Head of Applied Science

Location Berlin Contract Full time Job Category Applied Science & Research The Pricing Platform is responsible for algorithmic pricing, pricing tooling, and measurement systems. Zalando’s efficient growth relies on our ability to drive key consumer-facing aspects through a platform approach. The prices consumers see and transact against are critical in the customer journey. The majority of prices customers see are algorithmically generated via the pricing platform, and the remaining prices are done using tools the platform designs. This position directly manages the prices for SKUs from thousands of brands for nearly 50 million customers totalling several billions in revenue and is central to Zalando’s commercial strategy of seeking profitable growth. As the Head of Applied Science within our Pricing Platform team, you will manage the scientific aspects of our platform, overseeing the models, associated research, and product development. Your responsibilities will include: - Overseeing the science contained within the production optimization systems that manage the highly granular and seasonal pricing. - Providing thought leadership and project guidance for prioritisation of continuous enhancements to the algorithmic pricing - Conducting research for long-term value opportunities, including design, development, testing and experimentation. - Performing internal assessments of systems and processes, as well as discovering new innovative pricing science through external research, networking and scientific community participation. - Managing the formulation of economic models that translate current business processes into scalable, systematic, and science-based solutions. - Overseeing demand modelling, forecasting, and inventory management for both constrained and replenishable supply. - Collaborating, effectively communicating, and facilitating training and education with diverse stakeholders which include other principals, engineers, product managers, leaders, and executives. - Manage the metrics and measurement for key pricing initiatives and systems from “cradle-to-grave” including the stages of quantification of benefits, exploratory research, A/B testing, validation, experimentation, advanced analytics, and post implementation assessments of value. This role requires balancing a practical approach with a "keep it simple" mentality while simultaneously seeking highly sophisticated, state-of-the-art solutions. You will need excellent communication skills and innovative methods to explain models to various levels within the organisation. You will lead teams of science and engineering along with individual contributors. It will be required that you take ownership of your department's results, ensuring that new and existing data-driven capabilities across multiple product areas continue to deliver value. Furthermore, you will build multiple high-performing teams that deliver substantial projects contributing to the overall company strategy. **What We Are Looking For**: - Proven ability to independently develop long-term roadmaps for research topics that span multiple product areas and align with concrete business goals. - Experience in managing both department-wide and cross-department delivery projects, with the ability to define clear paths to completion despite high uncertainty. - Deep understanding of business challenges faced by multiple product areas and a proactive approach to finding creative solutions. - Strong leadership skills with a track record of building and managing high-performing teams. - Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to present complex insights to various stakeholders. **Qualifications**: - Advanced degree with a PhD preferred in Economics, Applied Science, Data Science, Statistics, or a related field. - Extensive experience in a similar role, preferably within a pricing discipline. - Strong technical background with proficiency in relevant tools and technologies. **PERKS AT WORK**: - Culture of trust, empowerment and constructive feedback, open source commitment, meetups, game nights, 70+ internal technical and fun guilds, knowledge sharing through tech talks, internal tech academy and blogs, product demos, parties & events. - Competitive salary, employee share shop, 40% Zalando shopping discount, discounts from external partners, centrally located offices, public transport discounts, municipality services, great - IT equipment, flexible working times, additional holidays and volunteering time off, free beverages and fruits, diverse sports and health offerings. - Extensive onboarding, mentoring and personal development opportunities and an international team of experts. - Relocation assistance for internationals, PME family service and parent & child rooms* (*available in selected locations) - _ We celebrate diversity and are committed to building teams that represent a variety of backgrounds, perspectives and skills. All employ