Staff Data Scientist, Optimization

Bellevue, WA; Chicago, IL; San Francisco, CA

Applications have closed

Flexport

Cut costs, automate workflows, reliably move goods, go carbon-neutral, and improve your supply chain from end to end. It all starts here.

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The opportunity:

Flexport is looking for a creative, technically-minded Applied Data Scientist who is motivated to solve some of the world’s most challenging problems.   

Data is at the heart of our business and as an Applied Data Scientist, you will work to evaluate and provide insights into both our physical and digital products & features. In collaboration with multidisciplinary product and engineering teams, you will apply advanced methods, robust code, and transparent scientific rigor to creatively develop optimization products that will be embedded in software systems that deliver data-driven insights and automated decision making to end users where they need it, and when they need it. You will help to develop high performing individuals and serve as a technical leader and mentor to others.

Our product and engineering teams collaborate very closely with our Applied Data Scientists to share domain knowledge, test hypotheses at scale and develop promising solutions that can be quickly and widely deployed. We are passionate about providing effortlessly accessible intelligence, and actionable insights to our end users. 

Our ideal candidate is: self-motivated, highly analytical, develops and validates hypotheses in a structured & scientific way, is technically excellent at writing code, is passionate about delivering solutions for end-users coping with real-world business problems, and is experienced with mentoring and up-leveling other individuals on the team.  

You Will:

  • Work collaboratively with product, engineering, and business to:
    • find opportunities to improve and enhance our technology products, 
    • understand Flexport’s business and operations processes to identify impact opportunities, and
    • translate ambiguous business requirements into the right technical solution design
  • Perform data gathering, and requirements gathering & analysis.  
  • Research prior work to inform and develop rational hypotheses, and quantify appropriate optimization metrics & targets. 
  • Work with large, and complex data sets. Solve difficult data analysis problems by applying advanced analytical methods as needed. 
  • Develop prototype data analyses and assets iteratively as needed to generate actionable insights. 
  • Refactor supply chain optimization products to support scalable, production deployment. 
  • Deliver compelling data-driven optimization solutions to support automated decision making.
  • Communicate findings to technical collaborators, and business stakeholders through storytelling. 
  • Serve as a go-to expert in optimization-related domains and provide actionable feedback as part of data science peer reviews.  
  • Drive and hands-on contribute to the execution of data science model/algorithmic development.
  • Lead collaborative efforts across different functional, and product teams. 
  • Actively reinforce technical strategy and culture.  

You Should Have:

Minimum Qualifications:

  • Ph.D. (or equivalent research experience) in Operations Research, Applied Math, Computer Science, or related fields 
  • Practical experience and a strong background in algorithm design, engineering, and implementation.
  • Practical experience and a strong background in optimization methods for solving linear, mixed-integer, and dynamic programs.
  • Ability to translate business requirements into mathematical models.
  • Understanding of MIP strategies to customize/leverage commercial/open-source solvers. 

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Advance knowledge of decomposition/iterative methods for solving large-scale linear/nonlinear programs.
  • Experience designing and implementing optimization models for large-scale discrete/combinatorial problems (e.g., vehicle routing, scheduling, network design, scheduling, and facility location) 
  • Experience developing metaheuristics and matheuristics algorithms for combinatorial optimization.
  • Strong research track record (e.g. publications and patents)
  • 5+ years of experience in industry, government, or academic research
  • Strong programming skills and some experience prototyping software using (Python/Java/C++).
  • Knowledge of tools for big data analytics (e.g. SQL, Python, Perl, or Ruby).
  • Experience working with large data sets
  • Experience taking research prototypes to production

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About Flexport:

We believe global trade can move the human race forward. That’s why it’s our mission to make global trade easier for everyone. We aim to do this by building the Operating System for Global trade - a strategic model combining advanced technology and data analytics, logistics infrastructure, and supply chain expertise. Flexport today connects almost 10,000 clients and suppliers across 109 countries, including established global brands like Georgia-Pacific as well as emerging innovators like Sonos. Started in 2013, we've raised over $1.3B in funding from SoftBank Vision Fund, Founders Fund, GV, First Round Capital and Y Combinator. We’re excited about the three big ways we’re moving forward after our recent $1B investment from SoftBank Vision Fund in February 2019.

Worried about not having any freight forwarding experience?

  • Don’t be! We’re building the first Operating System for Global Trade. That’s why it’s incredibly important for us to bring people from diverse backgrounds and experiences together with our industry veterans to help move the freight forwarding industry forward.
  • What’s freight forwarding and why does it matter? Freight forwarding is the coordination and shipment of goods from one place to another and it’s what makes global trade possible. Flexport is on a mission to make global trade easier for everyone because we believe it can help connect the world and break down economic barriers.
  • We know this industry is complex. That’s why we invest in education starting day one with Flexport Academy, a one week intensive onboarding program designed specifically to set every new Flexport employee up for success.

At Flexport, our ability to fulfill our mission of making global trade easy for everyone relies on having a diverse, dedicated and engaged workforce. That is why Flexport is committed to creating and nurturing an environment where anyone can be their authentic self. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, physical and mental disability, health status, marital and family status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, military and veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Tags: Big Data Computer Science Data analysis Data Analytics Engineering Perl Prototyping Python Research Ruby SQL

Region: North America
Country: United States
Job stats:  3  0  0

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