Director of Data Science

About Andela:

At Andela, we know brilliance is evenly distributed around the world, but opportunity is not. For over 10 years, Andela has connected its customers with top global, remote technical talent from over 135 countries with the majority residing in emerging markets like Africa and Latin America.

As one of the world’s largest talent marketplaces, Andela gives companies greater flexibility to quickly deploy qualified technologists. With talent highly skilled in advanced technologies to support Application Development, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud & DevOps, Data Engineering, and much more, customers experience 33% faster project delivery. The company’s exclusive AI-powered platform, Andela Talent Cloud, is the industry’s only unified platform managing the complete global talent lifecycle and enables customers to fill individual roles or engage fully managed teams up to 66% faster.

Andela is on the precipice of two breakout industry transformations: one in staffing/hiring and the other in software development, both accelerated by generative AI.

Join us and change the world.

We are seeking a Director of Data Science to lead and grow our data science function, driving innovation across our technology marketplace platform for engineering talent and our cutting-edge Generative AI (GenAI) managed solutions for enterprise clients. In this role, you will set the strategic vision for data science, guide the development of world-class marketplace matching algorithms, and ensure our AI capabilities deliver measurable business value. You will lead a high-performing team of data scientists, fostering a culture of experimentation, excellence, and impact.

Exceptional Leadership:

As an Andelan and a leader, and you’ll serve as a role model for the rest of the company. Think about the feedback your peers typically give you – if it usually sounds like the below, we want to hear from you. 

• Low ego, low drama, servant leader: You share credit, take blame. You like being wrong because it means someone else had an even better idea. 

• One team mentality: You break silos across teams. You put the company and mission first above yourself and team alone. 

• Great listener, hungry for feedback: You’re always seeking to improve – our product, our business, yourself. You solicit diverse opinions and deeply listen. 

• Owner, not renter: You see a problem, you fix it or find someone who will. The buck stops with you.

• Player-coach: You roll up your sleeves and get scrappy. You do this by proactively collaborating with your team while actively engaging in important details. 

• Business problem solver: You’re not just a functional expert; you consistently get praise for approaching your function through the lens of solving business problems. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Define and own the company’s data science strategy, aligning AI and analytics initiatives with business priorities and long-term growth objectives.

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of data scientists, ensuring they have the tools, skills, and guidance needed to excel.

• Oversee the design, validation, and deployment of advanced statistical, machine learning, and generative AI models for marketplace matching, recommendation systems, and predictive analytics.

• Build a strong experimentation culture, embedding best practices in A/B testing, causal inference, and statistical validation across the team.

• Collaborate with engineering, product, and client-facing teams to ensure seamless integration of models into production environments and client solutions.

• Drive thought leadership, representing the company in industry forums, academic collaborations, and strategic partnerships.

• Monitor emerging trends in AI, GenAI, and marketplace technologies, proactively steering the team toward high-value innovations.

• Ensure data science initiatives are delivered on time, on budget, and with measurable business impact.
   

Qualifications

• Advanced degree (Ph.D. or Master’s) in a STEM discipline (Mathematics, Computer Science, Statistics, Physics, Engineering) with strong research credentials.

• Extensive experience leading data science teams in high-growth technology or AI-driven environments.

• Proven track record of delivering machine learning and generative AI solutions at scale, ideally in marketplace or recommendation system contexts.

• Strong expertise in statistical modeling, optimization algorithms, and applied machine learning.

• Executive-level communication skills, able to influence technical and non-technical stakeholders and guide strategic decision-making.

• Demonstrated ability to hire, grow, and retain top-tier data science talent.

#LI-REMOTE

#LI-RDR

Benefits

• Fully Remote work culture - we hire globally and all of our roles are fully remote!

• Bring your own device stipend - buy your own laptop with funds from Andela

• Flexible working hours

• Equity (as a part of the compensation package)

• Healthcare, 401k / pension

• Generous Paid Time Off, Parental Leave, Compassionate Leave

And more to come! We're on a journey to reimagine global benefits at Andela.

At Andela, we outcompete through diversity. We know that our strengths lie in the multiplicity of talents, perspectives, backgrounds & orientations resident in our community and we take pride in that. Andela is committed to a work environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. Each individual has the right to work in a professional atmosphere that promotes equal employment opportunities and prohibits discriminatory practices. Andela provides equal employment opportunities and workplace to all employees and applicants without regard to factors including but not limited to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, pregnancy (including breastfeeding), genetic information, HIV/AIDS or any other medical status, family or parental status, marital status, amnesty or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. This commitment applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including but not limited to hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training. Our policies expressly prohibit any form of harassment and/or discrimination as stated above.
Andela is home for all, come as you are.