravel why people do what they do, at scale. By blending data science with human and market intelligence we help our clients spot early signals of change and predict implications for business.Diverse by design.Synthesis is a team of digital researchers, game designers, data forecasters, network scientists, ethnographers, and engineers. Cultural and category experts train our models - ensuring they detect measures that matter most - whilst data scientists uncover patterns the eye cannot see. Similar jobs, Job TitlePre-Sales Data and GCP AI Solution ArchitectAbout the RoleDesign and implement a comprehensive strategy for migrating and modernizing existing relational on premise databases, data warehouses (Teradata, Hadoop, Netezza, AWS, Azure) to scalable and cost-effective..., Principal AI & Data Recruiter - Base £45k-£65k (DOE)Open to recruiters switching markets - your billing track record matters more than your sector.A quick note: applications are coming in fast, but fewer than 1 in 5 have genuinely relevant experience. 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