Lead Data Scientist

About Bark

Bark is revolutionising the way people find professionals in over 1,000 unique categories. As the UK's largest and fastest-growing services marketplace, we're on a mission to make finding the right professional quick and easy. With a presence in eleven countries and plans for further expansion, joining us at this genuinely exciting time will be a journey like no other.

Our cutting-edge technology ensures that you can always find the best professional for any job. With a talented team of over 220 dedicated individuals, we're committed to providing exceptional service and ensuring that our customers are satisfied every step of the way.

This is an exciting time to join our scaling business, we recently ranked 64th in the Sunday Times 100 fastest growing private tech companies in 2023.

As a profitable scale-up, Bark is in a unique position to offer the best of both worlds; the excitement and agility of a start up combined with the financial security and backing of a renowned private equity firm, EMK Capital. You'll have ownership, agility, responsibility and stimulation without any of the worry.

About the role

We are looking for a Lead Data Scientist in a newly created role in our Data team to level up our capabilities and enable us to solve ever more complex challenges. We are looking for someone who is passionate about all things data and can utilise the vast amount we have at Bark to drive innovation, growth & a seamless customer experience.

You’ll be someone with experience using large data sets who is familiar with concepts such as predictive analytics, clustering, recommendation engines, marketing attribution, pricing and lead scoring. Additionally, you will be comfortable with a variety of data mining methods and tools, with experience utilising these to create algorithms and run simulations.

In the first instance, you will be expected to take over ownership of a machine learning model whose objective is to optimise & level-up Bark’s approach to the pricing of leads. This work is being done with external consultants currently but the ongoing maintenance, development & optimisation of this model is a key to our future growth. Beyond this, there are countless problems to be solved across the business that the Data Science function will be pivotal in helping us to realise - seller segmentation, buyer & seller matching and marketing attribution to name but a few.

As the first hire in this function, we are looking for someone who is capable of operating fairly independently that can think about the fundamentals of how Data Science can scale at Bark. You will have strong communication skills and be able to collaborate with multiple stakeholders of varying technical capability in order to maximise the value add of the Data Science function.

Required skills and experience

• 6-8 years of experience manipulating data sets and building statistical models
• Master’s or PHD in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science or another quantitative field
• Use a combined knowledge of computer science and applications, modelling, statistics, analytics and maths to solve problems
• Experience using statistical programming languages (such as Python with Numpy/Scipy/Pandas, R, PyTorch etc.)
• Experience working with and creating data architectures including experience with distributed data/computing tools: MySQL, Glue, BigQuery, Amazon Kinesis, Hive, Spark, Gurobi, etc
• Past experience in lead scoring, pricing and personalisation projects
• Deep understanding of a variety of machine learning and data mining techniques (clustering, decision tree learning, text mining, etc.)
• Knowledge of advanced statistical techniques and concepts (regression, properties of distributions, statistical tests) and experience with applications
• Strong problem solving skills with an emphasis on product development as well as previous experience working with product and engineering teams
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to synthesise data science concepts for various stakeholders across the business

Desired skills and experience

• Past experience in lead scoring and personalisation projects
• Coding knowledge and experience with several languages, especially Python
• Familiarity with Tensorflow, Keras & other similar models
• Presenting ideas and findings clearly to stakeholders
• Experience in a marketplace business
• Experience in scaling a Data Science function
• Strong commercial acumen to ensure the output is aligned with the objectives

Some of our benefits

• Share options in a rapidly growing company whose founders have a proven track record and are Private Equity backed
• Flexible working policy with a central office in London
• Private health insurance run by Aviva including dental cover
• Personal annual L&D Budgets with £1,000 to spend on your development
• Enhanced Gympass membership for all employees with access to mental health courses and fitness classes
• Fully stocked kitchen and weekly team lunches
• Financial advisor
• Cycle to work scheme
• Regular wellness weeks with industry leading talks through to massages in the office
• Being at the forefront of an industry with new and exciting problems to solve

Diversity Statement

At Bark, we are a platform for people, revolutionising the way professionals and individuals connect since 2014. Our culture is defined by excitement, ambition, and a commitment to raising the bar. We value diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) and are dedicated to embedding these principles into everything we do. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive, and our focus is on hiring, retaining and developing a globally diverse workforce that is passionate about excelling our platform and supporting our customers succeed. Be part of our dynamic team, where bold ideas thrive, and create a future worth shouting about.