Data Science Lead

About Spokeo:

Join our mission to make the world more transparent with data.

Spokeo is a people search engine that helps over 18 million monthly visitors reconnect with friends, reunite with families, and protect against fraud. Additionally, our 12 billion records and over 250 million unique profiles help business professionals locate people and assets, research criminal investigation subjects, and more.

Founded in 2006, we have grown to a remote-first company of nearly 200 dedicated employees with an average tenure of 4.5 years. Find out why we were named a “Best Company” for 2023 by Comparably for Women, Compensation, Happiest Employees, Company Perks & Benefits, and Work-Life Balance, as well as “Best CEO” for co-founder Harrison Tang.

About this Opportunity

We are seeking a Data Science Lead who will own the strategic vision and execution of Spokeo’s data science function. This individual will lead a team of data scientists, while also being hands-on in designing and deploying models that drive our core search and analytics capabilities, as well as providing business insights. The ideal candidate is a strong technical expert and an effective people leader who thrives in a fast-paced environment.

What you'll do:

• Leadership & Strategy: Define and drive Spokeo’s data science vision, ensuring alignment with business objectives and industry best practices.

• Model Development & Optimization: Design, implement, and enhance machine learning models for entity resolution, search relevance, fraud detection, and data fusion across billions of records.

• Data Infrastructure & Integration: Collaborate with engineering teams to develop scalable data pipelines and optimize data processing workflows.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Work closely with product, engineering, and marketing teams to translate business challenges into data-driven solutions.

• People Management: Mentor, develop, and grow a high-performing team of data scientists, ensuring continuous learning and innovation.

• Regulatory & Compliance: Ensure all data science initiatives align with privacy regulations and ethical AI guidelines.

• Innovation & Thought Leadership: Stay ahead of industry trends and introduce cutting-edge methodologies that enhance Spokeo’s data capabilities.

Key Deliverables (12-Month Horizon):

• Launch and optimize a new machine learning model that improves the accuracy and efficiency of Spokeo’s search and matching algorithms.

• Establish a robust experimentation framework to enable continuous A/B testing and model performance evaluation.

• Hire and develop top-tier talent, fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration within the data science team.

• Implement advanced data quality techniques to enhance the reliability and comprehensiveness of Spokeo’s datasets.

• Drive key business KPIs through the application of AI/ML techniques in customer segmentation, fraud detection, and personalization.

What you've done:

• MS or PhD in Computer Science, Data Science, AI/ML, Statistics, or a related field.

•  7+ years of hands-on experience in data science roles, with at least 3 years leading teams in a fast-paced tech environment.

• Strong proficiency in Python, SQL, and ML frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch, Scikit-learn).
• Experience with big data technologies (e.g., Spark, Hadoop, Snowflake) and cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure).
• Proven track record of deploying machine learning models at scale.
• Ability to translate complex data insights into actionable business strategies.
• Strong people management skills with a demonstrated ability to mentor and develop high-performing teams.
• Familiarity with information services, people search, or data aggregation industries is a plus.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in NLP, search ranking algorithms, or knowledge graph development.
• Background in privacy-focused data handling and ethical AI practices.
• Experience working with legal and compliance teams on data governance policies.