Data Scientist

Data Scientist
Salary £45k - £60k (pro rata if less than 35hrs per week)
London (Hybrid working), with London office presence needed 40% of you working week
28-35hrs per week- open to discuss flexible working of these hours
The ASA is the UK’s regulator of advertising across all media, including online. Our work includes taking proactive action against misleading, harmful, offensive or otherwise irresponsible ads and acting on complaints. In short, we make sure ads are legal, decent, honest and truthful.
In this role you will join our Data Science team and work on our world-leading Active Ad Monitoring system, which uses AI to proactively monitor online advertising. In 2025 the system captured and processed 60 million ads across social media, search and programmatic display. The ASA uses this intelligence to help regulate ads across high-priority topics like injectable weight-loss medications, green claims companies make to consumers, disclosure of influencer marketing and many more.
You will be analysing the large volumes of ads the Active Ad Monitoring system captures, providing intelligence that helps teams across the ASA tackle real-world issues in online advertising. You will work primarily in Python, making extensive use of AI models to extract meaning from text, images and videos, and turning unstructured data into actionable intelligence. You will also have a role in helping understand how AI can help accelerate processes across the ASA.
Our team mission is to protect UK consumers from adverts that are misleading, cause harm and target those within our society that are the most vulnerable. Working as part of our small agile team you will have the opportunity to own your work end-to-end, seeing directly how the work you do helps protect UK consumers.
About you
* You will have a genuine enthusiasm for using Data Science and AI to improve ad regulation in the UK
* You will have either previously been a Data Scientist, or have similar professional experience, for example in data-intensive academic research or as an analyst with Python experience
* You will have the ability to write high-quality Python code to manipulate complex datasets
* You will be able to communicate clearly with non-technical coworkers, understanding the challenges they face regulating online advertising, and coming up with ways to use the technical tools at your disposal to help solve them
* You will have experience with Large Language Models (LLMs) either professionally or through personal exploration
* You’ll be impact focused- understanding the problems the ASA faces and prioritising technical solutions that will deliver real impact.
* You will need to be curious and ambitious, creatively solving problems that may arise whilst always having an eye on system/process improvements.
We are committed to building a workforce that reflects the full diversity of the UK population. We believe that varied perspectives and experiences strengthen our organisation and help us deliver our work more effectively.
We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and identities, and we actively encourage candidates from minority or underrepresented groups to apply. Women are currently under‑represented within data science roles, and within our Data Science team. In line with our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, we particularly encourage applications from women and others who are under‑represented in this area. Our recruitment process ensures applications are absent of names or any identifiable information which supports our aim of finding the best person for the role based on their skills and experience only.
How to apply: If you’re interested in applying for this role, please review the job description below and complete our online application process which includes answering some questions regarding your motivation for applying for this role and your skills and experience. Should you require any adjustments to our application process please contact hr @ asa .org .uk
Closing date: 17th May 2026. Please note we will be reviewing applications as they come in and we reserve the right to close the advert early if we receive a significantly high number of applicants.
First Interview dates: 20th, 21st and 22nd May
Second interview date: W/C 1st June 2026