Positively disrupting an industry that has not seen any innovation in over 50 years, Tekion has challenged the paradigm with the first and fastest cloud-native automotive platform that includes the revolutionary Automotive Retail Cloud (ARC) for retailers, Automotive Enterprise Cloud (AEC) for manufacturers and other large automotive enterprises and Automotive Partner Cloud (APC) for technology and industry partners. Tekion connects the entire spectrum of the automotive retail ecosystem through one seamless platform. The transformative platform uses cutting-edge technology, big data, machine learning, and AI to seamlessly bring together OEMs, retailers/dealers and consumers. With its highly configurable integration and greater customer engagement capabilities, Tekion is enabling the best automotive retail experiences ever. Tekion employs close to 3,000 people across North America, Asia and Europe.
Summary:
Responsible for leading advanced applied science initiatives that drive innovation, optimize business outcomes, and expand the capabilities of data-driven products and services. This role requires strategic oversight, technical excellence, and the ability to translate scientific advancements into real-world applications. It involves cross-functional collaboration, mentoring, and execution of complex machine learning and artificial intelligence solutions.
Duties & Responsibilities:
• Lead a team of applied scientists and machine learning engineers in developing and deploying advanced models and algorithms.
• Drive the technical vision, research agenda, and roadmap for applied science initiatives aligned with business priorities.
• Oversee experimentation, evaluation, and deployment of machine learning models into production environments.
• Collaborate with Product, Engineering, and Data teams to integrate models into scalable systems.
• Champion best practices in scientific rigor, experimentation, reproducibility, and responsible AI.
• Mentor team members and foster a high-performance culture grounded in innovation and continuous learning.
• Monitor project progress, remove blockers, and ensure delivery of high-impact outcomes on time and within scope.
• Represent the applied science function in executive and strategic planning discussions.
Qualifications:
• PhD or Master’s degree in Machine Learning, Computer Science, Statistics, or a related field.
• 12+ years of experience in applied science or machine learning roles, including at least 3 years in a management role.
• Proven experience building and deploying ML models in production systems.
• Deep understanding of supervised, unsupervised, and deep learning techniques.
• Strong coding skills in Python and proficiency with ML frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and cross-functional leadership skills.
• Experience managing complex technical projects and delivering measurable business impact.
Current Tekion Employees: Please apply via the Internal Job Board in Ashby
Note: Tekion recently transitioned to a new recruiting tool and we appreciate your patience and feedback as we adjust to our new system!
Tekion is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, victim of violence or having a family member who is a victim of violence, the intersectionality of two or more protected categories, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.
For more information on our privacy practices, please refer to our Applicant Privacy Notice here.
Skills Required
- PhD or Master's degree in Machine Learning, Computer Science, Statistics, or a related field
- 12+ years of experience in applied science or machine learning roles
- At least 3 years of management experience
- Experience building and deploying machine learning models in production systems
- Deep understanding of supervised, unsupervised, and deep learning techniques
- Strong coding skills in Python
- Proficiency with PyTorch or TensorFlow
- Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and cross-functional leadership skills
- Experience managing complex technical projects and delivering measurable business impact
Tekion Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Tekion and has not been reviewed or approved by Tekion.
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare coverage includes 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision for many U.S. roles, often extending to families. Additional options like HSA/FSA and pet insurance are cited as part of a robust health offering.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is considered competitive overall, with total rewards (pay, stock, equity, and benefits) frequently viewed favorably. Many accounts characterize compensation as strong alongside comprehensive benefits.
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Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits — Perks such as free meals/snacks, wellness resources, and on-site amenities are highlighted. Flexible or remote options are available for some roles, adding convenience and flexibility.
Tekion Insights
What We Do
At Tekion, we believe that business applications don’t have to be boring. In fact, they should be simple, fun and cool! They should be as delightful to use as your favorite social or consumer application, yet powerful enough to seamlessly and efficiently run global businesses that provide unparalleled consumer experience without compromise. Founded by visionary entrepreneur and innovator Jay Vijayan, we are building the world’s best business applications on the cloud starting with the automotive retail industry. We inherently use cutting-edge technologies like big data, machine learning/AI, and human computer interaction (voice, touch, vision, sensors and IoT). We are inventing new technology along the way to overcome barriers and solve big problems, all while having a blast doing it! Our flagship product offering, Automotive Retail Cloud ™- an industry-first cloud-native retail platform, including all functionalities of a Dealer Management System (DMS) launched recently.
