Data Science Manager

Relay is fundamentally reshaping how goods move in an online era. Backed by Europe’s largest-ever logistics Series A ($35M), led by deep-tech investors Plural (whose portfolio spans fusion energy and space exploration), Relay is scaling faster than 99.98% of venture-backed startups. We're assembling the most talent-dense team the logistics industry has ever seen

Relay’s Mission is to free commerce from friction. Today, high delivery costs act as a hidden tax on e-commerce, quietly shaping what can be sold online and limiting who can participate. We envision a world where more goods move more freely between more people, making the online shopping experience seamless and accessible to everyone.

THE TEAM
• ~110 people, more than half in engineering, product and data
• 45+ advanced degrees across computer science, mathematics and operations research
• Thousands of data points captured, calculated, analysed and predicted for every single parcel we handle
• An intellectually vibrant culture of first‑principles thinking, tight feedback loops and relentless experimentation

The Opportunity

Relay's network runs on decisions. Where to send couriers. How to price a route. When to expand into a new area. Behind each of those decisions is a model, and behind each model is a data scientist who built it, tested it, and shipped it to production.

As Data Science Manager, you will lead a team of six data scientists working across some of the hardest problems in logistics: last-mile marketplace dynamics, courier performance and retention, route length estimation, network simulation, and telematics. These aren't research projects. They're production systems that shape how the network operates every day.

This is a new role. Relay's data team has grown quickly and the DS team has been operating with high autonomy, shipping models that directly impact the business. This role exists to set direction across domains, keep raising the bar on execution, and take a strong team to the next level. You will also shape how Data Science works as a function: setting up cross-team forums, establishing ways of working, and building the culture that lets the team scale.

You will stay close to our models. This is not a full-time IC role, but you will actively review meaningful changes, pair on complex problems, and step in on high-impact work when needed. You understand the system and our data deeply enough to make good technical calls, unblock the team, and raise the quality bar through example.

You will run a team that owns what it builds. That means turning ambiguity into plans, plans into delivery, and delivery into real-world impact. You will work tightly with Product, Engineering, and Operations to make tradeoffs explicit and keep the team focused on what matters most.

This role reports to the Director of Data.

What You'll Do

• Lead and grow a team of data scientists across multiple domains: marketplace, courier excellence, route length estimates, finance, and telematics

• Set technical direction and quality standards, reviewing meaningful work and stepping in on high-impact problems

• Own the DS roadmap: prioritise across competing demands, make tradeoffs explicit, and keep the team focused

• Partner with Product, Engineering, and Operations to turn ambiguity into plans and plans into production

• Build the team: hire strong data scientists, run a fair performance process, and help people grow in ways that compound over time

• Raise standards across velocity, model quality, and observability. When things break or slow down, you diagnose and fix

• Shape the DS function: establish cross-team forums, ways of working, and the culture that helps the team scale

Who Will Thrive in This Role?

• You're comfortable spending most of your time leading and enabling others, while still being willing, and able, to dive into the work when it matters

• You take full ownership of outcomes and don't wait for permission to improve things

• You care deeply about the people using and operating the systems your team builds: couriers, retailers, operatives, teammates, and consumers

• You do well in fast-moving, ambiguous environments and bring structure through action, not ceremony

• You communicate clearly, set clear metrics and goals for the team, give direct feedback, listen carefully, and collaborate deliberately

• You'll take on any problem, technical or otherwise, if it unblocks the team or improves results

Fast and Focused Hiring Process

1. Talent Acquisition Interview - 30 min

2. Hiring Manager Interview - 45 min

3. Case Study - 1 hour

4. Values & Impact Interview - 1 hour

5. Decision and offer within 48 hours. Our process mirrors our pace of work.

Compensation, Benefits & Workplace

• Generous equity, richer than 99% of European startups, with annual top-ups to share Relay’s success.

• Private health & dental coverage, so comprehensive you’d need to be a partner at a Magic Circle law firm to match it.

• 25 days of holidays

• Enhanced parental leave.

• Hardware of your choice.

• Extensive perks (gym subsidies, cycle-to-work, Friday office lunch, covered Uber home and dinner for late nights, and more).

• Located in Shoreditch, our office set-up enables the kind of in-person interactions that drive impact. We work 4 days on-site, with 1 day remote.

Who Thrives at Relay?

• Aim with Precision: You define problems clearly and measure your impact meticulously.

• Play to Win: You chase bold bets, tackle the hard stuff, and view constraints as fuel, not friction.

• 1% Better Every Day: You believe that small, consistent improvements lead to exponential growth. You move quickly, deliver results, and learn from every experience.

• All In, All the Time: You show up and step up. You take ownership from start to finish and do what it takes to deliver when it counts.

• People-Powered Greatness: You invest in your teammates. You give and receive feedback with care and candour. You build trust through high standards and shared success.

• Grow the Whole Pie: You seek out win-win solutions for merchants, couriers, and our customers, because when they thrive, so do we.
  If these resonate, and you combine strong technical fundamentals with entrepreneurial drive, let’s connect.

Relay is an equal-opportunity employer committed to diversity, inclusion, and fostering a workplace where everyone thrives.