Data Science Manager - Merchants Team

About this role

DATA SCIENCE MANAGER – MERCHANTS TEAM Join us in our mission to transform the way people shop and eat, where impact, innovation and growth drive everything we do. Our Data Science organisation sits at the heart of Deliveroo, powering decision-making across product, commercial and operational teams through experimentation, causal inference and applied machine learning. We’re hiring a Data Science Manager to join our Merchants team. Merchants are central to Deliveroo’s marketplace: they drive selection, order volume and a significant proportion of the value created across the business. You’ll lead a team focused on helping Deliveroo acquire, onboard, support and retain the right merchant partners. You’ll work across a broad set of merchant problems, from identifying the restaurants, grocers and retailers we should partner with, to improving order management, reducing merchant defects and helping partners manage their business more effectively through self-serve tools and communications. This role is based in London and sits within the wider Merchants Data Science team. You’ll report to a Senior Data Science Manager and partner closely with Product, Engineering, Strategy, Operations and Commercial teams. WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING You’ll own the analytical direction and measurable impact of a defined area within Merchants, while leading and developing a team of approximately four to seven data scientists. The team already has several data scientists in place and is continuing to grow. You’ll help shape that growth, build a high-performing team and bring structure to a fast-moving and ambiguous environment. Depending on the final scope, your team may work across areas such as: - merchant acquisition and onboarding, including identifying the most valuable restaurants, grocers and retailers to partner with; - improving models used to understand restaurant, grocery and retail supply; - merchant order management and reducing defects such as missing items, inaccurate orders, menu issues and rider waiting time; - merchant account management, churn and retention; - self-service tools, automated communications and partner support. You’ll identify high-value problems, guide the team’s analytical approach and ensure the work drives clear product, operational or commercial decisions. You’ll partner closely with senior stakeholders across Product, Engineering, Strategy, Operations and Commercial to shape priorities, make trade-offs and focus on the highest-impact areas. This is a hands-on management role with meaningful technical involvement. You should be comfortable getting into the detail and unblocking work, while prioritising people leadership and strategic direction. You’ll also maintain high analytical standards, delegate effectively and support team development through coaching and feedback. WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO THRIVE Our ideal candidate will bring: - Experience line managing data scientists and developing high-performing teams - A strong background as a senior data science individual contributor - Expertise in experimentation, causal inference or applied machine learning - The ability to guide technical work and translate data science into product, operational or commercial decisions - Strong stakeholder management skills and confidence working with senior leaders - The ability to bring structure to ambiguity, prioritise effectively and shape a clear roadmap Experience working with merchants, marketplaces, restaurants, grocery, retail or B2B products would be valuable, but is not essential. We’re more interested in your ability to solve complex, non-standard problems within a multi-sided marketplace. WHY JOIN US? Merchants are fundamental to Deliveroo’s success. The strength of our merchant network directly affects customer choice, order volume and the performance of the wider marketplace. In this role, you’ll work on complex, high-impact problems across product, commercial strategy and operations. You’ll have significant autonomy to shape the team’s roadmap, influence senior stakeholders and develop a growing team of strong data scientists. You’ll also have the opportunity to apply experimentation, causal inference, machine learning and AI to problems that directly affect Deliveroo’s growth, profitability and merchant experience. We’re looking for someone who is comfortable with ambiguity, can create structure where needed and can align teams around the most important problems. DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION At Deliveroo, we believe great workplaces reflect the world around us. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion or belief. If you require adjustments at any stage of the application or interview process, please let us know. We’re committed to ensuring everyone has an equitable opportunity to succeed. Ready to shape how Deliveroo works with the merchants at the heart of our marketplace? Apply today.