Data Science Manager (Knowledge Graph & Identity)

Samba TV tracks streaming and broadcast video across the world with our proprietary data and technology. We are on a mission to fundamentally transform the viewing experience for everyone. Our data enables media companies to connect with audiences for new shows and movies, and enables advertisers to engage viewers and measure reach across all their devices. We have an amazing story with a unique perspective on culture formed by a global footprint of data and AI-driven insights.

As the Data Science Manager in our Warsaw office, you will lead and grow a team of 4–6 data scientists building Samba's knowledge graph and identity solutions - foundational capabilities that power our measurement and audience intelligence products. You’ll translate business challenges into technical roadmaps, oversee end-to-end delivery and cultivate a high-performance culture grounded in experimentation, collaboration and continuous learning. Your primary focus is your people: hiring exceptional talent, setting clear goals, and creating an environment where they do their best work. You bring a solid data science background that lets you engage meaningfully in technical scoping, solution design, and code reviews, and jump in hands-on when the team needs it.

This role reports to the VP of Data Science.

What You'll Do:
• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of 4–6 data scientists, owning performance reviews, career development, goal-setting, and promotion readiness aligned to Samba's leveling framework
• Define meaningful KPIs for each team member; hold regular 1:1s to track progress, surface blockers, and support growth
• Drive hiring, onboarding, and a high-engagement team culture grounded in psychological safety, continuous learning, and accountability
• Partner with product, engineering, and analytics to align priorities and translate the team's roadmap into well-scoped quarterly plans and sprint commitments
• Own delivery execution — sprint planning, backlog grooming, dependency management, and blocker removal — and communicate progress, risks, and blockers clearly to senior leadership
• Participate actively in technical scoping and solution design across data science initiatives, with a focus on knowledge graph, entity resolution, and identity-linked audience modeling
• Champion best practices across teams — code reviews, modular architectures, documentation — foster knowledge-sharing, and jump in hands-on on high-complexity work as needed

Who You Are:
• Bachelor's degree required in Statistics, Data Science, Computer Science, Mathematics or related field; Master's preferred
• 5-7 years of hands-on data science experience with 1-2+ years in a direct people-management or team-lead role with demonstrated ability to develop, retain, and hire data scientists
• Solid command of core statistics and ML - hypothesis testing, probability, regression, classification, clustering, model evaluation, and experimental design
• Strong Python (pandas, NumPy, PySpark, scikit-learn) and SQL; Databricks or similar platform experience essential
• Familiarity with MLOps practices: experiment tracking, pipeline orchestration (Airflow), reproducible model deployment
• Detail-oriented and proactive in anticipating delivery risks
• Comfortable running Agile ceremonies and maintaining consistent sprint cadence across a distributed team
• Strong communicator - able to give direct, constructive feedback and advocate for your team to key stakeholders

Preferred skills:
• Hands-on experience with knowledge graph construction, ontology design, or semantic data modeling (RDF, OWL, SPARQL, or equivalent graph frameworks)
• Familiarity with entity resolution, probabilistic record linkage, or identity graph approaches at scale
• Experience applying graph-based or embedding-based methods to real-world entity matching, deduplication, or enrichment problems
• Exposure to modern AI methodologies: RAG pipelines, embedding models, vector search, and LLM-based approaches
• Background in media, ad tech, or measurement — TV viewership (ACR/STB data), digital audience modeling, cross-platform measurement (linear + CTV/OTT), or identity resolution in privacy-constrained environments
• Familiarity with the measurement and identity vendor landscape (Nielsen, Comscore, LiveRamp, The Trade Desk) a plus
• Experience with causal inference (A/B testing, synthetic control, uplift modeling) a plus

Samba TV is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We strive to empower connection with one another, reflect the communities we serve, and tackle meaningful projects that make a real impact.

Samba TV may collect personal information directly from you, as a job applicant, Samba TV may also receive personal information from third parties, for example, in connection with a background, employment or reference check, in accordance with the applicable law. For further details, please see Samba's Applicant Privacy Policy. For residents of the EU , Samba Inc. is the data controller.