Senior Data Scientist

Synthesis x Data Scientist (Senior)

At Synthesis, we push the boundaries of what's possible with Open Data. It's a fast-paced, rapidly-changing environment at the intersection of data science, cultural analysis & brand consultancy. We call this Open Source Intelligence for brands.

As a Senior Data Scientist at Synthesis, you will play a key role in shaping our data science practice and driving innovation across both client projects and internal products. You will lead end-to-end data initiatives, delivering project work from shaping datasets and building models to designing scalable data workflows that power the insights and decision frameworks we deliver.

You will work with diverse open data sources, ranging from search, social, and e-commerce data to academic papers and patents, to understand audience behaviour and anticipate how needs will evolve over time. In this role, you will not only contribute hands-on but also guide junior data scientists, act as a thought partner to cultural strategists, and help define the roadmap for our data products and infrastructure.

We are a small, collaborative team with diverse backgrounds, from computer science and engineering to anthropology and law. We value curiosity, creativity, and a spirit of experimentation. If you are excited about combining data and culture to solve real-world problems, we would love to hear from you!

What you'll need.

• 5+ years of experience in data science, with a strong record of delivering impactful projects from data exploration through to production deployment.
• Deep proficiency in Python and SQL, with strong software engineering fundamentals (clean, modular, well-documented code, testing, and version control with Git).
• Proven experience designing and building scalable data workflows or data-driven products, including architecting pipelines, modular components, and reusable frameworks.
• Experience applying large language models or advanced NLP techniques (e.g. embeddings, semantic parsing, topic modelling, text classification); familiarity with processing Asian languages is a plus.
• Strong grasp of statistical methods and core machine learning algorithms, with practical experience using libraries such as scikit-learn, statsmodels, and the ability to select appropriate models based on data characteristics and problem context.
• Comfortable working with large, messy, and unstructured datasets, particularly text and image-based data.
• Ability to translate complex technical insights into clear, actionable recommendations for non-technical stakeholders, and collaborate closely with strategists to drive business outcomes.
• A collaborative mindset, with openness to feedback and diverse perspectives.

Bonus points if you have the following.

• Experience leading or mentoring junior data scientists, including setting technical direction and supporting professional growth.
• Experience building and maintaining production-grade data pipelines (e.g., Airflow, Dagster) or integrating data from APIs, web scraping, or third-party providers.
• Familiarity with cloud environments such as Google Cloud or AWS, and deploying data science workflows at scale

Why Synthesis

Synthesis is known for delivering exceptional data models and products that unravel the stories of the people they represent and inspire our partners with the confidence to act.

Partnering with the world's most successful brands in fashion, beauty, content, and travel, we're building specialised solutions to solve problems of planning for the future. Rooted in culture, tested in data science, we spot and anticipate changes and connections in culture to inspire action and help brands grow with a new wave of audiences. After three years of iteratively developing and perfecting these models, we are preparing to launch a series of products over the next 5 years.

We will be at the forefront of a shift towards leveraging open data to develop rich, honest, human insight. In an industry that has for too long relied on a question-response approach to understanding changes in behaviour, we prioritise layering behavioural, performative, search, and sales data to highlight the discrepancies between what people say they do and what they actually do. We see a $40 billion industry that has failed to innovate for too long, and we are just getting started.

About Synthesis

We do Human Centred Data Science.

It's a way of reimaging open data sources from a human perspective. It prioritises behaviour and context to unravel why people do what they do, at scale. By blending data science with human and market intelligence, we help our clients spot early signals of change and predict implications for business.

Diverse by design.

Synthesis is a team of digital researchers, gaming designers, data forecasters, network scientists, ethnographers, and engineers. Cultural and category experts train our models ensuring they detect measures that matter most whilst data scientists uncover patterns the eye cannot see.

Building bespoke, comprehensive datasets where none exist.

We work with open data - search, ratings, social, and sales. By layering many signals, we build robust and relevant data-driven stories around brands, business, and consumer behaviour.

Asia first, global applied.

Our products must work in Asia firstthe toughest test markets. We continue to make considerable investments in language and capabilities across Asia-specific platforms. Now applied in Europe, LatAm, and the USA.