Lead Data Scientist

Company Description

We are the world’s largest independent energy and commodities trading company. Every day we use our expertise and logistical networks to distribute energy around the world, efficiently and responsibly. From 40 offices worldwide, we seek to add value across the energy supply chain, including deploying our scale and market understanding to help facilitate the energy transition. To date, we have committed over $1 billion of capital to renewable projects, and are identifying and developing low-carbon opportunities around the world.  

Our people are our business. Talent is precious to us and we create an environment in which  individuals can reach their full potential, unhindered by hierarchy. Our team comprises more  than 65 nationalities and we are committed to developing and sustaining a diverse work force. Learn more about us here. 

The energy we use to power our daily lives is delivered through pipelines, on ships, via truck and rail, and in wires and batteries. As a leading energy trader, Vitol is at the heart of energy markets worldwide, moving more than 5% of the world’s energy, every single day. For 50 years we’ve challenged the status quo, looking for opportunities to create efficiencies and improve performance, and the recent explosion of data in the industry is just the next step in that journey.

Today’s energy markets face new challenges: changes in the way people consume energy, rising economic powers, new technologies, and geo-political shifts are changing the energy landscape, not to mention the COVID-19 pandemic and the beginning of the global energy transition.

The Data Science team works closely with the commercial decision makers, using cutting edge machine learning to shape our understanding of the world’s energy markets, identify new opportunities and turn data into impactful decision making.

This is an opportunity to join a friendly, entrepreneurial and non-hierarchical environment, in a fun and agile team, and help revolutionize the way data is used within the organization.

Job Description

Lead Data Scientists at Vitol excel across all aspects of the of data science workflow: from project idea inception, scoping the problem and choosing success metrics with business stakeholders, iterative modelling, and engaging with stakeholders after the project is in production to ensure maximum value is being delivered. While creativity, thoroughness, and diligence are important in crafting the machine learning models that add value to Vitol, it is precisely this close engagement with users of our work that drives the success of the team.

Lead data scientists spearhead the data science effort at Vitol and regularly engage directly with traders, brokers, analysts, and researchers across nearly all aspects of Vitol in order to understand the data that goes into our models and the problems we are trying to solve. The successful candidate will have a high level of autonomy in communicating progress to stakeholders, and work collaboratively within the agile Data Science team to be able to drive projects from inception to completion with little oversight.

Responsibilities include:

• Being a thought leader in the business, continuously on the lookout for new ways how Data Science can create value for Vitol.
• Prioritization of projects based on changing business conditions and a keen eye for where maximum value can be delivered
• Applying machine learning models and optimization in novel ways to heterogeneous data sets to help optimize Vitol’s diverse businesses
• Working with developers and junior members of the team to turn successful proof-of-concept research into production models in the wild
• Helping review the code and experimental design of other Data Scientists to ensure a high level of production quality
• Proactively seeking new ways to introduce data and modelling into the day-to-day inner workings of the commodities industry

Qualifications

Essential Qualifications

• MSc or PhD level in the field of Computer Science, Machine Learning, Applied Statistics, Mathematics, or similar
• 5+ years of hands on experience in applying data science methods to real-world business problems and working with messy datasets.
• Fluency in Python (3), with the ability to write understandable, extensible, and well-documented code
• Familiarity with various data storage paradigms (SQL, NoSQL, Map-Reduce frameworks, etc.)
• Demonstrable attention to detail, and a thirst to understand the whys and hows… not just taking accuracy metrics at face value
• Experience presenting data visually to a wide audience (via D3, Tableau, plotly, etc.)

Desired Experience

• Time series modelling (both machine-learning and econometric approaches, especially on small datasets)
• Application of a wide range of machine learning methodologies to real life applications
• Enterprise software development (code design, review, gitflow, etc.)
• Cloud-based data science workflows (on AWS in particular)

Additional Information

Personal Characteristics

• A self-motivated individual who thrives on seeing the results of their work make an impact in the business
• Strong communication skills, both verbally and in writing… passionate about using data to help tell a story
• A keen sense for the art of the possible
• Proven ability to be flexible and work hard, both independently collaboratively
• Methodical and organized… in general, in experimental design, and in code!
• Excellent attention to detail with strong analytical, mathematical, and problem-solving skills, and an interest in learning about the commodities space
• Resourceful and able to think creatively and adapt in a dynamic and energetic environment
• Team player, with an open non-political style and a high level of personal integrity
• Desire to be a thought-partner in a fast-growing team, and make an impact at a business that sits at the heart of the world’s energy flows

What we offer

• Large diversity of projects with real-world impacts on a truly global scale
• Entrepreneurial environment within a flat hierarchy, where great ideas come to life quickly
• Close collaboration with various business units across our key regions (eg. London, Singapore, Houston, Geneva)
• A highly motivated DS team comprised of experienced individuals with a supportive attitude and great team spirit
• Being part of the energy transition through increased emphasis on renewable & alternative energy sources at a pivotal moment in the industry
• Strong management commitment to incorporating data science into the future of Vitol’s operations