Head of Data Science & Analytics Engineering

#TeamNextdoor

Nextdoor is where you connect to the neighborhoods that matter to you so you can belong. Our purpose is to cultivate a kinder world where everyone has a neighborhood they can rely on.

Neighbors around the world turn to Nextdoor daily to receive trusted information, give and get help, get things done, and build real-world connections with those nearby — neighbors, businesses, and public services. Today, neighbors rely on Nextdoor in more than 335,000 neighborhoods across 11 countries.

Meet Your Future Neighbors

At Nextdoor, we are committed to our mission of being the essential network to discover, connect, achieve, and belong within your local community.  As the Head of Data Science & Analytics, you’ll be part of a senior leadership team that drives our overall company strategy, and you and your team will work to optimize value for all types of business customers, whether they be multinational brands, a neighborhood dry cleaner, or your babysitter down the street. Your team’s work is mission-critical to driving the company’s overall growth and success.

Our Data Science team designs and oversees product experiments, owns complex analyses to drive company and product strategy, and deploys online and offline models to a production environment. We use a semi-embedded team structure, in which a group of data team members works on a specific product or pillar, interfacing directly with product and engineering stakeholders. Our Data Science group comprises people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives, trained in fields as wide-ranging as psychology, geology, physics, and statistics. We are the mathematical decision scientists for the product development organization and we play an active and collaborative role in building and improving the product.

The Impact You’ll Make

As the Head of Data Science and Analytics, you will be responsible for providing strategic leadership, vision, and direction to our data science and analytics engineering team. You will collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders to identify business opportunities, define data-driven strategies, and develop innovative solutions to enhance our products, services, and operations. This role requires a deep understanding of advanced analytics, machine learning, and statistical modeling, as well as the ability to translate complex data insights into actionable business recommendations.

Some of the areas of focus include:

• Lead and manage the data science team, fostering a collaborative and high-performing culture
• Develop and implement the data science strategy aligned with the company's overall goals and objectives
• Drive innovation by identifying and prioritizing data science opportunities to optimize processes, improve customer experiences, and generate business value
• Oversee the end-to-end data science lifecycle, from data collection and preprocessing to model development, evaluation, and deployment
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including machine learning/engineering, product management, and business stakeholders, to define data requirements and deliver data-driven solutions
• Provide guidance and expertise in the selection and application of appropriate machine learning algorithms, statistical models, and data visualization techniques
• Ensure the team utilizes best practices in data governance, data quality, and data security to maintain the integrity and confidentiality of sensitive data
• Stay up to date with the latest advancements in data science, machine learning, and related technologies, and evaluate their potential application within the company
• Mentor and develop the skills of team members, fostering their professional growth and creating opportunities for knowledge sharing
• Effectively communicate complex data insights and recommendations to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, facilitating data-driven decision-making at all levels of the organization
• Recruit, build, coach, and mentor, and reinforce data excellence
• Promote a culture of feedback and transparent communication

What You’ll Bring To The Team

• This is a senior leadership position, reporting to the CTO. A minimum of 10 years of industry experience in data science or a related field (5 years minimum in people management), with a proven track record of leading successful consumer/social media data science initiatives.
• A master's or doctoral degree in a quantitative field (e.g., data science, computer science, statistics, mathematics) is preferred
• Strong expertise in advanced analytics, machine learning, statistical modeling, and data visualization
• Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, R, or SQL, as well as experience with data manipulation and analysis tools
• Experience with big data technologies and distributed computing frameworks (e.g., Hadoop, Spark) is highly desirable
• Solid understanding of data governance, data management, and data security principles
• Strong problem-solving and critical-thinking abilities, with a keen eye for detail
• Outstanding communication and presentation skills, with the ability to effectively convey complex ideas to technical and non-technical audiences
• Collaborative, thoughtful, and strategic leadership; comfortable with open communication and giving/receiving constructive feedback respectfully, with the ability to inspire and motivate a diverse group of data scientists and analytical engineers