Principal Data Scientist Details

Principal Data Scientist

Petco - San Antonio, TX

Employment Type : Full-Time

Come work at a place where innovation and teamwork come together to support the most exciting missions in the world!

Position Purpose:

As a Principal Data Scientist in the Supply Chain team at Petco, you'll develop and lead the data science framework for solving impactful business problems and opportunities. You will apply cutting edge, best-in-class data science methodologies to a portfolio of projects impacting the entire supply chain. This includes design and execution of predictive and prescriptive analytics, network optimization, and data democratization. You’ll test hypotheses by combining data with observations and developing innovative mathematical and statistical models. A majority of your time will be spent working on the following:

Hypothesis/Roadmap Formulation: Determine the optimal strategies for solving real-world optimization problems. Data mining and generation: Join/aggregate disparate source data and develop strategies for agile data ingestion where needed. Analytical modeling: Data modeling, exploratory data analysis, and feature selection using advanced statistical methods and techniques. Model Validation: Calibrating models to provide interpretable and repeatable outputs by using various metrics like ROC, RMSE, quantile loss, etc. Deployment: Model output will be consumed by various teams to create a supply chain that is best in industry. Documentation: Clear documentation of the objective, statistical model, and results. Guide and mentor: Manage a team of data scientists to ensure they are correctly applying best-in-class methodologies.

Scope:

Essential Job Functions: The incumbent must be able to perform all of the following duties and responsibilities with or without a reasonable accommodation.

Act as company wide SME to Design, Build, maintain, optimize, and productionize machine learning models for the area of assignment Create new data pipelines using the latest technologies that seamlessly integrate with multiple databases at Petco. Retrieve, synthesize, and present critical data in a format that is immediately useful to answering specific questions or improving system performance. Identify scalable opportunities to improve our logistics cost as a percent of sales and position us for future growth and cost avoidance. Improve upon existing methodologies by developing new data sources, testing model enhancements, and fine-tuning model parameters. Provide requirements to develop analytic capabilities, platforms, and pipelines. Conduct written and verbal presentation to share insights and recommendations to audiences of varying levels of technical sophistication. Utilize code (Python/R/SQL) for data analyzing and modeling algorithms. Conducts tracking and measurement of KPIs related to multiple business areas. Manage and mentor data scientists to deliver on the roadmap.

Other Duties and Responsibilities

• Interact professionally and effectively through verbal and written communication with all professional contacts with emphasis on company interests.
• Independently prioritize and accomplish multiple tasks within established timeframes.
• Perform other related duties, tasks and responsibilities as required, assigned and directed.

Education and Experience

• MS/PhD in Statistics, Math, Engineering, Economics or related field
• Previous experience working with Machine Learning/Deep Learning for real world problems is a must. Supply Chain experience would be a bonus.
• You have deep interests in supply chain and business strategy.
• Must be self-driven and passionate about retail.
• Demonstrable track record of dealing well with ambiguity, prioritizing needs, and delivering results in a dynamic environment
• 8+ years’ experience in business analytics and data science
• Expert in SQL
• Proficiency with multiple analytics tools required; Python or R strongly preferred, Alteryx preferred
• Hands on experience with BI tools; Microstrategy/Tableau /R shiny/Looker
• Ability to explain/present complicated/advanced analytical methodology and results to non-technical audiences
• Excellent communication skills
• Excellent quantitative modeling, statistical analysis skills and problem-solving skills.
• Related experience in a retail organization is a strong plus

Competencies

• Demonstrate Adaptability and Desire to Learn - Works productively in the face of ambiguity or uncertainty. Demonstrates flexibility and resilience in response to obstacles, constraints, adversity, and mistakes. Constructively and resourcefully adapts to changing needs, conditions, priorities or opportunities. Seeks out opportunities to learn from new discoveries, innovations, ways of looking at things, knowledge, and ideas. Invites and incorporates feedback, without becoming defensive.

• Perform Analysis - Integrates information from a variety of sources to arrive at a broader understanding of issues (e.g., company reports plus in-store observations).?Defines issues clearly despite incomplete or ambiguous information. ?Identifies the key issues in complex or ambiguous problems. Approaches problems or issues systematically, looking for connections, trends, and potential causes. ?Probes and looks past symptoms to determine the underlying causes of problems and issues.

• Plan and Execute - Develops realistic plans (e.g., action steps, timelines) to accomplish objectives. Acquires and leverages resources, processes, and tools to achieve business goals. Prioritizes and balances time, actions, and projects to ensure accomplishment of results. Holds him/herself and team accountable for outcomes (e.g., achieving goals and complying with policies and procedures). Anticipates and addresses obstacles, redirecting efforts to accelerate the work or improve quality.

• Produce Results - Initiates decisive, timely action to address important issues. Demonstrates a strong sense of ownership and a commitment to achieving meaningful results. Sets challenging, clear goals/targets and expectations for achieving business results. Drives initiatives/efforts to successful completion and closure. Takes personal responsibility to make decisions and take action.

• Good Partner - Identifies and anticipates customer requirements, expectations, and needs. Seeks feedback from customers to identify improvement opportunities. Follows up with customers to ensure problems are solved. Continually searches for ways to improve customer service (including the removal of barriers, and providing solutions).

• Use Professional Judgment - Makes logical, rational, and integrative decisions, and arrives at sound conclusions. Chooses the best alternative(s) based on a review of pros, cons, tradeoffs, timing, and probabilities. Evaluates the consequences and implications of alternatives, actions, or decisions (e.g., impact on sales, returns, customer loyalty). Makes timely decisions, balancing analysis with decisiveness.

Work Environment

Most tasks are performed while seated indoors at a personal computer. Limited travel to vendors, seminars and/or conferences may be required periodically throughout the year.

Contacts

Interaction with numerous internal departments including, but not limited to DC Operations, Transportation, Inventory, Ecommerce Fulfillment, Information Systems, Analytical Services, Operations, Merchandising are a nearly daily occurrence and may range from the routine exchange of information to the analyses, evaluation and resolution of complex logistical issues. Externally, the position will work with technology & creative partners, and product/service vendors usually exchanging information, providing instruction, or resolving somewhat complex problems.

Petco Animal Supplies, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or any other protected classification.