Lead Data Scientist

Vantage; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Vantage is seeking a strategic Lead Data Scientist to drive innovative customer experiences in the retail media space. This role involves designing scalable ML systems, leading impactful projects, and collaborating closely with engineering and product teams. Candidates should possess a strong background in data science, alongside leadership capabilities and advanced technical skills.

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision benefits

Employee Stock Option Plan

Strong maternity / parental leave benefits

Education assistance and development courses

Generous vacation and paid holidays

Qualifications

• 6 years of experience in data science.
• 2-3 years in Ad-Tech or Marketing Science.
• Expertise in machine learning and statistical modeling.

Responsibilities

• Lead the data science team and set technical direction.
• Architect end-to-end modeling for retail media use cases.
• Champion scalable ML workflows using CI/CD practices.

Skills

Machine Learning

Time-Series Forecasting

Statistical Modeling

Data Wrangling

Experimentation

Optimization Techniques

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a quantitative field

Tools

AWS SageMaker

Azure ML

Python

SQL

Docker

Git

Job description

About the Role

At Vantage, we believe that data is at the core of every great decision—and we’re looking for a Lead Data Scientist to help us harness its full potential. In this role, you'll step beyond the typical data science model-building role and become a strategic leader that partners closely with engineering and product to build innovative customer experiences in the retail media space.

As our Lead Data Scientist, you will own the design and deployment of scalable, production-grade machine learning systems and advanced analytics frameworks. You will lead high-impact projects that span across forecasting and optimization, while championing best practices in experimentation and data-driven decision making. If you thrive at the intersection of deep technical expertise and collaborative product development, this is your chance to shape the future of retail media!

Our team is located in the GTA, and while we are a remote-first company, we have monthly get-togethers that require our applicants to be GTA based.

Minimum Requirements

• 6 years of experience in the field of data science.

• A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a quantitative field such as Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Engineering, or a related discipline.

• 2-3 years experience working in either the Ad-Tech or Marketing Science domains, delivering end-to-end data science products.

• Advanced expertise in machine learning and time-series forecasting.

• Deep understanding of statistical modeling, experimental design (A/B testing, multivariate testing), and optimization techniques.

• Strong data wrangling and pipeline development capabilities in cloud environments.

• Proficiency in Python and SQL.

• Familiarity with major cloud ML workbenches and orchestration tools such as AWS SageMaker, Azure ML, or GCP AI Platform.

• Hands-on experience with associated data science tooling including Docker, Git, and ML lifecycle tools such as ML Flow.

• Experience operating in an enterprise, client-facing capacity.

Role Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership

  • Grow and guide the data science team in setting technical direction, model design, and experimentation strategy.

  • Partner with product and engineering leads to prioritize roadmap initiatives aligned with business objectives.

• Advanced Modeling & Analytics

  • Architect and implement end-to-end forecasting, measurement, and optimization models for key retail media use cases.

  • Develop robust methodologies for incrementality, attribution, and campaign performance diagnostics.

• Deployment & Operations

  • Own the lifecycle of ML pipelines from prototyping to deployment, monitoring, and continuous improvement.

  • Champion scalable and reproducible modeling workflows using modern tooling and CI/CD practices.

• Collaboration & Communication

  • Translate complex analytical insights into actionable recommendations for product managers, customers, and executives.

  • Communicate tradeoffs and model performance clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• Team Development

  • Mentor junior and senior data scientists, fostering a culture of learning, experimentation, and excellence.

  • Define and refine best practices in code quality, peer reviews, documentation, and experimentation design.

About Vantage

Vantage plays in a $250BN addressable market in North America that is seeing significant disruption. Retailers are transforming their digital marketing practices to drive customer acquisition and are looking for new profit centers in retail media networks.

Vantage is uniquely positioned in this space, having established a technology platform that is custom-built for retail media. We offer the only turnkey platform for integrated retail media networks. We significantly outperform online media benchmarks by leveraging automation, machine learning, and AI. Ours is the market-leading platform and we have real traction with some of the biggest names in retail.

We’re a fully remote team rooted in Toronto, made up of diverse, creative, and fun individuals. While we enjoy the flexibility of remote work, we come together in person once a month to foster meaningful, face-to-face collaboration.

At Vantage, we believe our commitment to diversity and inclusion makes us stronger, more thoughtful, and more innovative. We also believe people thrive when they have the freedom to shape their own work and life environments—and when they're surrounded by brilliant teammates, tackling ambitious challenges together.

In addition to your compensation, enjoy the rewards of an organization that puts our heart into building a team. Vantage offers a full range of medical, dental, and vision benefits. All employees are also owners, as everyone is enrolled into the Vantage Employee Stock Option Plan. Vantage provides strong maternity / parental leave benefits in all jurisdictions.

Vantage also offers numerous well-being programs, education assistance, development courses, and discount programs with participating partners. As for time off, Vantage employees enjoy generous vacations, as well as paid holidays throughout the calendar year.

Vantage and Diversity

Vantage Analytics is fueled by the diversity of our talented employees. We are an equal opportunity employer and embrace ALL individuals and what makes them unique. We believe our employees should be happy and healthy, with peace of mind and a sense of fulfillment. We encourage all individuals to apply for positions that fit their passions.

We promote equality and strive to provide all current and prospective employees with support and opportunities. Reasonable accommodations are available to job applicants on request and throughout the application process.

We thank all applicants in advance for their interest in this position; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.