Senior Data Scientist

Job Description:

Here at Rakuten Kobo Inc. we offer a casual working start-up environment and a group of friendly and talented individuals. Our employees rank us highly in terms of commitment to work/life balance. We realize that for our people to be innovative, creative and passionate they need to feel valued and supported. We believe in rewarding all our employees with competitive salaries, performance based annual bonuses, stock options and training opportunities.
If you’re looking for a company that inspires passion, personal, and professional growth – join Kobo and come help us on our mission of making reading lives better.

The Role: 

Rakuten Kobo Inc. is seeking an experienced Data Scientist with expertise in developing data science and machine learning solutions using Google Cloud Platform data/AI technology stack to join our Data Science team. The Data Science team is focused on areas such as recommendation systems, NLP/LLM capabilities, and knowledge graph enablement, offering the candidate opportunities to contribute to one or more of these focus areas based on project needs. This role will encompass a range of responsibilities that will leverage your background in data science and cloud technology to assist Kobo with evaluating and improving our many consumer facing services & products.  
 

The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of working on a variety of data science projects, particularly machine learning models, recommendations engines, and LLM models, leveraging advanced machine learning and transformer-based deep learning models. You have knowledge and a successful track record of reading multiple complex research papers in the field of neural network, machine and deep learning (like Bert4Rec) and perform a critical review of them before proposing a suitable solution that matches our business requirements for the given problem as well as our compute environment. You will possess the technical proficiency to propose, implement, and work with engineering teams to deploy cutting-edge solutions in a cloud environment, collaborating with both technical and non-technical teams to develop solutions that drive innovation and develop a data-informed culture across the organization.  

The Skillset

Must Haves: 

• Minimum of a Master’s degree in Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Engineering, or a related field; PhD degree preferred. 
• Proven experience working with the Google Cloud Platform, including proficiency in BigQuery, Vertex AI Platform, or similar stack in Amazon Cloud or Azure.
• Solid understanding and experience working with large-scale datasets in a cloud environment. 
• Advanced proficiency in SQL for data manipulation, querying, and transformation.  
• Strong programming skills in languages such as Python, with experience in building and deploying predictive or machine learning models.
• Experience developing and deploying recommendation systems, NLP/LLM systems, and/or graph algorithms
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively collaborate with stakeholders at all levels of the organization. 
• Track record of successfully leading data science projects from conception to completion. 
• Experience working in an Agile environment
   

Nice to Have: 

• Hands on experience sharing self-serve data using tools like Tableau, Domo, etc.
• Familiarity with MLOps practices and tools for managing the lifecycle of machine learning models
• Familiarity with the ebook, audiobook, or publishing industry. 
• Knowledge of data governance: legal requirements and best practices (GDPR, CCPA, ...) 

The Perks:

• Flexible hours and hybrid remote working environment
• Subsidized in-office lunches
• Full benefits starting from your first day
• Paid Volunteer days, unlimited sick days, and 3% RRSP matching
• Monthly commuting allowance for those who are hybrid
• Lifestyle spending account
• Talent and development training budget
• Free Kobo device + free weekly e-book or audiobook
• Weekly Kobo Tech University sessions
• Maternity/paternity leave top up
• Dog friendly office

About Rakuten Kobo Inc.
Owned by Tokyo-based Rakuten and headquartered in Toronto, Rakuten Kobo Inc. is one of the most advanced global ecommerce companies, with the world’s most innovative e-reading services offering more than 6 million eBooks and audiobooks to 30 million + customers in 190 countries. Kobo delivers the best digital reading experience through creative innovation, award-winning e-readers, and top-ranking mobile apps. Kobo is a part of the Rakuten group of companies.
Rakuten Kobo Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. Accessibility accommodations for candidates with disabilities participating in the selection process are available on request. Any information received related to accommodation needs of applicants will be addressed confidentially.

Rakuten Kobo would like to thank all applicants for their interest in this role however only qualified candidates will be shortlisted.

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