Associate Director - Data Science, Multi-Objective Optimization for Search & Recommendations

Who We Are

Wayfair Data Science powers automation & decision support across all Wayfair business units. Our algorithms tackle a varied & broad spectrum of challenges in the Wayfair marketplace; from empowering suppliers to easily add products to our catalog, to enabling our customers to discover and purchase a vast & diverse assortment of home goods. 

We are searching for an experienced Data Science technical leader to head up the research and development of our multi-objective optimization work stream. The ideal candidate enjoys sitting at the boundary of data science and engineering, and is comfortable working with partners across the organization to distill ambiguous business asks into technical plans. If you’re comfortable with multi-objective and constrained optimization problems you’ll fit right in. While we are looking for someone who is strong technically, we are also focused on finding someone who is collaborative and who would be a strong addition to our team’s culture (i.e. we have a fun, informal culture in the team, and so we want to make sure we’ll enjoy working with you, and you’ll enjoy working with us!).

This is an exciting opportunity to join a growing team with a tangible impact on the performance of Wayfair overall. You will directly impact and drive forward key business initiatives, leveraging machine learning & information retrieval techniques to generate product sorts across all of our touchpoints (browse grids, product carousels, email recommendations, retargeting advertisements, etc.). This role is a cornerstone of the Data Science Search & Recommendations organization, with broad visibility and close communication with leaders across the business to understand and implement which new capabilities to incorporate into our sort algorithms.

What You’ll Do

• Lead the research agenda for optimizing towards multiple objectives at the same time within our recommender systems
• Manage a small team of experienced data scientists and machine-learning engineers to execute on a research and implementation agenda
• Innovate with new approaches, staying abreast of current research in the recommendations field and the broader machine-learning community, specifically with an eye to multi-objective optimization 
• Collaborate closely with Product, Analytics, and Engineering partners to translate business asks into technical solutions
• Architect and help define the required technical platforms that enable us to produce models at scale 
• Provide mentorship as a senior member of Wayfair’s Search & Recommendations group and broader Machine Learning community

What You’ll Need

• Advanced degree (PhD) in a relevant field (e.g. mathematics, operations research, physics, electrical engineering, ..), or equivalent research experience in an industry setting
• 5+ years of post-PhD industry experience in a research-oriented quantitative or technical work environment
• 1+ years experience managing a technical team driving scalable solutions
• Ability to effectively work with business leads: ability to synthesize conclusions for non-experts and desire to influence business decisions
• High comfort level with Python (preferred), or with other languages such as Java, C#, etc., and with big-data technologies such as BigQuery or Spark
• Experience with constrained optimization problems and/or multi-objective optimization, as well as a general intuition for machine learning
• Intellectual curiosity and a desire to always be learning!

About Wayfair Inc.

Wayfair is one of the world’s largest online destinations for the home. Whether you work in our global headquarters in Boston or Berlin, or in our warehouses or offices throughout the world, we’re reinventing the way people shop for their homes. Through our commitment to industry-leading technology and creative problem-solving, we are confident that Wayfair will be home to the most rewarding work of your career. If you’re looking for rapid growth, constant learning, and dynamic challenges, then you’ll find that amazing career opportunities are knocking.

No matter who you are, Wayfair is a place you can call home. We’re a community of innovators, risk-takers, and trailblazers who celebrate our differences, and know that our unique perspectives make us stronger, smarter, and well-positioned for success. We value and rely on the collective voices of our employees, customers, community, and suppliers to help guide us as we build a better Wayfair – and world – for all. Every voice, every perspective matters. That’s why we’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship status, marital status, disability, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, or genetic information.