Data Scientist - Middle Mile & Pitstops

Relay; London; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Relay, a pioneering logistics company, seeks a Data Scientist to enhance middle mile optimizations and model business economics. This role combines data science with operational insights, aimed at improving network performance and supporting commercial planning in a fast-paced environment. Ideal candidates will thrive in ambiguity and possess strong analytical skills, along with effective communication abilities.

Benefits

Generous equity package

25 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Bupa Global Business Premier health plan

Enhanced Parental Leave

Contributory pension scheme

Friday office lunches

Access to cutting-edge AI tooling

Free gym membership

Cycle-to-work scheme

Regular team socials and events

Qualifications

• 3+ years experience in data science with production models.
• Deep experience with Python and SQL.
• Strong foundations in statistics and operational contexts.

Responsibilities

• Model and improve the cost and efficiency of middle mile operations.
• Partner with teams to optimize driver acquisition and pricing.
• Collaborate with data scientists for geo-sequencing and integration.

Skills

Python

SQL

Statistics

Probability

Communication

Problem Solving

Job description

Company mission

In the future, commerce will be instant, local, and seamless. What we now call "e-commerce" will simply be how we shop.

Relay is building the logistics network that e-commerce should have had from the start. We're designed from the ground up for sustainability - environmental, social, and economic. By rethinking both the middle and last mile, we cut miles driven, reduce carbon emissions, lower costs, and return value to local communities.

Behind the scenes, we orchestrate this with cutting-edge tech: from smart routing and real-time planning to seamless tools that empower our ground teams.

We're not just building the future, we're scaling it fast.

• We just closed a $35M Series A, the largest ever for a logistics tech startup in Europe.
• Brands like Vinted, TikTok, and Temu are choosing Relay to power their UK expansion.
• We're growing at a top 0.01% among all European Series A startups.

About the role

As a highly operational business, we rely on data science to power nearly every part of our network - from forecasting parcel volumes, to pricing and planning courier capacity, to understanding and improving the economics of our operation.

We're hiring a Data Scientist to help us optimise our middle mile operation and model the growth, performance, and economics of our pitstop network. This role spans across domains, touching forecasting, operations, and commercial planning, and is ideal for someone who thrives on applying models in ambiguous, real-world environments.

You'll work with squads across routing, sortation, first mile, last mile, marketplace, and commercial functions; you'll focus on middle mile optimisation, routing, pitstop expansion, and understanding the long-term financial value of our physical network. You'll also bring together data from across the business, often fragmented or messy, and use smart tooling, automation, and AI to transform it into usable insight.

You'll need to be hands-on and pragmatic; it's a high-impact role with strong exposure to leadership and decision-making across the business.

What you'll do

• Model and improve the cost, quality, and efficiency of middle mile operations, including vehicle use, timings, and handover reliability
• Model estimated route length for Middle Mile Routes by combining real-time geospatial data with historic route and courier intelligence
• Partner with marketplace and ops teams to optimise driver acquisition, targeting, and pricing for the middle mile
• Optimise pitstop expansion in line with volume growth, capacity, and service levels
• Model pitstop-level LTV and unit economics to support capital investment and performance tracking
• Collaborate with other data scientists to support geo-sequencing, zone design, and integration with routing models
• Act as a thought partner for operations, commercial, and finance leads, bringing a scientific lens to planning and network growth

What we're looking for

• 3+ years of experience in data science, with a strong record of delivering models into production
• Deep experience with Python and SQL
• Strong foundations in statistics and probability, with experience applying them in operational and/or financial contexts
• Comfort working in ambiguity and navigating messy or incomplete data
• Effective communication skills - you can explain technical results clearly to non-technical audiences
• Comfort working across functions and disciplines to drive impact

Nice to haves

• Experience working in logistics, marketplaces, or similarly complex operational businesses
• Exposure to business planning, pricing, or commercial decision-making; experience with forecasting, scenario, and financial modelling (including partnering with Finance and Commercial teams and their models (in Excel, Google Sheets))
• Familiarity with geospatial data
• Experience in fast-scaling startups or operational teams

We're flexible on experience - if you're an experienced and pragmatic data scientist, with a track record of driving impact, we'd love to hear from you.

Example projects

• Prioritising pitstop locations based on forecast volume, network coverage, and marginal return on investment
• Building a model to track pitstop LTV, including parcel throughput, re-attempts avoided, and delivery reliability uplift

What we offer

• Generous equity package
• 25 days annual leave, plus bank holidays
• Bupa Global Business Premier health plan - including mental, dental, and optical cover
• Enhanced Parental Leave:
  
  • 20 weeks of fully paid maternity leave
  • 4 weeks of fully paid paternity leave
• Contributory pension scheme
• Friday office lunches
• Access to cutting-edge AI tooling
• Hybrid working from our dog-friendly Shoreditch office
• Free gym membership via our co-working spaces
• Cycle-to-work scheme
• Regular team socials, events, and offsites!!