Head of Data Science and Analytics

San Francisco, CA

Applications have closed

#TeamNextdoor

Nextdoor is where you connect to the neighborhoods that matter to you so you can belong. Our purpose is to cultivate a kinder world where everyone has a neighborhood they can rely on.

Neighbors around the world turn to Nextdoor daily to receive trusted information, give and get help, get things done, and build real-world connections with those nearby — neighbors, businesses, and public services. Today, neighbors rely on Nextdoor in more than 305,000 neighborhoods across 11 countries.

Meet Your Future Neighbors

At Nextdoor, we are committed to our mission of creating the neighborhood hub for local communities. As the Head of Data Science & Analytics, you’ll be part of a senior leadership team that drives our overall company strategy, and you and your team will work to optimize value for all types of business customers, whether they be multinational brands, a neighborhood dry cleaner, or your babysitter down the street. Your team’s work is mission critical to driving the company’s overall growth and success.

Our Data Science team designs and oversees product experiments, owns complex analyses to drive company and product strategy, and deploys online and offline models to a production environment. We use a semi-embedded team structure, in which a group of data team members works on a specific product or pillar, interfacing directly with product and engineering stakeholders. Our Data Science group comprises people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives, trained in fields as wide-ranging as psychology, geology, physics, and statistics. We are the mathematical decision scientists for the product development organization and we play an active and collaborative role in building and improving the product.

The Impact You’ll Make

As the Head of Data Science and Analytics, you will be responsible for providing strategic leadership, vision, and direction to our data science and analytics engineering team. You will collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders to identify business opportunities, define data-driven strategies, and develop innovative solutions to enhance our products, services, and operations. This role requires a deep understanding of advanced analytics, machine learning, and statistical modeling, as well as the ability to translate complex data insights into actionable business recommendations.

Some of the areas of focus include:

  • Lead and manage the data science team, fostering a collaborative and high-performing culture
  • Develop and implement the data science strategy aligned with the company's overall goals and objectives
  • Drive innovation by identifying and prioritizing data science opportunities to optimize processes, improve customer experiences, and generate business value
  • Oversee the end-to-end data science lifecycle, from data collection and preprocessing to model development, evaluation, and deployment
  • Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including machine learning/engineering, product management, and business stakeholders, to define data requirements and deliver data-driven solutions
  • Provide guidance and expertise in the selection and application of appropriate machine learning algorithms, statistical models, and data visualization techniques
  • Ensure the team utilizes best practices in data governance, data quality, and data security to maintain the integrity and confidentiality of sensitive data
  • Stay up to date with the latest advancements in data science, machine learning, and related technologies, and evaluate their potential application within the company
  • Mentor and develop the skills of team members, fostering their professional growth and creating opportunities for knowledge sharing
  • Effectively communicate complex data insights and recommendations to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, facilitating data-driven decision-making at all levels of the organization
  • Recruit, build, coach, and mentor, and reinforce data excellence
  • Promote a culture of feedback and transparent communication

What You’ll Bring To The Team

  • This is a senior leadership position. A minimum of 10 years of industry experience in data science or a related field (5 years minimum in people management), with a proven track record of leading successful data science initiatives
  • A master's or doctoral degree in a quantitative field (e.g., data science, computer science, statistics, mathematics) is preferred
  • Strong expertise in advanced analytics, machine learning, statistical modeling, and data visualization
  • Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, R, or SQL, as well as experience with data manipulation and analysis tools
  • Experience with big data technologies and distributed computing frameworks (e.g., Hadoop, Spark) is highly desirable
  • Solid understanding of data governance, data management, and data security principles
  • Strong problem-solving and critical-thinking abilities, with a keen eye for detail
  • Outstanding communication and presentation skills, with the ability to effectively convey complex ideas to technical and non-technical audiences
  • Collaborative, thoughtful, and strategic leadership; comfortable with open communication and giving/receiving constructive feedback respectfully, with the ability to inspire and motivate a diverse group of data scientists and analytical engineers

Rewards

Compensation, benefits, perks, and recognition programs at Nextdoor come together to create one overall rewards package.

The starting salary for this role is expected to range from $230,000 to $330,000 on an annualized basis, or potentially greater in the event that your 'level' of proficiency exceeds the level expected for the role. Compensation may also vary by geography.

We also expect to award a meaningful equity grant for this role. With equal quarterly vesting, your first vest date would be within the first 3 months of your start date.

Overall, total compensation will vary depending on your relevant skills, experience, and qualifications.

We have you covered! Nextdoor employees can choose between a variety of great health plans. We cover 100% of your personal monthly premium for health, dental, and vision – and provide a OneMedical membership for concierge care.

At Nextdoor, we empower our employees to build stronger local communities. To create a platform where all feel welcome, we want our workforce to reflect the diversity of the neighbors we seek to serve. We encourage everyone interested in our purpose to apply. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, or any other trait that unfairly targets a group of people. In accordance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we always consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

#LI-Hybrid

Tags: Big Data Computer Science Data governance Data management Data quality Data visualization Engineering Hadoop Machine Learning Mathematics ML models Physics Python R Security Spark SQL Statistical modeling Statistics

Perks/benefits: Career development Equity Health care Startup environment

Region: North America
Country: United States
Job stats:  11  2  0

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