Head of Data Science & AI

Company Overview:
At Plume, and UP.Labs startup, we're redefining airline revenue management with our flagship product, Telos. We're a technology company purpose-built for airline commercial strategy, focused on helping airlines unlock the full potential of their data through intelligent, modular, and cloud-native solutions. We're bridging the gap between legacy systems and modern technology, enabling airlines to make smarter, data-driven decisions that directly impact their bottom line.
Position Summary:
We are seeking an exceptional, hands-on Head of Data Science and Intelligence to lead our data science initiatives for our embedded AI and predictive model product solutions. This role will directly develop solutions alongside data scientists while providing strategic direction for our data science function. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience with diverse data science methodologies, including LLMs, predictive modeling, and deploying models in production environments.
Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the development, testing, and implementation of embedded AI and data science solutions, including hands-on model building, testing, and deployment
• Work directly with data scientists to create innovative solutions using LLMs, predictive modeling, advanced analytical methods, and traditional modeling techniques
• Design and optimize algorithms for embedded AI applications with consideration for computational constraints
• Build and maintain production ML pipelines that can reliably serve predictions at scale
• Implement robust monitoring and evaluation frameworks for deployed models
• Develop strategies for model versioning, A/B testing, and gradual rollout of AI solutions
• Evaluate and incorporate emerging technologies and techniques to maintain a competitive advantage
• Communicate complex technical concepts and results to non-technical stakeholders and customers
• Establish best practices for model development, validation, and deployment
• Mentor and develop data science talent
• Collaborate cross-functionally with product, engineering, and business teams

Required Qualifications:

• 7+ years of practical experience in applied data science with 2+ years in leadership roles
• Strong track record of deploying ML models to production environments
• Experience building and maintaining ML pipelines for continuous training and deployment
• Expertise in model monitoring, testing, and quality assurance in production environments
• Proficiency with MLOps tools and best practices for model deployment
• Strong programming skills in Python and experience with data science libraries
• Extensive experience with machine learning techniques, including deep learning, natural language processing, and statistical modeling
• Experience with simulation techniques, predictive modeling, and regression analysis
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex business problems into effective data science solutions
• Strong communication skills with the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical audiences
• Experience leading and mentoring data science professionals

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree or PhD in Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, or a related quantitative field
• Experience in the travel and transportation industry
• Familiarity with hardware constraints and optimization for embedded AI systems
• Knowledge of advanced machine learning techniques and frameworks
• Experience with experimental design and A/B testing methodologies
• Experience with NLP and large language model applications
• Experience with Azure and DataBricks
• Knowledge of MLOps best practices and experience with ML deployment platforms
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines for ML models

Why Join Plume?

• At Plume, you'll be part of building the bridge between legacy airline systems and modern AI-driven revenue strategy. Our mission is to create an intelligent workspace for airline commercial teams, starting with sell-up revenue optimization but expanding to total revenue intelligence for the entire global airline industry.
• You'll work on Telos, our modular, cloud-native platform that operates independently of airlines' host systems, giving you the freedom to innovate without the constraints of rigid legacy platforms. Your work will directly impact how airlines make pricing decisions, with clear revenue attribution and immediate feedback loops.
• Join us to help transform how airlines approach commercial strategy and shape the future of revenue management in aviation.

UP.Labs Summary:
We build high-growth technology startups that enable faster, cleaner, and safer movement of people and goods. Our vision is to transform the moving world by pairing leading corporations and entrepreneurs with a proven methodology for launching and scaling software and hardware companies.
Our platform is unique in three ways:

1. Risk: We reward our entire team and ecosystem of partners with meaningful equity
2. Technology: We build and launch scalable technology products that form the basis for each venture
3. Industry Focus: We stay focused on the underlying fabric of society mobility and transportation

We work with corporate investors over a multi-year period to launch a portfolio of mobility-focused ventures. Our team is dedicated to the first year of a new venture’s life cycle: from ideation to minimum viable product build (and beyond) to recruiting and hiring the full-time team who will scale the business. We rapidly ideate concepts from scratch and vet them for early indicators of product-market fit.
Location: Remote in United States