Head/Director of Data Science

At Appodeal, we’re more than just a company—we’re a team united by a common mission: Help people discover and grow their talents through products that enable successful mobile app businesses!

We take pride in our cutting-edge product and our internationally dispersed team of talented professionals.

Here’s what we value, and what we hope you do too:

• Continuous Learning and Growth: We are passionate about learning, growing personally, and building rewarding careers.
• Making an Impact: We are committed to building a history-defining company that leaves a lasting impact on the mobile app industry.
• Solving Exciting Challenges: We tackle complex problems every day, supported by a team of world-class professionals and mentors.
• Enjoying the Journey: We believe in having fun while working toward our goals.

We are now expanding our data capabilities and seeking an experienced Head / Director of Data Science to lead and scale our Data Science UA team function in Barcelona.

This role is ideal for a leader with a strong technical background, excellent people-management skills, and the ability to turn data into actionable, high-impact product and business outcomes.

• Lead and scale the Data Science function across the organization.
• Translate business and product goals into clear DS/ML initiatives and execution plans.
• Build and promote a strong data-driven culture across all teams.
• Applied Data Science & ML.
• Oversee development, deployment, and monitoring of ML models across Appodeal’s product and monetization ecosystem.
• Guide experimentation, modeling, uplift measurement, and algorithmic optimization.
• Ensure model quality, reliability, fairness, and performance at scale.
• Collaboration & Stakeholder Management.
• Partner with Product and Engineering teams to integrate Data Science into product roadmaps.
• Work with business units to identify opportunities, define DS/ML requirements, and deliver impactful insights.
• Communicate DS outcomes, metrics, and recommendations to leadership.

• Lead, mentor, and develop a multidisciplinary team of Data Scientists, Analysts, and ML/AI specialists.
• Foster knowledge sharing, best practices, experimentation, and continuous improvement.
• Drive hiring, talent development, and team structure optimization.

• Collaborate with Data Engineering and MLOps teams to ensure robust pipelines, feature stores, and model deployment workflows.
• Improve data quality, observability, and governance standards.

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Engineering, Math, or a related field (PhD is a plus).

• 5+ years of experience in Data Science, Machine Learning, or Applied Analytics.
• 3+ years in a DS leadership role (Lead DS, Head of DS, Director of DS, or similar).
• Demonstrated experience building and leading Data Science teams.
• Proven track record of delivering DS/ML solutions with real business impact.

• Strong understanding of ML algorithms, experimentation, predictive modeling, and statistical analysis.
• Hands-on experience with Python, ML frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch, Scikit-learn), and analytics tooling.
• Solid understanding of data pipelines, big data technologies, and collaboration with Data Engineering teams.
• Experience with AdTech, attribution, auction mechanics, or optimization algorithms is a strong plus.

• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Ability to translate technical concepts into business language.
• Strong decision-making and prioritization abilities.
• Passion for mentoring, coaching, and building high-performing teams.