Senior/Staff ML Scientist – Bidding & Optimization (f/m/d)
- Berlin
- adjoe
- Data Science Research
- Full time
adjoe builds the technologies behind mobile app growth and monetization, challenging the status quo of adtech by redefining how apps acquire users and generate revenue. Our two products, Playtime Arcade and adjoe Ads, sit at opposite ends of the mobile advertising spectrum: rewarded engagement and programmatic in-app advertising. Together they run on 13% of the world’s smartphones, connecting advertisers, publishers, and hundreds of millions of users, with one goal: making mobile advertising work better for everyone in the ecosystem.
Next-Gen Machine Intelligence for Auctions & Real-Time Bidding
The Data Science Research team builds the foundational algorithms that govern real-time bidding, budget pacing, and allocation mechanics across our products. Operating as a horizontal deep-tech layer, the team leverages advanced AI—specifically reinforcement learning, objective-based optimization, and control theory—to deliver critical systems that perfectly harmonize advertiser ROI, platform health, and user relevance. These frameworks scale adjoe’s products beyond standard industry limitations, utilizing behavioral and transactional data from over 770 million users.
The team operates at the intersection of high-load, low-latency engineering, auction mechanism design, and state-of-the-art machine learning. Acting as the company’s internal science bar raiser, they translate complex business constraints into mathematical objectives. The stack is optimized for high throughput: PyTorch for training deep learning and RL models, distributed architectures for large-scale Bayesian inference, Trino and Athena for querying massive user-behavior data lakes, and dedicated GPU infrastructure. The full lifecycle of these AI capabilities is owned by the team—from academic paper translation and offline prototyping to deploying core algorithmic frameworks built to sustain ultra-low latency, real-time production environments evaluating tens of thousands of requests per second.
Your Mission & Who We Are Looking For:
PhD or equivalent research depth, with a production track record. You have a PhD in CS, Statistics, Math, or Physics (or an MSc with extensive industry research) and a track record of peer-reviewed publications in fields like Computational Advertising, Auction Theory, Mechanism Design, or Game Theory. You’ve spent 4+ years optimizing complex systems through automated algorithms in AdTech, marketplaces, or high-frequency trading.
You translate research into production, not just prototypes. You distill SOTA research into robust, production-ready code optimized for sub-millisecond latency. At adjoe, that means architecting sophisticated auction mechanics, real-time bidding engines, and allocation algorithms serving millions of requests across a stack built on 770 million users.
Deep expertise in Reinforcement Learning and Optimization. You have hands-on, deep theoretical and technical expertise in objective-based optimization, control theory, or RL applied specifically to bidding, pricing strategy, and budget pacing under extreme production constraints.
Mastering high-dimensional data at scale. Large-scale Bayesian inference and handling sparse, high-dimensional advertising data are core to your work. You are strongly proficient in Python and related stacks, and know exactly how to architect scalable data pipelines to feed real-time optimization models.
Raises the technical bar around them. You lead architectural debates, collaborate tightly with Product Managers and Engineers to map business goals to mathematical objective functions, mentor junior scientists, and drive the team’s research direction without needing a roadmap handed to you.
🌎 We welcome applications from talent worldwide and provide relocation support to Hamburg, Germany for those ready to join our team.
What’s in It for You?
At adjoe, you’re not here to just close JIRA tickets, you’re helping build the infrastructure behind one of the most impactful platforms in adtech. The systems you work on will reach hundreds of millions of users and power billions of decisions every day.
Go Big. Own projects with impact on 770M users and push adtech boundaries.
Move Fast. Ship solutions multiple times a day, learn from results, and keep momentum.
Be Direct. Solve problems openly and collaborate across teams.
Thrive Together. Grow with a diverse, global team of people from over 40 different countries that learn from each other.
Have Fun. Celebrate wins, enjoy daily victories, and bring your energy.
We welcome applications from people who will contribute to the diversity of our company.
Tips & Tricks to Nail Your Interviews!
Skip cover letters
Check your equipment
Do some research
Prepare an elevator pitch
Structure your answers
Let your personality shine
Come with your questions
Don’t be afraid of rescheduling
Recruiting FAQs
We aim to make our recruiting process as fast and efficient as possible, but the duration can vary depending on the role you are applying for. Usually we are really fast, though (less than 4 weeks).
Yes, if you see multiple roles open that match your skill set, you can apply for them simultaneously. Our Talent Acquisition team will review your application and contact you about the role that best seems to match your skills.
Yes, if you see multiple roles that match your skill set, you can apply for them simultaneously. Our Talent Acquisition team will review your application and contact you about the role that best matches your skills.
Great! Please allow a few days for our team to review your application. We will contact you with the next steps as soon as possible.
We’ll never ask you for money, fees, or sensitive information (like bank details, tax forms, or credit card numbers) during the hiring process.
If anything feels off, you can always double-check by reaching out to our Talent Acquisition team at ta@applike-group.com.
Once you’ve signed your contract, our HR team may request personal details, but only from our official email: hr@applike-group.com.
No, we do provide full visa and relocation support.
We do! You can find more information about our relocation support and the succesful relocation of our colleagues here on this website.
No problem! Our visa and relocation support does also include your partner or kids. (Please be aware that legal marriage is often times a requirement to obtain a partner-visa).
If you prefer 100% remote companies, applike is not the right place for you because we strongly believe in face-to-face collaboration. However, we did implement a hybrid working model where we are in the office at least three days a week (Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday) and can work remotely the remaining two days. Additionally, you get three whole weeks per year to work fully remotely if you want.
Our hybrid working approach involves being in the office at least three days a week (Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday) and the option to work remotely the remaining two days. Flexible working hours mean that we work Monday-Friday, but do not have fixed working hours. Just make sure to adapt to the rhythm of your team.
The headquarters of the applike group and all its subsidiaries are located in Hamburg, Germany. We do have offices in the US and APAC.
Well next to the fact that you are able to see and collaborate with your colleagues face-to-face, we have a super modern office that leave no wishes open: from Drinks & Snack, areas to work away from your desk to a fully equiped gym.
Yes, you can!
Couldn’t find the perfect job offer?
Nevermind! We are always interested to get in touch with new talents.