Lead Data Scientist

Lead Data ScientistThe Lead Data Scientist serves as a technical leader responsible for developing, deploying, and scaling advanced analytical, machine learning, and optimization solutions that drive measurable, profitable outcomes across Safelite's Consumer Sales & Pricing activities.

The role owns end-to-end data science solutions—from problem framing through production deployment—while translating complex analytical outputs and AI innovation into actionable business insights. This position plays a critical role in pricing optimization, experimentation strategy, and advancing the organization's analytics capabilities through technical leadership, mentorship, and innovation.What You Will DoLead the development of advanced machine learning models, statistical frameworks, and optimization solutions to support consumer and sales growth. Define and enforce best practices for model development, validation, deployment, and monitoring.Drive innovation through the application of cutting-edge techniques, including: Deep learning, Natural language processing (NLP), Causal inference, Reinforcement learning and emerging AI technologies.Serve as the technical escalation point for complex analytical and modeling challengesContinuously evaluate emerging methods and ensure their practical applicability to business problemsOwn the full lifecycle of data science solutions: problem framing, feature engineering, model development, production deployment, ongoing monitoring and improvementTranslate ambiguous, high-level business questions into structured analytical approachesEnsure models are scalable, performant, explainable, and maintainable in production environmentsPartner with engineering and platform teams to operationalize modelsWork closely with senior business, sales, and product stakeholders to identify high-value use cases. Translate complex model outputs into actionable insights and clear strategic recommendations.Quantify business impact and ensure alignment with organizational KPIs, revenue goals, and growth strategies.Influence decision-making through compelling, data-driven narratives, not just technical outputsMentor both junior data scientists on advanced analytical methodologies and software engineering and coding best practicesContribute to building a high-performance analytics cultureLead knowledge sharing through code reviews, technical standards, and design discussionsCollaborate with data engineering, platform, and architecture teams to define data requirements, pipelines, and scalable analytics architectureAdvocate for data quality, governance, and reproducibility and documentation standardsEvaluate and integrate new tools, frameworks, and technologies into the analytics ecosystem where they deliver clear valuePerforms other duties as assignedComplies with all policies and standardsWhat You Will NeedBachelor's Degree In Data Science, Statistics, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, Engineering, or a related quantitative field RequiredMaster's Degree In Data Science, Statistics, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, Engineering, or a related quantitative field Preferred7-9 years Experience in data science, machine learning, applied research, or advanced analytics RequiredProficient in SQLAdvanced experience with top statistical programming languages (R or Python)Experience working in cloud-based analytics environmentsHands-on experience building Regression models, Classification models, Clustering modelsStrong understanding of machine learning algorithms, statistical modeling, and optimization techniquesExperience with A/B, multi-arm, and pre-post testingFamiliarity with ML operations (MLOps), including versioning, monitoring, and CI/CD pipelinesFamiliarity with GenAI/LLMs for price recommendation explainability; competitive intelligence from unstructured dataPrevious work on pricing strategy, pricing optimization, or pricing enginesExperience designing experiments without commercial testing platformsExperience collaborating with data engineering and data management teams to deploy models in production, monitor model drift, and implement re-training cadences.Expected Work Location (In Office): It is expected that you will primarily perform work at the Safelite Home Office (7400 Safelite Way, Columbus, OH 43235). You are required to work in the office at least 4 days a week. Changes to work location arrangements are subject to managerial approval and business needs.