Lead Data Scientist

Safelite Group; Columbus (OH); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Safelite Group seeks a Lead Data Scientist to drive advanced ML/optimization solutions across Consumer Sales & Pricing. You will own problem framing, feature engineering, model development, deployment, and ongoing improvement, translating outputs into strategic insights for revenue growth.

Requires a Master's in a quantitative field and 7–9 years of data science experience, with strong SQL, Python/R skills, and cloud-based ML operations.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Data Science, Statistics, CS, or related field.
• 7–9 years in data science, ML, or advanced analytics preferred.
• Proficient in SQL and one or more statistical programming languages (R or Python).
• Experience with cloud-based analytics environments and MLOps.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of ML models and optimization solutions for consumer and sales growth.
• Define best practices for model development, validation, deployment, and monitoring.
• Translate business questions into structured analytical approaches.
• Own full lifecycle of data science solutions from framing to production monitoring.
• Collaborate with engineering, platform, and business stakeholders to operationalize models.

Skills

SQL

Python

R

Cloud platforms

Deep learning

NLP

Causal inference

Reinforcement learning

A/B testing

MLOps

Education

Master's degree in Data Science

Bachelor's degree in a quantitative field

Tools

Cloud platforms

Production ML tooling

Job description

A Brief Overview

The 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 Do

• Lead 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
• Emerging AI technologies
• Serve as the technical escalation point for complex analytical and modeling challenges.
• Continuously evaluate emerging methods and ensure their practical applicability to business problem.
• Own the full lifecycle of data science solutions: problem framing, feature engineering, model development, production deployment, ongoing monitoring and improvement.
• Translate ambiguous, high‑level business questions into structured analytical approaches.
• Ensure models are scalable, performant, explainable, and maintainable in production environments.
• Partner with engineering and platform teams to operationalize models.
• Work 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 outputs.
• Mentor both junior data scientists on advanced analytical methodologies and software engineering and coding best practices.
• Contribute to building a high‑performance analytics culture.
• Lead knowledge sharing through code reviews, technical standards, and design discussions.
• Collaborate with data engineering, platform, and architecture teams to define data requirements, pipelines, and scalable analytics architecture.
• Advocate for data quality, governance, and reproducibility and documentation standards.
• Evaluate and integrate new tools, frameworks, and technologies into the analytics ecosystem where they deliver clear value.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
• Complies with all policies and standards.

What You Will Need

• Bachelor's Degree In Data Science, Statistics, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, Engineering, or a related quantitative field
• Required Master's Degree In Data Science, Statistics, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, Engineering, or a related quantitative field
• Preferred 7-9 years Experience in data science, machine learning, applied research, or advanced analytics
• Required Proficient in SQL
• Advanced experiencewithtopstatisticalprogramminglanguages(RorPython)
• Experience working in cloud‑based analytics environments
• Hands‑on experience building Regression models, Classification models, Clustering models
• Strong understanding of machine learning algorithms, statistical modeling, and optimization techniques
• Experience with A/B, multi‑arm, and pre‑post testing
• Familiarity with ML operations (MLOps), including versioning, monitoring, and CI/CD pipelines
• Familiarity with GenAI/LLMs for price recommendation explainability; competitive intelligence from unstructured data
• Previous work on pricing strategy, pricing optimization, or pricing engines
• Experience designing experiments without commercial testing platforms
• Experience 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.

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by an employee occupying this position. Employees may be required to perform other related duties as assigned to ensure workload coverage. This job description does NOT constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee and is subject to change by the employer as the organizational needs and requirements of the job change. This position description is not all inclusive for every aspect of this role. Reasonable accommodations will be made for individuals covered by ADA, ADEA, FMLA and other laws and regulations in accordance with their requirements. Physical and mental demands are not, and should not be construed to be job qualification standards, but are illustrated to help the employer, employee and/or applicant identify tasks where reasonable accommodations may need to be made when an otherwise qualified person is unable to perform the job’s essential duties because of an ADA disability. Other qualifications may be required to ensure employment eligibility in accordance with local laws, regulations and with Safelite Group, Inc. policies and practices.

Safelite® was founded in Wichita, Kansas in 1947. A leading service organization, the Safelite family of brands delivers our People Powered, Customer Driven experience to more than 11 million customers annually. Safelite® AutoGlass, the nation’s largest provider of vehicle glass repair, replacement and recalibration services, operates more than 700 stores and 7,900 MobileGlassShops™ across all 50 U.S. states, while Safelite® Solutions provides property and casualty claims management services to more than 175 insurance and fleet clients. All of this is supported through our technology-forward supply chain and corporate services. We’re People Powered: Our people come first. We care about your well‑being and we’ll give you what you need to have a happy work/life. We’re good at what we do: we're proud of our 88% Net Promoter Score (NPS). We’re big: We’re owned by Belron®, the world’s largest vehicle glass company, spanning 40 countries across 6 continents. We’re trustworthy: We provide coverage to all U.S. drivers in all 50 states. We give back: Community service is important to us - we’ve even recycled 107K+ tons of glass to date. We're diverse: Safelite welcomes everyone. We value our diverse workforce and suppliers, and we’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We don’t discriminate on the basis of any characteristic protected by law, nor do we tolerate discrimination or harassment against our associates and clients.

Accessibility: Upon request and consistent with applicable laws, Safelite will provide reasonable accommodations to individuals who need assistance in the application/hiring process.

Privacy: To review and consider your application, Safelite collects personal information. To understand what is collected and why, carefully review the Applicant Privacy Notice presented during your online application and/or review our Applicant Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Agencies: Safelite does not accept unsolicited resumes or outreach from third-party recruiters. Absent a signed MSA and approval and request from Talent Acquisition to submit resumes for a specific requisition, we will not approve payment to any third party.

Health and Safety: To ensure a safe working environment and protect the community at large, depending on the position, Safelite may require pre‑employment screenings, including background checks and/or drug screenings, attestation of COVID‑19 vaccination status, and precautions against COVID‑19 in select work settings, subject to all applicable local, state and federal laws. Safelite will grant reasonable accommodations that do not cause an undue hardship to the business to legally entitled associates.

Note: The contact methods provided are exclusively for accessibility and vendor management requests. All other outreach to these contacts will not be responded to.

You trust us with more than your vehicle glass – you also share your personal information with us. We’re committed to honoring that trust.

Browse our privacy practices that detail your rights and the ways we look out for you. Safelite privacy policies California Privacy Policy - Notice at Collection