Principal Data Scientist

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.

Job Description

Tekion is seeking a visionary and highly experienced Principal Data Scientist (internally: Principal, Applied Science) Engineer to drive transformative innovation within the automotive industry. In this strategic role, you will lead the design, development, and deployment of cutting-edge machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions that redefine customer experiences and business operations. As a senior technical leader, you will shape Tekion's data science strategy, mentor technical teams, and solve complex industry challenges through data-driven solutions. This role requires exceptional technical depth, leadership, and the ability to influence across the organization.

*Internally this position is titled Principal, Applied Science

Key Responsibilities

• Define and lead the strategic vision for Tekion’s Applied Science initiatives, aligning with business goals to drive innovation and industry disruption.
• Provide deep technical expertise and leadership in developing and deploying scalable ML/AI models to solve complex, high-impact automotive industry problems.
• Collaborate with cross-functional executive leaders, product managers, and engineering teams to identify opportunities for machine learning solutions and implement them effectively.
• Design and oversee production-grade ML systems, integrating models into decision-making platforms and business applications.
• Drive the development and continuous improvement of state-of-the-art algorithms, ensuring robust evaluation metrics for both offline and online performance.
• Identify and incorporate diverse data sources, applying innovative techniques to enhance model accuracy, scalability, and impact.
• Lead the creation of end-to-end ML pipelines, ensuring best practices in data processing, model deployment, monitoring, and governance.
• Mentor and guide senior data scientists and applied scientists, fostering a high-performance culture of technical excellence and continuous learning.
• Publish and present cutting-edge research internally and externally to reinforce Tekion’s leadership in applied data science.
• Influence industry trends by identifying emerging technologies and integrating them into Tekion's product and research roadmaps.

Skills and Experience

• PhD or Master’s degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Operations Research, or a related field.
• 15+ years of experience in applied science, data science, or machine learning roles with a significant track record of delivering business impact through AI/ML solutions.
• Expertise in advanced ML algorithms, deep learning, and statistical modeling, with hands-on experience deploying models in production environments.
• Extensive programming experience in Python and/or similar languages, with strong software development skills and proficiency in version control (e.g., Git).
• Proven experience in designing scalable, distributed machine learning systems and pipelines.
• Strong understanding of big data ecosystems and tools (e.g., Spark, Hadoop, Kafka).
• Exceptional ability to translate complex data science concepts into strategic business decisions.
• Demonstrated leadership in mentoring senior technical staff and fostering innovation.

Preferred Skills

• Deep expertise in Recommendation Systems, Natural Language Processing (NLP), and Computer Vision.
• Extensive domain knowledge of the automotive industry and its business models.
• Experience integrating ML models with cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and MLOps practices.
• Strong interpersonal and executive communication skills, with the ability to articulate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• A proactive, self-starter mindset with a passion for solving ambiguous and complex problems.
• Active contributor to the data science and machine learning community through publications, open-source projects, or speaking engagements

Perks and Benefits

• Competitive compensation and generous stock options   
• 100% employer-paid top-of-the-line medical, dental and vision coverage  
• Great benefits including unlimited PTO, parental leave and free snacks and beverages  
• The opportunity to work with some of the brightest minds from Silicon Valley’s most dominant and successful companies   
• Be part of an early stage, hyper-growth start-up with the opportunity to grow and prosper    
• Work on the latest and coolest technologies – everything is home-grown and built ground-up   
• A dynamic work environment with a strong sense of community and collaboration   
• The open and transparent culture that encourages innovation, rewards performance and discourages hierarchy   
• Exciting opportunities for career growth and development   

Current Tekion Employees – Please apply via Greenhouse Internal Job Board

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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