# Lead Data Scientist – Network Planning and Design

**Company**: Target
**Work arrangement**: hybrid
**Experience**: senior
**Job type**: full-time
**Salary**: $132,000.00 - $286,000.00
**Category**: Data Science
**Industry**: Retail

**Apply**: https://target.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/targetcareers/job/1000-Nicollet-Mall-MinneapolisMN-55403-2542/Lead-Data-Scientist---Network-Planning-and-Design--applied-ML--optimization--simulation-_R0000476520?utm_source=yubhub.co&utm_medium=jobs_feed&utm_campaign=apply
**Canonical**: https://yubhub.co/jobs/job_9147da0e-2fb

## Description

We are seeking a Lead Data Scientist – Network Planning and Design to join our Target Data Sciences - Supply Chain Optimization team. As a Lead Data Scientist, you will be responsible for building analytical models and decision-support systems that shape Target's long-term supply chain architecture and investment roadmap.

The pay range for this position is $132,000.00 - $286,000.00, and Target offers comprehensive health benefits, 401(k), employee discount, short-term disability, long-term disability, paid sick leave, paid national holidays, and paid vacation.

Responsibilities:

- Define and structure ambiguous supply chain problems into clear frameworks for decision-making

- Synthesize insights into compelling narratives for executive audiences and guide decision-making at scale

- Influence senior stakeholders across Supply Chain, Operations, Finance, Technology, Strategy, and Merchandising

- Own the development of optimization, simulation, forecasting, digital twin, and machine learning capabilities supporting Target's long-term network strategy

- Apply operations research and advanced analytics to decisions including network footprint, capacity planning, inventory placement, product flow, automation, transportation, and reverse logistics

- Ensure models accurately represent real-world constraints, uncertainty, and operating dynamics while remaining scalable and actionable

- Establish strong practices for scenario analysis, sensitivity testing, model validation, and decision support

- Build reusable analytical capabilities that enable faster and more consistent strategic decision-making

- Partner across Supply Chain, Operations, Finance, Technology, Strategy, and Merchandising teams to maintain a strong pulse on customer needs, priorities, and decision contexts

- Drive clarity across cross-functional teams regarding constraints, assumptions, and strategic implications

- Partner with Engineering, Product, and Technology teams to transform analytical models into scalable decision-support tools and products

- Advance the use of modern optimization solvers, cloud computing, machine learning, and AI where they improve model performance or decision quality

- Mentor and coach data scientists and analysts in structured problem-solving, systems thinking, and executive communication

Requirements:

- PhD/MS in Operations Research, Industrial Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Physics, or related quantitative field

- 5+ years of experience leading large-scale implementations of supply chain optimization, simulation, and machine learning modeling end-to-end

- Demonstrated proficiency in one or more programming languages: Python, R, Kotlin, or Java

- Demonstrated experience writing highly performant code and deploying algorithms in a production environment

- Experience working with large event-driven distributed systems and multi-threaded applications

- Experience in application/software architecture

- Experience writing production datasets in SQL/Hive or building internal/production data tools for research or experimentation in a scripting language like Python

- Experience working with mathematical optimization libraries or solvers

- Passion for solving relevant real-world problems using a data science approach

- Excellent communication skills with an ability to clearly tell data-driven stories

## Skills

### Required
- Python
- R
- Kotlin
- Java
- operations research
- machine learning
- data science
- optimization
- simulation
- forecasting
- digital twin
- SQL
- Hive

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Source: [Apply at target.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com](https://target.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/targetcareers/job/1000-Nicollet-Mall-MinneapolisMN-55403-2542/Lead-Data-Scientist---Network-Planning-and-Design--applied-ML--optimization--simulation-_R0000476520?utm_source=yubhub.co&utm_medium=jobs_feed&utm_campaign=apply)