Associate Data Scientist

Aldo Group International AG; Lavamünd; Hybrid; EUR 96.000 - 128.000; Vollzeit

Benefits dieser Stelle

On-site gym

50% VF brand discount

Break out areas with hot drinks

Zusammenfassung

VF Corporation is seeking an Associate Data Scientist to join our team in Stabio, Switzerland. You will be part of an established forecasting team, working under a senior data scientist to grow toward end-to-end ownership of models.

The role emphasizes demand forecasting across wholesale and DTC, including time-series methods, probabilistic forecasting and evaluation metrics. Collaboration with data engineers, product teams and planning is key.

Qualifikationen

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree a plus.
• 1–2 years of Data Science experience and forecasting.
• Experience in fashion, apparel or retail is a strong plus.

Aufgaben

• Forecasting: build demand forecasts at product, size, store, channel and market level to support buying, allocation and planning.
• Contribute to cold-start forecasting for new products, collections, stores and markets.
• Benchmark and productionize zero-shot and foundation time-series models against baselines.
• Collaborate with AI/Gen AI use cases and work with Data Engineers, DevOps, Product, Planning and Merchandising to drive adoption and present findings clearly.

Ausbildung

Bachelor’s degree in Data Science, Statistics, Computer Science, Engineering or related field

Jobbeschreibung

Organized in 1899, VF Corporation is a global leader in the design, manufacture, marketing and distribution of branded lifestyle apparel, footwear and accessories. Our highly diversified portfolio of brands spans multiple geographies, product categories, consumer demographics and sales channels. VF relies on its Powerful Brands, Powerful Platforms, One VF approach to business to support its brands, maintain its competitive edge and drives a winning company culture

2. Your ROLE with us

Let’stalk about the role!

VF Corporation is looking for a Associate Data Scientist to join our team in Stabio, Switzerland.

How you'll make a difference

In this role you will:

• Demand forecasting: build forecasting models at product, size, store, channel and market level across Wholesale and Direct-to-Consumer, supporting buying, allocation, replenishment and planning.
• Cold-start forecasting: contribute to the team's work forecasting demand for new products, collections, stores and markets with no sales history, a core challenge in fashion and central to this role.
• State-of-the-art methods: benchmark and productionize zero-shot and foundation models for time series against classical and machine learning baselines.
• Collaboration: contribute to AI and Generative AI use cases, help monitor deployed models, and work with Data Engineers, DevOps, Product, Planning and Merchandising to drive adoption, presenting results and their limitations clearly to stakeholders.

Skills for Success

This is an associate-level position: you will work within an established forecasting team, with a senior data scientist as your mentor, growing toward end-to-end ownership of your models.

Forecasting and Data Science Skills

• Demand Forecasting in Fashion and Retail: hands-on experience with short product lifecycles, strong seasonality, promotions and markdowns, size and colour curves, sparse demand and hierarchical forecasting.
• Cold-Start Forecasting: attribute- and similarity-based approaches, product embeddings, like-for-like matching, transfer learning and pre-season planning.
• Zero-Shot and Foundation Models for Time Series: up-to-date knowledge of the state of the art (e.g., TimeGPT, Chronos, TimesFM), and the ability to benchmark zero-shot versus fine-tuned performance against strong baselines.
• Time Series Foundations: statistical (ARIMA, ETS, Croston), machine learning and deep learning (e.g., Gradient Boosting, DeepAR, N-BEATS, N-HiTS) approaches, plus probabilistic forecasting, backtesting and metrics such as WMAPE and MASE.
• Python and ML Libraries: strong Python with pandas, NumPy, scikit-learn, PyTorch or TensorFlow, and forecasting libraries such as statsmodels, StatsForecast, NeuralForecast.
• Statistics and SQL: core ML concepts, hypothesis and A/B testing, hyperparameter optimisation, and efficient SQL on large-scale structured data.
• Generative AI basics: how LLMs are applied in practice (prompting, embeddings, RAG).

Tools and Platforms

• Databricks Lakehouse Platform: our core platform. Hands-on experience productionizing data and machine learning solutions with Python, PySpark, SQL, Delta Lake, notebooks and Workflows.
• Forecasting at Scale: training and scoring large numbers of time series in parallel on Spark, with Databricks Feature Engineering, MLflow and Unity Catalog.
• Pipelines and MLOps: scalable data and feature pipelines with Databricks Jobs and Pipelines, plus Git and CI/CD in Azure DevOps.
• Rapid Prototyping: lightweight front-ends (Streamlit + Databricks Apps or equivalent) so stakeholders can interact with and validate forecasts.

Business and Collaboration Skills

• Business Understanding and Impact: translate planning, buying, allocation and merchandising problems into data science solutions with measurable value.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: explain forecasts, their assumptions and limitations to non-technical audiences across business, planning and engineering.
• Curiosity and Ways of Working: a habit of following state-of-the-art forecasting research, adaptable and well organised, fluent in English with excellent communication skills.

Education and Experience

• Required Background: Bachelor’s degree (Master’s a plus) in Data Science, Statistics, Computer Science, Engineering or a related field, with around 1-2 years of experience in Data Science and forecasting.
• Industry Background: experience in fashion, apparel or retail with exposure to demand planning, merchandising or supply chain is a strong plus.

What’s in it For You

We’re in the business of unleashing human potential, driven by the ideas, energy and commitment of our people. That’s why we offer comprehensive benefits that encourage mental, physical and financial well-being for all VF associates. When it comes to benefits, we’re the total package.

• A supportive feedback-based culture where respect and integrity guide us in what we do
• An inclusive international environment where people of diverse backgrounds, lifestyles and nationalities love working together
• Be part of an iconic lifestyle brand in a multi brand, multi countries organization
• On site gym offering health and well-being initiatives
• A discount card with 50% on all VF brands
• Break out areas offering complimentary hot drinks

Free to Be, Inclusion & Diversity

As an equal opportunity employer, we strive to foster a culture of belonging based on respect, connection, openness and authenticity. We are committed to building and maintaining a workplace that celebrates the diversity of our associates, allowing them to bring their authentic selves to work every day.