About the role

Aplyr's Quick Take

This role is about leading a small team to develop and implement AI solutions that enhance media operations at Dentsu. You'll work closely with various teams to identify opportunities for AI integration, prototype solutions, and ensure these tools are effectively adopted in workflows. It's primarily an individual contributor role with leadership responsibilities.

Good fit

Ideal candidates have a strong background in AI engineering or data science, with experience in media or related fields. You should be comfortable working collaboratively and have a track record of translating complex technical concepts into practical business solutions.

Worth noting

This is a fixed-term contract for 4 months, which may appeal to those looking for short-term opportunities. The role emphasizes building a new capability, which could be a chance to shape processes from the ground up.

Job Description:

ROLE PURPOSE

Lead the AI Engineering capability for dentsu Media UK&I, identifying, shaping and building practical AI solutions that improve how Media teams work, deliver for clients and create measurable business value.

Working closely with Media leadership, Programme Leadership, Change Experience, Product, Data & Technology, Marketing Science and operational teams, this role will translate business problems into scalable AI-enabled solutions — moving ideas from opportunity identification through prototyping, engineering, testing, adoption and continuous improvement.

The role is accountable for building a small, high-impact AI engineering capability that can work with business teams to identify use cases, assess feasibility, design solutions, guide build activity, and ensure AI tools are embedded safely, effectively and sustainably into Media workflows. The ambition is to move from fragmented experimentation to a repeatable AI delivery model that creates value across planning, activation, operations, reporting, optimisation, workflow automation and client-facing services.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Identify and Shape High-Value AI Opportunities

• Partner with Media leadership and operational teams to identify where AI can improve effectiveness, efficiency, quality, speed or client impact across existing tools and new dev opportunities.

• Translate business pain points into clear solution hypotheses, AI use cases and requirements.

• Assess potential opportunities based on value, feasibility, risk, data availability, reusability and scalability.

• Establish BAU process across Media teams to identify, test and scale AI-enabled ways of working.

• Support business teams to articulate requirements clearly and understand the practical implications of AI-enabled change.

Lead the AI Engineering Function

• Build, coach and develop a high-performing group of AI engineers, solution builders, analysts and technical contributors.

• Oversee the design, prototyping and development of AI solutions for Media workflows, including automation, agentic workflows, knowledge retrieval, planning support, reporting, insight generation and operational tooling.

• Establish common engineering standards, design principles, solution patterns and delivery practices for AI solutions across Media.

• Work with product, data engineering, platform, security and enterprise architecture teams to ensure solutions are integrated into the right systems and operating environments.

• Create a culture where AI engineering is focused on real business problems, measurable value and responsible adoption — not experimentation for its own sake.

Drive Responsible, Governed and Safe AI Delivery

• Ensure AI solutions are developed in line with dentsu policies, governance standards, data protection requirements and responsible AI principles.

• Identify risks relating to data, privacy, accuracy, bias, security, model performance, user adoption and operational dependency.

• Build appropriate testing, validation, monitoring, cost controls and human-in-the-loop controls into AI solutions.

• Establish feedback loops with users to improve solutions over time.

SKILLS AND KEY REQUIREMENTS

Technical and AI Engineering Skills

• Strong understanding of generative AI, machine learning concepts, automation, large language models, prompt engineering, retrieval-augmented generation and AI-enabled workflow design.

• Experience designing, building AI or automation solutions in a business environment leading technical or cross-functional teams.

• Ability to assess technical feasibility, data readiness, integration needs and model/tool suitability.

• Understanding of APIs, MCP, data pipelines, cloud platforms, software delivery practices and enterprise technology environments.

• Ability to guide prototyping and engineering activity from concept through to production-ready solutions.

• Strong appreciation of security, privacy, testing, quality assurance and responsible AI controls.

Media and Business Solutioning Skills

• Strong understanding of Media workflows, ideally including planning, activation, optimisation, trafficking, reporting, finance operations, client delivery or commercial processes.

• Ability to identify where AI can create practical value in Media — including productivity, quality, speed, scalability, insight, workflow automation and client outcomes.

• Ability to balance ambition with operational practicality, adoption readiness and measurable business benefit.

• Strong coaching capability, helping non-technical teams and snr management understand what AI can and cannot do.

• Comfortable creating structure in ambiguity and shaping new ways of working.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

• A practical AI leader who can turn ambition into buildable, usable and scalable solutions.

• Someone curious about how AI will reshape Media, and pragmatic about what it takes to make that change real.

SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

• Media UK&I has a clear, prioritised and value-led pipeline of AI opportunities.

• AI solutions are being identified, designed, built and scaled through a repeatable engineering model at pace.

• Responsible AI controls are embedded into solution design and delivery.

• Media teams are actively using AI-enabled tools and workflows that improve productivity, quality, speed or client outcomes.

Working with us

Joining dentsu international, you’ll join a team of 48,000 people.  It’s an opportunity to produce career-defining work. Along the way, you’ll team up with inspiring colleagues and encounter a richness of clients, cultures and experiences.  We offer exciting challenges, memorable experiences and opportunities to shape your future.

Inclusion and Diversity

We’re proud to be different and that starts with our people. We believe in equal opportunities for everyone. We won’t define people by their race, gender, sexual-orientation, age or disability. Individuality is what makes us great, we want everyone to bring their full self to work and create something amazing. That’s what we care about.

So, whether you’re joining us, or looking to move to a different part of the business, we work hard to make sure we create equal opportunities for everyone.

#LI-Hybrid #LI-Dentsu

Location:

London

Brand:

Amplifi

Time Type:

Full time

Contract Type:

Fixed Term Contract (Fixed Term)

Skills & Tags

Aplyr's read

Dentsu is a powerhouse in advertising, known for its data-driven strategies and digital transformation. It's ideal for those passionate about innovative marketing solutions.
Synthesized from recent postings & public sources

What's promising

•Dentsu emphasizes digital transformation, positioning itself at the forefront of modern advertising.
•The company offers diverse roles, providing opportunities for career growth across various marketing disciplines.
•Dentsu's focus on data-driven strategies attracts clients seeking measurable marketing outcomes.

What to watch

•The advertising industry is highly competitive, posing challenges for maintaining market share.
•Rapid technological changes require constant adaptation, which can be demanding for employees.
•Limited public information about employee satisfaction and work-life balance at Dentsu.

Why Dentsu

•Dentsu integrates traditional and digital marketing, offering comprehensive solutions.
•Its global presence allows for cross-cultural marketing strategies and insights.
•Dentsu's commitment to innovation is reflected in roles like AI Motion Designer.

Aplyr’s read is generated by AI from public sources. Was it useful?

About Dentsu

Dentsu

dentsu.com

View company

Dentsu USA is a leading marketing and advertising agency that provides integrated solutions to clients across various sectors, focusing on digital transformation and data-driven strategies.