Junior/Senior/Staff Data Scientists (International) at Zelus Analytics

Job Description

Junior/Senior/Staff Data Scientists (International) at Zelus Analytics

We are seeking Data Scientists with a passion for sports to implement, automate, and optimize the quantitative models that power our world-class sports intelligence platforms in baseball, basketball, cricket, football (American), hockey, soccer, and tennis. Through your work, you can support the professional teams in our exclusive partner network in their efforts to compete and win championships. We currently have entry-level, senior, and staff positions available, allowing us to consider qualified candidates with a wide range of experience levels.

Zelus Analytics is a fully remote company working directly with teams across the NBA, MLB, NFL, IPL and NHL, in addition to a number of soccer teams around the globe. Zelus unites a fast-growing startup environment with a research-focused culture that embraces our core values of integrity, innovation, and inclusion. We pride ourselves on providing meaningful mentorship that offers our team the opportunity to develop and expand their skill sets while also engaging with the broader analytics community. In doing so, we hope to create a new path for a more diverse group of highly talented people to push the cutting edge of sports analytics.

We believe that a diverse team is vital to building the world’s best sports intelligence platform. Thus, we strongly encourage you to apply if you identify with any marginalized community across race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, veteran status, or disability. At Zelus, we are committed to creating an inclusive environment where all of our employees are enabled and empowered to succeed and thrive.

As a Zelus Data Scientist, you will be expected to:

• Perform data modeling and quantitative analysis to support one or more research projects focused on player and team performance

• Develop, validate, and automate quantitative models using statistics, machine learning, optimization, and simulation

• Collaborate with our engineering team to define and implement model productionalization and platform release plans

• Prepare detailed, customer-facing reports describing model selection, model specification, and fitting techniques

• Attend conferences and review academic literature to follow public advancements in sports analytics and expand your analytical skills

• Perform ad-hoc data analysis to support our partner teams

• Collaborate and communicate effectively in a distributed work environment

• Fulfill other related duties and responsibilities

Beyond that, a Senior Data Scientist will be expected to:

• Provide guidance and technical mentorship for junior data scientists

• Coordinate with other team members across functions to ensure the successful completion of complex projects

• Effectively communicate and explain challenging technical concepts, both to internal and external audiences

• Assist with recruiting and outreach for the data science team, including building a diverse network of future candidates

In addition to the above, a Staff Data Scientist will be expected to:

• Identify and recommend new research opportunities and modeling approaches to push the cutting edge of our sports intelligence platforms

• Design frameworks or approaches to be applied to common research problems across sports (such as player and team projections)

• Recommend strategies for developing and/or applying quantitative models to new sports or products

• Provide guidance and technical mentorship to both junior and senior data scientists

• Represent Zelus at conferences or through other public forums

A qualified entry-level candidate will be able to demonstrate several of the following and will be excited to learn the rest through the mentorship provided at Zelus:

• Academic, industry, and/or research experience with applied mathematical and predictive modeling (statistics, machine learning, optimization, and/or simulation)

• Experience working with large, complex datasets, including through academic research, self-directed projects, and/or prior internships

• Fluency with mathematical and statistical programming (Python and/or R)

• Proficiency with relational databases and cloud-based computing

• Enthusiasm for sports analytics and knowledge of recent public advances in the sports analytics research community

• Strong written and verbal communication skills

A qualified senior candidate will be able to demonstrate all of the above at a higher level of competency plus the following:

• Advanced training in applied mathematics, statistics, computer science, operations research, or a related quantitative field

• Experience implementing large-scale predictive models at production-level code quality and reliability

• Desire and ability to successfully mentor junior data scientists

A staff-level candidate will be able to demonstrate mastery of all of the above plus the following:

• Expertise in one or more methodological areas or scientific domains that extend the capabilities of the Zelus data science team

• Experience defining and executing a research plan to progress complex and/or exploratory data science projects

• Desire and ability to successfully mentor experienced data scientists

Starting salaries for a Data Scientist range from $80,000 to $110,000, with salaries for a Senior Data Scientist ranging from $110,000 to $140,000, and a Staff Data Scientist ranging from $140,000 to $170,000.

Zelus has a fully distributed workforce, spanning thirteen states and eight countries, with a formal process for establishing compensation equity across its global staff. In addition to competitive salaries, our full-time compensation packages include equity grants and comprehensive benefits, such as an annual incentive bonus plan, supplemental health, vision, and dental insurance, and flexible PTO, all of which allow us to attract and retain a world-class team.

As an equal opportunity employer, Zelus does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, religion, creed, gender, gender expression or identification, sexual orientation, marital status, age, national origin, disability, genetic information, military status, or any other characteristic protected by law. It is our policy to provide reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. Please let us know if reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process.

Zelus is an at-will employer; employment at Zelus is for an indefinite period of time and is subject to termination by the employer or the employee at any time, with or without cause or notice.