Senior Applied Scientist - Demand Forecast (all genders)

THE ROLE & THE TEAM The Partner Tech Applied Science team acts as the engine behind Zalando's growth, partnering with Zalando Partners as well as internal stakeholders to achieve better business performance. We build products that provide better demand signals to partners. By leveraging cutting-edge technology, we ensure our assortment is relevant, engaging, and deeply respectful of customer privacy. As a Senior Applied Scientist, you will collaborate closely with product managers, engineers, and analysts to refine our industry-leading article demand forecast engine. You will co-own the scientific roadmap for our forecast domain, working with Principal Scientists and leaders to maximize forecast performance by moving beyond simple metrics to true incrementally. WHAT WE'D LOVE YOU TO DO (AND LOVE DOING) - Conceptualize, prototype, and productionize state-of-the-art demand forecast solutions. You enjoy finding solutions to new complex problems and don't mind getting your hands dirty (with pen and paper or in your IDE of choice). - Communicate technical problems and results effectively with other team members and also with (less technical) stakeholders. Educate them about your products and solutions. - Be the owner of the whole development cycle of algorithms - from opportunity discovery to production. - Iteratively improve models and explore the art of possibility (e.g. new data sources, new ways of structuring the problem) - Build model pipelines and streamline analysis processes, using common programming tools (e.g. Python, R, Scala, SQL, PyTorch, Tensorflow etc.) - Mentor junior scientists and foster a culture of continuous learning and knowledge sharing within the team. WE'D LOVE TO MEET YOU IF… (Required) Master or above in statistics, mathematics, physics, operation research or a related quantitative discipline with a strong theoretical foundation in statistics, time series analysis, and machine learning methodologies related to forecasting. (Required) 5+ years of industry working experience (3+ for PhD) in developing forecasting models, using both statistical methods and machine learning techniques. Understand the tradeoff of each method and their areas of applications. Have deep knowledge of the state of the art practices in forecasting, but also maintain a bias for simplicity (Required) Excellent verbal and written communication skills with a curious and self-starter mindset. Ability to unblock yourself, but also proactively request support when needed to remove roadblocks (Required) Deep proficiency in Python, SQL, and PySpark, with a commitment to high coding standards, including active participation in code reviews and elevating the team's engineering culture. (Preferred) Demonstrated leadership experience in guiding less experienced colleagues in their work OUR OFFER Zalando provides a range of benefits, here's an overview of what you can expect. Ask your Talent Acquisition Partner to learn more about what we offer. - 27 days of holiday a year to start for full-time employees (+1 day for every calendar year up to 30 days) - 40% off fashion and beauty products sold and shipped by Zalando, 30% off Lounge by Zalando, discounts from external partners - Family support, including counselling and dedicated services for parents and carers - Company pension scheme - Employee shares programme - Health and wellbeing options, including Wellhub - Mental health support and coaching - Development through our training platform and biannual peer-to-peer review - 2 paid volunteering days a year - Relocation assistance (subject to prior agreement)