Senior Data Scientist

At Whole Foods Market, we are passionate about providing our customers with the highest quality natural and organic products. We believe that data is key to enhancing our business and driving innovation, and we are looking for a skilled Senior Data Scientist to join our team and help us unlock insights that can shape our future. As a Data Scientist in the Pricing Science team, this team member will collaborate with others in the team to support Pricing goals at Whole Foods Market. They will play a key role in designing and implementing science-based solutions to pricing challenges in today’s retail environment. They will work closely with other teams within and outside Pricing to bring data science models to life (and in stores). The ideal candidate is a sharp and thoughtful problem solver, who enjoys proposing and building data science solutions in a retail environment. Location: Austin, Texas.

Responsibilities

• Drive the adoption of appropriate methodology and techniques to support analytics within WFM.
• Solve complex analytical problems in the pricing domain.
• Develop and implement data-driven applications and advanced analytical solutions that leverage predictive analytics, data mining techniques, machine learning, open-source tools, orchestration tools, Python, R, Spark, etc.
• Provide thought leadership and training on advanced analytic tools, systems, techniques and methodology; own the methodology used to support analytics within WFM.
• Translate complex analytical results into clear, concise and actionable insights to all levels within the organization.
• Collaborate with Merchandising Operations, Finance, Accounting, Marketing, HR, Tech (IT), Real Estate (site development) and Investor Relations on strategic use of data and analytics; help fill gaps by solving analytical problems.
• Assess marketplace tools for fit/appropriateness in increasing the team’s analytical capabilities and/or productivity.
• Maintain a thorough understanding of WFM processes to effectively understand and analyze internal and external data.
• Keep up-to-date about latest developments in Data Science and Machine Learning.
• Represent Whole Foods Market’s Core Values and Principles through work.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or advanced degree in a related quantitative field and at least 4-6 years of relevant experience as a Data Scientist/Data Analyst or Research Analyst.
• Experience with one or more of the following programming languages: Python, R, SQL, Spark, Java, Scala, etc. Direct experience working with very large datasets.
• Experience building and maintaining Data Science models from scratch.
• Practical experience in designing business metrics, time series analyses and forecasting techniques, mathematical modeling.
• Experience with cloud-based services (e.g. AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Exposure to retail KPIs and external syndicated data (e.g. Nielsen).
• Ability to be comfortable in a decentralized structure where results are based on cooperation with and influence of others.
• Ability to iterate quickly and effectively collaborate with non-technical stakeholders without a data science background.
• Ability to multi-task as well as work with ambiguity and communicate or reset priorities amidst changing timelines.
• Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions in one-on-one and large group situations involving senior leadership and other teams in the organization.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Economics or related quantitative field and 3+ years of experience OR PhD in a related field with 1+ years of experience.
• 3+ years of experience with common Data science languages (Python, SQL, R, Pyspark, etc.); Experience writing production-ready code and productionizing Data Science models.
• 1+ years of experience building and maintaining optimization models including linear and non-linear objectives.
• 1+ years of experience with AWS infrastructure and services.
• 3+ years of experience working in a retail organization OR strong understanding of retail business and KPIs; Experience as a consultant delivering data science solutions to clients/business partners.
• Strong understanding of analytical tools (e.g. Excel, Alteryx, Tableau, etc.) as well as external tools (APT, Nielsen).
• Practical experience with causal inference and experimentation (experiment design, platform setup, etc.).
• Ability to embody Whole Foods Market’s core values and leadership principles (e.g. Customer Obsession, Innovation and invention, Frugality, Just Get it Done, etc.).
• Experience mentoring and training other team members.

At Whole Foods Market, we provide a fair and equal employment opportunity for all Team Members and candidates regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, marital status, disability, or any other legally protected characteristic. Whole Foods Market hires and promotes individuals solely based on qualifications for the position to be filled and business needs.