Data Scientist, Natural Language Interfaces

Key Skills

Algorithms, Analytical and Problem solving, Data science techniques, Effective communication skills, Large Language Models - LLMs, Linear regression, Machine learning techniques, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Neural Networks, Python Programming, SQL, Statistics

Job Description

At Klaviyo, we value the unique backgrounds, experiences and perspectives each Klaviyo (we call ourselves Klaviyos) brings to our workplace each and every day. We believe everyone deserves a fair shot at success and appreciate the experiences each person brings beyond the traditional job requirements. If you’re a close but not exact match with the description, we hope you’ll still consider applying. Want to learn more about life at Klaviyo? Visit careers.klaviyo.com to see how we empower creators to own their own destiny.

About the team:

Our team, Natural Language Interfaces, is responsible for developing customer-facing, chat-based features in the Klaviyo app. This is a relatively new team working with Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques and cutting-edge Large Language Models (LLMs) to improve the user experience. You’ll be coming in as one of our primary data scientists on the team and will have the chance to radically impact how customers use some of the core features of the Klaviyo app on a daily basis.

As a Data Scientist, you’ll also be a member of the broader Klaviyo Data Science Team, working alongside dozens of other Data Scientists to help solve high-impact problems facing our customers and business partners.

About the role:

We’re looking for a motivated Data Scientist to join our team and help build chat-based models for customers into the Klaviyo app. We’re looking for someone who can build, train, and deploy models, work directly with technical and non-technical stakeholders to scope projects, and adjust to learnings on the fly. The ideal candidate has a strong background in data science, statistics, and machine learning, and is motivated to learn about the areas they work in deeply enough to gain expertise, but is also efficient and solution-oriented. The right candidate will have a solid fundamental grasp on a number of data science modeling and problem-solving techniques, and should be comfortable working in a fast-paced research and development setting. Note that this role will have an especially heavy emphasis on NLP and LLMs given the focus on building chat-style features for users.

You will work alongside a multifaceted team of product managers, product analysts, designers, design researchers, engineers, and other data scientists to focus on integrating natural language based tools into the Klaviyo experience. Think ChatGPT but for our marketing platform. The work you do will have a direct and measurable impact on Klaviyo customers and how they interface with our platform.

You will also play a role in mentoring others on the data science team. You’ll review their math and statistics work as well as their code to ensure high quality, and you’ll share your knowledge with the team to help others learn.

Please note that this role is based in Boston and requires a hybrid, onsite component. 

How you’ll have an impact:

• You will work alongside product managers and design researchers to understand customer pain points and scope potential data science solutions to these problems
• The machine learning models you build will fundamentally change the way that Klaviyo customers interact with our platform
• You will have an opportunity to own projects from end to end, from scoping to maintenance post-delivery
• Your work will require you to read up on recent advancements in LLMs and NLP which will help Klaviyo build up expertise in this space
• You will execute on technical work, with an emphasis on the ability to work iteratively and adapt to what the data tells us and/or changes in business/customer needs
• You will choose the right solution for the problem at hand rather than relying on “one-size-fits-all” approaches
• You will be responsible for mentoring other data science team members through statistical and code reviews

What we’re looking for:

• Strong fundamental understanding of statistical and/or machine learning algorithms (e.g. regression models, tree-based methods, NLP, LLMs, clustering, neural networks) as well as ways to evaluate and validate the performance of those models
• A motivated problem solver who enjoys the high-risk research aspect of data science, i.e. capable and excited to learn from null or negative results and iterate to a better solution
• Ability to write clean, intelligible code in Python, including experience with data science tools and packages
• Ability to collaborate radically and communicate clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Ability to work independently in a research-driven capacity - first by thinking critically about problems and brainstorming potential solutions and then by implementing and testing these ideas on actual data
• Bachelor’s or advanced degree in statistics, applied mathematics, computer science or other relevant quantitative discipline, or equivalent industry experience

Nice to have:

• Prior data science experience in industry
• Proven track record of collaborating with business stakeholders to successfully address customer and business challenges through data-driven approaches
• Demonstrated experience utilizing LLMs and prompt engineering best-practices to develop scalable and efficient solutions
• Proficiency in writing high-quality code for production deployment, conducting code reviews, and deploying to a production environment
• Advanced knowledge of SQL including complex query formulation and optimization
• Strong foundation in formal research methodologies, with the ability to design, implement, and analyze experiments to promote data-driven decision-making

Get to Know Klaviyo

We’re Klaviyo (pronounced clay-vee-oh). We empower creators to own their destiny by making first-party data accessible and actionable like never before. We see limitless potential for the technology we’re developing to nurture personalized experiences in ecommerce and beyond. To reach our goals, we need our own crew of remarkable creators—ambitious and collaborative teammates who stay focused on our north star: delighting our customers. If you’re ready to do the best work of your career, where you’ll be welcomed as your whole self from day one and supported with generous benefits, we hope you’ll join us.