Assistant Head – Data Science at Kobo360 Nigeria

Kobo360 is a technology firm that aggregates end-to-end haulage operations to help cargo owners, truck owners, drivers, and cargo recipients and businesses (shippers) achieve efficiency within their supply chain framework.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Assistant Head – Data Science

Location: Lagos
Unit: Technical Product Management
Reporting to: Head of Data Science

Requirements

• Experience: A candidate for this position has to have had at least 7 years of working experience in a data science position, preferably working as a Senior Data Scientist. The candidate for this position will have to be highly proficient and experienced in scripting languages and have rapid prototyping skills, that is, fluency in SQL, Python, Perl, Java, VB, among others.
• The candidate must also have a proven and successful experience track record of leading high-performing data analyst teams leading through the successful performance of advanced quantitative analyses and statistical modeling that positively impact business performance.
• A suitable candidate will also have had experience working with and influencing and possess vast experience and expertise with probability and statistics, inclusive of machine learning, experimental design, and optimization. As a bonus he will also have had experience working with Hadoop.
• Communication Skills: Communication skills will also be a necessity for the Head of Data Science. As a departmental leader he must be able to convey important messages and information down the line in order to ensure proper exception of duties by junior data science personnel.
• The Director of Data Science will also have to draft various reports and presentations that will be used by senior Data and Analytics management and executives for decision making and strategy development.
• Ms Office/Software: A suitable candidate will have outstanding skills in the use of Ms Word, Ms Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, which will all be necessary for the creation of both visually and verbally engaging reports and presentations, for senior data science management, executives, and stakeholders.
• The candidate must also demonstrate exceptionally good skills in SQL server reporting services, analysis services, Tableau, integration services, Salesforce, or any other data visualization tools.
• Technological Savvy/Analytical Skills: The Head of Data Science will also need to be technologically adept and especially demonstrate an understanding of database and computer software.
• The Director of Data Science must also be highly skilled in statistical and modeling packages such as SAS, Statistica, Matlab, R, visualization and other advanced analysis tools. He will also be an expert in data management programming such as SQL, PL-SQL, and Python as well as being familiar win the workings of motion-tracking data and time-series analyses.
• Interpersonal Skills: A suitable candidate for this position will be a team-builder, be result-oriented, be proactive and self-driven requiring minimal supervision, be open and welcoming to change, be a creative and strategic thinker, have innovative problem-solving skills, be highly organized, have an ability to handle multiple simultaneous tasks prioritize and meet tight deadlines, and demonstrate calmness in times of uncertainty and stress.
• People Skills: The Director of Data Science is a people person who is able to form strong, lasting, and meaningful bonds with other people. This will make him an approachable and trustworthy individual who junior personnel readily follow and who senior Data and Analytics executives and stakeholders trust and whoТs insights they give credit to, making execution of his duties that much easier.

Preferred Qualifications:

• The Assistant Head of Data Science has to have a master’s degree in Statistics, Machine Learning, Mathematics, Computer Science, Economics, or any other related quantitative field from a premier educational institute.
• Should be hands on with required technology skills

Key Responsibilities

• Leadership/Supervisory Role: This is the first and most prominent role of the Director of Data Science and in this leadership position he is responsible for playing the role of leading innovation within the business and, as such, he defines how the business creates additional value through the utilization of its data assets and analytics.
• He is tasked with consistently identifying and monitor key business risks and realizing the data needs of the business. The Director of Data Science manages the junior data science teams and oversees all activities ensuring alignment with departmental and business-wide vision and strategies.
• The Director of Data Science manages the business’s external data and analytics partners and plays a leading role in the development and design of the departmental vision, capabilities, infrastructure, and quarterly/annual roadmap for the launch of data sciences capabilities. It is also the role of the Head of Data Science to build the businessТs data science talent needs through role definition, recruitment, and development of a team of data scientists that will jointly move the business’s agenda forward.
• The Director of Data Science additionally plays a mentorship role to key data science positions, guiding them in them through the execution of their duties, and encouraging their professional growth in preparation for their occupation of his position in future.
• Strategy: The Director of Data Science also plays a strategic role where he is tasked with continuously improving the businessТs data analysis model, creating industry-leading performance through the leveraging of new and creative data-sources, and employing the latest in machine learning in the department.
• The Director of Data Science also scopes, designs, and implements machine-learning models to support the businessТs numerous initiatives and programs with a view of achieving overall objectives and targets. In this position, he matches and optimizes algorithms that are fundamental to the businessТs products/services identifying better matches that will ultimately improve the consumer experiences.
• Collaboration: The role of the Director of Data Science is a highly collaborative one and in this position he works closely with other Data and Analytics Teams, inclusive of data analytics, data warehousing, and data engineering teams in creating big data applications through the utilization of structured and unstructured data, designing optimal data architecture, and experimenting on new machine learning techniques.
• The Director of Data Science also works collaboratively with the senior Data and Analytics management and serves as a trusted advisor to this executive leadership in the creation and deployment of useful insights that inform and activate business strategies across the business. This collaboration sees the Head of Data Science translate models and validate key findings to Data and Analytics executive leadership.
• Analytics: The Director of Data Science will also play an analytical role where he will drive experimental data modeling designs within the business. He will constantly run A/B tests in order to evaluate changes in the businessТs product/services. It is also the duty of the director of Data Science to track the businessТs performance against data analysis model and monitor trends in key business KPIs, providing valuable insights to relevant departments for overall business performance improvement.
• The Director of Data Science will be required to draft regular reports for senior Data and Analytics reporting on departmental performance and presenting recommended models and departmental strategies for approval.
• Knowledge: The Director of Data Science is tasked with maintaining a deep understanding the businessТs marketplace dynamics. He takes initiative and conducts exploratory data analyses and experimental designs, which will help the business to better understand trends and behavior within these markets and settle on the most suitable strategies to drive success and achievements of goals and targets.
• Other Duties: The Director of Data Science performs similar duties as he deems fit for the proper execution of his duties and duties as delegated by the Director Analytics, Head of Data Science, or the Employer.

Deadline: 31st May, 2020

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their CV to: omomia@kobo360.com using the Job Title as subject of the email.

EEO Statement
At Kobo, we don’t just accept differences we thrive on them for the benefit of our people and our entire squad. Kobo 360 is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity at our company.