Senior Staff, Applied Science

Tekion is seeking an experienced Senior Staff, Applied Scientist to innovate within the automotive industry. This role involves applying machine learning and AI to transform customer experiences. The ideal candidate will be a self-starter, comfortable with ambiguity, and adept at building solutions from scratch in a fast-paced environment. Responsibilities include providing strategic direction, technical leadership, driving innovation with novel solutions, collaborating with cross-functional teams, and mentoring applied scientists. The role requires expertise in state-of-the-art ML algorithms and large datasets to deliver next-level innovation.

Must Have

• Provide strategic direction and technical leadership in ML/AI.
• Drive innovation with novel solutions in the automotive industry.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate ML solutions.
• Proficient in SQL and Python.
• Expertise in Machine Learning, Deep Learning, and Explainable AI.
• Experience with state-of-the-art models and complex projects.
• Strong understanding of Probability and Statistics.
• Proficiency in deep learning frameworks (TensorFlow, Keras, PyTorch).
• Experience with Computer Vision (OpenCV) and Natural Language Processing (spaCy).
• Experience with Large Language Models and prompt engineering.
• Proficient in Git for version control.
• Experience with cloud platforms (GCP, Azure, AWS).
• Knowledge of Design of Experiments.
• 12+ years of hands-on experience in analytics, data science, big data.
• Strong background in data science, mathematics, or computational science.
• Ability to turn complex analysis into insights through data visualization.

Good to Have

• Experience with Recommendation Engines.
• Domain knowledge of the automotive industry.
• Proactive problem-solver and self-starter.
• Strong communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to collaborate across multiple product and application teams.

About Tekion:

Positively disrupting an industry that has not seen any innovation in over 50 years, Tekion has challenged the paradigm with the first and fastest cloud-native automotive platform that includes the revolutionary Automotive Retail Cloud (ARC) for retailers, Automotive Enterprise Cloud (AEC) for manufacturers and other large automotive enterprises and Automotive Partner Cloud (APC) for technology and industry partners. Tekion connects the entire spectrum of the automotive retail ecosystem through one seamless platform. The transformative platform uses cutting-edge technology, big data, machine learning, and AI to seamlessly bring together OEMs, retailers/dealers and consumers. With its highly configurable integration and greater customer engagement capabilities, Tekion is enabling the best automotive retail experiences ever. Tekion employs close to 3,000 people across North America, Asia and Europe.

Tekion is looking for an experienced Applied Scientist to help shape the future of the Automotive Industry. At Tekion we transform the end-to-end experience of customers in automotive. Candidate should be a self-starter, comfortable with ambiguity, have an affinity for building things from scratch, demonstrate strong attention to detail, and have the ability to work in a fast-paced, complex and ever-changing environment. You’ll be able to bring your unique skills and expertise to shape the direction of our Machine Learning team. You will have an opportunity to work with state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms on large datasets. We are looking for highly motivated applied scientists interested in delivering the next level of innovation for Tekion.

Core Responsibilities:

Provide strategic direction and technical leadership in applying machine learning/ AI within the organization, aligned with company goals and challenges. Influence R&D roadmap based on deep industry understanding and business needs. Drive innovation with novel solutions in the automotive industry, advancing applied science through latest research implementation. Act as a key liaison between R&D and stakeholders, ensuring technical alignment with business objectives. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define and integrate machine learning solutions into products and services. Publish research in top conferences, advancing field knowledge. Provide mentorship to applied scientists, ensuring project success. Contribute to team growth through training and collaborative projects. Define metrics for model evaluation in offline and real-time settings. Quantify and communicate ML impact to executives, influencing decisions. Champion ethical AI practices, ensuring compliance and standards. Define best practices for ML model development, testing, validation, and monitoring. Demonstrate data-driven business acumen and technical expertise across development lifecycle. Maintain technical excellence in algorithm development and deployment.

Technical Skills

Candidate should be proficient in SQL and Python, with familiarity in Spark considered advantageous.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate expertise in:

• Proficient in Machine Learning, Deep Learning and Explainable AI concepts with the ability to explain them clearly to non-technical audiences
• Experienced in developing and adapting state-of-the-art models for specific business needs, demonstrating a track record of success in complex, cross-functional projects.
• Utilizing Probability and Statistics to derive meaningful insights from data.
• Proficient in deep learning frameworks like TensorFlow, Keras, and PyTorch, and utilizing computer vision (OpenCV) and natural language processing (spaCy) libraries.
• Implementing deep learning techniques, particularly Neural Networks.
• Applying both fundamental and advanced Natural Language Processing concepts.
• Implementing Computer Vision methodologies.
• Experience with Large Language Models is a must. Should be able to write precise prompts covering multiple aspects of the intended tasks.
• Utilizing Git for efficient code management and version control.
• Leveraging cloud platforms such as Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure, and Amazon Web Services.
• Should be well versed with Design of Experiments.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelors/ Masters / PhD in Data Science, Mathematics, Operations Research or related field.
• The right candidate has a background in probability and statistics, applied mathematics, or computational science, and a history of solving difficult problems with good business impact using a scientific approach.
• Experience working with major ML algorithms and frameworks.
• Significant experience in Data Science and Machine Learning with a strong proven track record in delivering positive business impact.
• 12+ years of hands-on experience with analytics, data science and big data experience in a business context.
• Experience in programming in Python or similar languages.
• Experience with data visualization and presentation, turning complex analysis into insights.

Preferred qualifications

• Experience in Recommendation Engine, Natural Language Processing.
• Domain knowledge of the automotive industry.
• Enjoys discovering and solving problems; proactively seeking clarification of requirements and direction; being a self-starter who takes responsibility when required.
• Strong interpersonal, verbal, visual and presentation skills, ability to communicate complex findings in a simple manner to executives.
• Ability to work collaboratively across multiple products and application teams.
• A willingness to learn, share and improve.

Tekion is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, victim of violence or having a family member who is a victim of violence, the intersectionality of two or more protected categories, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.

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