Senior Applied Scientist - Demand Forecast

Role Overview

The Partner Tech Applied Science team at Zalando powers our expansion by collaborating with Zalando Partners and internal teams to enhance business outcomes. Our goal is to create advanced products that deliver superior demand insights to partners, employing cutting-edge technology to keep our assortment relevant, engaging, and privacy-conscious.

In this senior role, you will work alongside product managers, engineers, and analysts to enhance our leading article demand forecasting engine. You'll co-own the scientific roadmap for forecasting, partnering with Principal Scientists and leadership to improve forecast accuracy by focusing beyond conventional metrics to true incremental value.

Responsibilities

• Design, prototype, and implement innovative demand forecasting solutions, tackling complex problems through both theoretical and practical approaches.
• Effectively articulate technical challenges and findings to team members and non-technical stakeholders, educating them on product functionalities and solutions.
• Manage the entire algorithm development lifecycle—from identifying opportunities to deploying models—continuously iterating and exploring new data sources and problem structures.
• Develop robust model pipelines and optimize analysis workflows utilizing common programming technologies such as Python, R, Scala, SQL, PyTorch, and TensorFlow.
• Provide mentorship to junior scientists fostering a culture centered on continuous learning and knowledge sharing.

Required Qualifications

• PhD in statistics, mathematics, physics, operations research, or related quantitative fields with solid expertise in statistics, time series analysis, and machine learning for forecasting.
• Minimum three years experience in industry developing forecasting models using statistical and machine learning techniques with a strong understanding of their tradeoffs and applications.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, complemented by a proactive and curious approach with the ability to work independently and seek support when necessary.
• Advanced proficiency in Python, SQL, and PySpark, adhering to high coding standards with active involvement in code reviews and contributing to increasing the team’s engineering quality.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous leadership experience guiding junior team members.

Inclusive Work Environment

Zalando values diversity and inclusion as core elements fueling innovation and creativity. We encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply even if not all criteria are met. We minimize personal bias by basing evaluations on skills and qualifications only, and offer support accommodations throughout the recruitment process upon request.

Employee Benefits

• Starting with 27 days of paid annual leave for full-time employees, increasing by one day per year up to 30 days.
• Two paid volunteering days annually.
• Access to an employee share program.
• Discounts including 40% on Zalando fashion and beauty items, 30% off the Lounge by Zalando line, plus offers from partners.
• Relocation support available upon prior agreement.
• Family support including counseling services.
• Health and wellbeing programs with access to services such as Wellhub.
• Mental health support and coaching opportunities.
• Personal growth driven by internal training platforms and biannual peer reviews.