Engineering Director

dunnhumby is the global leader in Customer Data Science, empowering businesses everywhere to compete and thrive in the modern data-driven economy. We always put the Customer First.

 

Our mission: to enable businesses to grow and reimagine themselves by becoming advocates and champions for their Customers. With deep heritage and expertise in retail – one of the world’s most competitive markets, with a deluge of multi-dimensional data – dunnhumby today enables businesses all over the world, across industries, to be Customer First.

 

dunnhumby employs nearly 2,500 experts in offices throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas working for transformative, iconic brands such as Tesco, Coca-Cola, Meijer, Procter & Gamble and Metro.

At dunnhumby, the Media Planning & Recommendation team builds the intelligence layer that powers campaign planning, optimization, and measurement for CPGs and agencies across online and in-store channels.
We design scalable platforms that transform audience, performance, and contextual data into actionable insights and campaign recommendations that drive measurable business outcomes.

Our mission is to enable data-driven media planning and optimization through AI, Generative models, and Vector Search — integrating predictive, prescriptive, and explainable systems that empower CPGs and agencies to plan, activate, and measure campaigns with precision and transparency.

Role Summary

As Engineering Director, you will lead multiple engineering teams responsible for building and scaling platforms that unify media planning, optimization, and recommendation capabilities.
You’ll define the technology vision, partner closely with Product and Data Science, and ensure delivery of high-availability, low-latency systems that continuously learn and improve campaign performance.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and execute the engineering strategy for Media Planning and Recommendations aligned to business and client outcomes.
• Build and scale real-time data, ML serving, and recommendation platforms integrating AI/LLMs, vector search, and optimization models.
• Partner with Data Science and Product to productionize planning and measurement models (ROAS, iROAS, uplift, reach, frequency).
• Drive adoption of Agentic AI systems that leverage autonomous reasoning, orchestration, and workflow automation across campaign planning and optimization.
• Lead multiple teams through technical excellence, operational rigor, and innovation across architecture, delivery, and DevOps.
• Ensure platform reliability, observability, and cost efficiency through well-defined SLOs, metrics, and governance.
• Coach and develop Engineering Managers and Leads, fostering a culture of ownership, experimentation, and collaboration.

Technical Expertise

• Proficiency in .NET/Java, Kafka, Flink, Spark, GCP/AWS, Kubernetes, REST/GraphQL APIs, and modern BI tools.
• Strong understanding of microservices, domain-driven design (DDD), CI/CD pipelines, observability, and DevOps frameworks.
• Experience building ML inference pipelines, optimization engines, vector and hybrid search systems, and streaming data architectures.
• Hands-on exposure to feature stores, embedding stores, and experimentation frameworks for campaign planning and recommendations.
• A strong understanding of Agentic AI systems and LLM-based architectures — including experience with tools like GitHub Copilot, Builder.io, or leading teams that have built autonomous agents using OpenAI, Anthropic, or similar models.

The ideal candidate will bring a deep appreciation for how Generative AI can enhance decision-making, automate workflows, and unlock new capabilities in media intelligence.

Leadership & Experience

• 15+ years in software engineering, including 5+ years leading multi-team, platform-scale initiatives.
• Proven track record in delivering AI/ML-driven media planning, optimization, or recommendation platforms at scale.
• Strong architectural judgment, data-driven decision-making, and cross-functional leadership skills.
• Ability to balance strategic direction with hands-on technical depth and delivery focus.

What we expect from you

• Degree or equivalent in a relevant subject.
• Certified Agile Product Owner
• Product management experience across the product lifecycle
• Strong communicator who can work with commercial and technical teams
• Experience of running scrum teams

What you can expect from us

We won’t just meet your expectations. We’ll defy them. So you’ll enjoy the comprehensive rewards package you’d expect from a leading technology company. But also, a degree of personal flexibility you might not expect.  Plus, thoughtful perks, like flexible working hours and your birthday off.

You’ll also benefit from an investment in cutting-edge technology that reflects our global ambition. But with a nimble, small-business feel that gives you the freedom to play, experiment and learn.

And we don’t just talk about diversity and inclusion. We live it every day – with thriving networks including dh Gender Equality Network, dh Proud, dh Family, dh One, dh Enabled and dh Thrive as the living proof.  We want everyone to have the opportunity to shine and perform at your best throughout our recruitment process. Please let us know how we can make this process work best for you. 

Our approach to Flexible Working

At dunnhumby, we value and respect difference and are committed to building an inclusive culture by creating an environment where you can balance a successful career with your commitments and interests outside of work.

We believe that you will do your best at work if you have a work / life balance. Some roles lend themselves to flexible options more than others, so if this is important to you please raise this with your recruiter, as we are open to discussing agile working opportunities during the hiring process.

For further information about how we collect and use your personal information please see our Privacy Notice which can be found (here)