Lead Data Scientist

Location: Remote (except California)

Status: Full-time

At Marketing Architects, we believe TV advertising is still the most powerful marketing channel. But the typical process for TV is expensive, difficult to scale and to measure. So we flipped the traditional approach on its head and rebuilt the agency model with the client in mind. Today, we're growing a team of talent from across the United States to reimagine how brands advertise on TV.

ROLE OVERVIEW:

You will lead a small, but mighty, team of data scientists to deliver high-impact machine learning systems and decision intelligence across the business. You’ll own the roadmap and partner with leaders to turn opportunities into deployed models and measurable outcomes. You’ll coach, hire, and develop talent while shaping our ML strategy, standards, and best practices.

What you'll do:

Lead & Grow the Team

• Manage, mentor, and recruit data scientists; set goals, coach, and build a culture of experimentation, speed-to-market, and innovation.

• Establish DS/ML best practices (code review, design docs, experiment hygiene, model cards, documentation).

Set Strategy & Roadmap

• Translate company priorities into a quarterly DS roadmap; define problem framing, success metrics, and stage-gates from research → production.

• Prioritize initiatives via ROI, risk, and time-to-value; socialize trade-offs with stakeholders.

Deliver Models that Ship

• Oversee development of supervised/unsupervised, NLP/CV, and forecasting models using Python (pandas, scikit-learn, PyTorch/TensorFlow) and SQL.

• Partner with MLE/Platform on MLOps (feature stores, MLflow, CI/CD, model monitoring, drift/decay, data quality SLAs).

• Ensure reliable deployment on cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP), Databricks, Docker/Kubernetes.

Raise Data Quality

• Champion data collection, labeling, and preprocessing standards; partner with Data Engineering on pipelines, observability, and lineage.

Stakeholder Leadership

• Act as the primary Data Scientist point of contact for cross-functional leaders; communicate technical concepts in plain language; negotiate scope and timelines.

QUALIFIATIONS (What you'll bring)

• Experience: 7–10+ years in data science/ML with 2–4+ years leading or managing data scientists (hiring, performance management, career growth).

• Technical Depth: Proficiency in Python (pandas, NumPy, scikit-learn; plus PyTorch or TensorFlow), SQL, and model lifecycle from exploration to production.

• Platform & MLOps: Hands-on with cloud (AWS/Azure/GCP), Databricks, MLflow, Docker; insight with feature stores, monitoring, and CI/CD.

• Experimentation & Inference: Deep comprehension of experimental design, metrics, causal methods, and interpreting real-world impact.

• Product Sense & Communication: Track record of scoping ambiguous problems, defining success metrics, and communicating trade-offs to execs.

• Leadership: Demonstrated ability to set vision, build process, and foster an inclusive, high-performance team culture.

• Exposure to real-time inference, streaming data, or reinforcement learning.

• Domain comprehension in our industry; privacy/ethics frameworks for ML in production.

OUR VALUES:

Hungry Humble Smart: We seek a trifecta of talent. We take initiative and act with urgency. Look inwards before outwards. Value EQ over IQ.

Mindset Matters: Success starts between our ears. We face challenges with a calm confidence and pivot quickly. As eternal optimists, we know we are capable of great things and have survived worse. Our best days are always ahead.

Team Is Hero: We, not me. Being a hero is a team sport and it's the unique talents of many that make us one of a kind. No one person can win the day, but great teams can change the world.

Rebel Against Ordinary: We reject the ordinary to deliver the extraordinary. We are contrarians by choice. We take the path less chosen and if the way forward isn't clear, we will create it.

Relentless Learning: We never stop learning. The next book. The next podcast. The next big idea. Driven to broaden what we know. Because the more we discover what we don't, the more exciting the journey becomes.

BENEFITS OVERVIEW:

We offer rewarding careers that encourage growth while providing industry-leading benefits including:

• 100% employer-paid medical, dental and disability, with vision option

• Generous 401(k) matching

• Flexible paid time off, 9 paid holidays plus 2 floating holidays

• Paid parental leave (for birthing and non-birthing parents, including adoption)

• Annual office supply allowance, monthly internet stipend, and employer-paid cell phone

• Opportunities to connect virtually, and in-person twice a year with our fully remote team

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Marketing Architects is an All-Inclusive TV agency that gives performance brands access to high-quality, effective TV campaigns without the traditional high entry cost and ongoing challenges of optimization, scale, and measurement. Founded in Minneapolis, Marketing Architects has been helping companies connect with their customers in new and inspiring ways for more than 25 years.

We want applications from everyone, regardless of race, creed, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, marital status, citizen status, age, disability, military or protected veteran status, genetic predisposition or carrier status or any other legally protected status.

Our remote-friendly work model supports flexibility across the US, however we are currently unable to support employment in California. We are unable to consider applicants who live outside of the US.

At this time, we're not considering candidates that need any type of immigration sponsorship (additional work authorization or permanent work authorization) now or in the future. This includes, but is not limited to: F1-OPT, F1-CPT, H-1B, TN, L-1, J-1, etc.

The actual base pay is dependent upon many factors, such as: training, transferable skills, work experience, business needs, location and market demands. The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future. #LI-Remote