Data Scientist at AutoTrader (Toronto, ON, Canada)

Are you ready to join AutoTrader and help us create bar-raising digital experiences for our clients and customers? Do you have an entrepreneurial spirit and enjoy a flexible work arrangement? As we continue to leverage trending technologies to drive customer-centric innovations, we also provide a Company Culture unlike any other. We are all about Collaboration, Growth and Fun.

Trader Corporation is the team behind Canada’s leading automotive marketplace, autoTRADER.ca, as well as a world class digital advertising business. We are a technology driven company that creates compelling solutions for our users and dealer customers. We are expanding our team and need are looking for an experienced and enthusiastic Data Scientist to join our team.

The Data Scientist will provide thought leadership and best practice approaches to support autoTRADER's initiatives in the area of advanced statistical and mathematical modeling. The person will be accessing/extracting, analyzing and interpreting customer and consumer data across autoTRADER's business to build advanced predictive models leveraging statistics and mathematics to support business objectives such as acquisition and churn management, sales territory and channel optimization, product and price optimization, value-based segmentation as well as ad-hoc strategic and tactical issues.

This person will leverage expert capabilities in segmentation, optimization and statistical modeling to identify the appropriate analytical approach for a given client issue and build the solution with direction on implementation.

What you’ll do…

1. Pricing and Product Management

• Analyze existing pricing strategies and simulate potential changes to understand impact to customer segments, products, and revenues. Assess current performance against expectations and predict impact of implementing potential changes.
• Perform statistical analysis to evaluate critical areas for revenue improvement, while forecasting and optimizing customer penetration levels in order to maximize revenue
• Develop predictive models through all stages in the product life cycle

2. Customer Modeling and Segmentation

• Develop and maintain models to identify best acquisition targets based on value to autoTRADER, and likelihood to convert. Work with key internal stakeholders in Marketing and Sales to implement and continually back test and refine models as necessary
• Develop and maintain models to identify customers at risk of churning from autoTRADER; identify key churn drivers; work with business stakeholders to continually refine model to increase precision and effectiveness
• Extract, clean and transform customer data from across autoTRADER's business for the purposes of analysis, modeling

3. Sales Optimization

• Develop and maintain models to identify the optimal frequency of customer contact and best sales/ service channel by customer segment
• Work with the Sales and IT team and IT to integrate predictive models within Salesforce and other Trader systems as needed
• Analyze data to identify process and people gaps where data is essential for predictive models

4. Thought Leadership

• Develop best practices and standards for data modeling and management that improve the quality of the Marketing Intelligence team’s overall deliverables and increase its efficiency
• Develop comprehensive testing and measurement programs that quantify and optimize models developed with each successive execution
• Collaborate with BI, ISIT and Sales Operations to identify and secure data needed to increase the effectiveness of Trader’s predictive models
• Identify data required to enhance and improve model accuracy; provide input and advice to MI/BI teams as part of data roadmap with IT

What you bring to the table…

• High degree of autonomy – ability to work with product teams to identify requirements and communicate them effectively
• Strong business perspective – ability to understand medium-term (9-12m) implications of business decisions and react accordingly
• Strong communication skills – ability to work in both technical and business environments, and can communicate key findings and implications to business leaders
• Creative and innovative thinker with strong problem-solving skills
• Ability to interact professionally with all levels within and external to the organization
• Strong leadership, customer and delivery focus

Must have experience…

• Minimum 5 years of related work experience in statistical and mathematical model development, quantitative analysis, interpretation and communication to internal and external stakeholders. Experience in online businesses is strongly preferred.
• Development of models include innovative solutions that leverage large data sets focused on customer attributes, business attributes and transactional data. The person should have successfully implemented many analytically advanced models in production for clients/stakeholders with benchmark measurements based on outcome. Experience with pricing models and concepts such as price elasticity is strongly preferred
• Bachelors or Masters Degree in Mathematics/Statistics, Quantitative Science or Computer Science
• Expert level SQL querying skills; fluent in statistical programs (i.e. R, Python);
• Experience working and combining data from multiple source systems
• Working knowledge of Office Suite Applications (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Access, Outlook).

What’s in it for you…

• An environment built to help you be your creative best
• Competitive employee benefits program (medical, dental, vision and extended health care)
• Paid time off
• Professional Development dollars
• Retirement benefits
• Company Incentive plans
• Flexible work environment
• Team-building and Employee Appreciation events
• Employee and Family Assistance and Wellness Programs
• Gym membership discounts

Do we have your attention now? If so, we would love to hear from you!

At Trader Corporation, we welcome everyone to apply. We are committed to diversity and inclusion in our workplace, where every team member feels valued.