Lead, Data Scientist

Position Overview

Create a healthier, brighter future for pets, pet parents and people! If you want to make a real difference, create an exciting career path, feel welcome to be your whole self and nurture your wellbeing, Petco is the place for you. Our core values capture that spirit as we work to improve lives by doing what’s right for pets, people and our planet.

Petco is a category-defining health and wellness company focused on improving the lives of pets, pet parents and Petco partners. We are 29,000 strong and operate 1,500+ pet care centers in the U.S., Mexico and Puerto Rico, including 250+ Vetco Total Care hospitals, hundreds of preventive care clinics and eight distribution centers.

Position Purpose: As Lead Data Scientist on Petco’s Enterprise Analytics and Data Science team, you will spearhead the development and deployment of scalable, production-grade machine learning models that enable personalized membership and digital experiences. You will partner closely with stakeholders in the membership and digital teams to plan and execute data science initiatives that support customer engagement, loyalty growth, and digital performance.

Key Responsibilities

• Build, maintain, optimize, and productionize machine learning models and advanced algorithms that enhance membership and digital customer experiences.
• Generate and test hypotheses and analyze and interpret results of experiments.
• Communicate insights and recommendations through clear written reports and verbal presentations to audiences of varying technical sophistication.
• Improve upon existing methodologies by developing new data sources, testing model enhancements, and refining model parameters.
• Define requirements and collaborate with engineering teams to develop analytic capabilities, platforms, and pipelines that enable scalable modeling.
• Develop and monitor KPIs across multiple business areas, ensuring accurate tracking and performance measurement.
• Provide leadership, including guiding and training, to more junior data scientists.

Required Qualifications

• MS or PhD in Statistics, Math, Engineering, Economics, or a related quantitative field.
• 8+ years of experience in business analytics and data science.
• Previous experience working with machine learning/deep learning for real-world problems in a corporate environment is a must.
• Demonstrable track record of dealing well with ambiguity, prioritizing needs, and delivering results in a dynamic environment.
• Proficiency with SQL and Python required; proficiency in R is a strong plus.
• Ability to explain or present complicated analytical methodologies and results to non-technical audiences.
• Advanced quantitative modeling, statistical analysis, and critical thinking skills.
• Related experience in a retail organization is a strong plus.

Benefits & Perks

• Compensation: $142,100.00 - $213,100.00
• Benefits: Comprehensive Total Rewards including health and financial benefits, 401K, incentives, and PTO (see details).
• Flexible work environment in a purpose-driven organization.
• Equal Opportunity Employer.