Lead Data Scientist

At we make it deliciously simple to eat well and feel good every day. We are guided by a Mediterranean heritage that's been perfecting how to eat and live for four thousand years. We prioritize authenticity, curiosity, and the pursuit of excellence in everything we do. We are working towards something big, together., CAVA is looking for a lead data scientist that will help us discover the information hidden in vast amounts of data, help us make smarter decisions, improve productivity and deliver even better guest experiences. To help CAVA establish scalable AI/ML practices and utilization, your focus will be in applying data mining techniques, performing statistical modeling and analysis, machine learning, and building high quality prediction systems integrated with our platforms and applications. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in analytics, with expertise in leveraging Databricks and open source tools to drive actionable insights, optimize operations, and enhance customer experiences.

What You'll Do:

• Develop and implement machine learning models and algorithms to support business objectives, including predictive analytics, demand forecasting, and other business tools leveraging data and AI.

• Perform data mining and statistical analysis to extract meaningful insights from large, complex datasets, including potential third-party data sets.

• Enhance data collection and processing workflows to ensure data accuracy, relevance, and integrity.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams across marketing, operations, and IT to create, validate, and integrate AI/ML solutions into existing platforms and applications.

• Create, maintain, monitor models for business uses including, but not limited to labor models, price optimization, menu evaluation, customer segmentation, next-best-action marketing, real estate assessment, etc.

• Create automated systems for anomaly detection, performance tracking, and reporting.

• Leverage advanced analytics and large language models (LLMs) to provide actionable insights and summarize key business trends.

• Design and execute A/B tests and other experiments to validate hypotheses and optimize strategies.

• Document model development processes, performance metrics, and findings to ensure transparency and reproducibility.

• Processing, cleansing, and verifying the integrity of data used for analysis

• Performing ad-hoc analysis and presenting results in a clear manner

• Utilize Analytical AI algorithms (e.g., linear regression, decision trees, boosted trees models) to automatically gather insights that will be presented in the commercial reporting solution of the company.

• Leverage anomaly detection algorithms (e.g., isolation forest) to identify anomalies within the data and generate alerts for the commercial reporting team.

• Oversee the extraction, preparation, and utilization of large datasets required for model training, validation, and implementation, ensuring data quality and relevance.

• Maintain comprehensive documentation of AI models and GenAI solutions, their logic, and performance metrics.

• Ability to demonstrate technical expertise with regards to building advance models in support of business functions

• Bachelor's Degree in in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience)

• Minimum of 5 years of experience building, designing, and maintaining data science and/or AI projects

• Demonstrated expertise in applying advanced statistical and machine learning techniques to real-world problems, such as predictive modeling, natural language processing, computer vision, or recommender systems at scale (preferably in the restaurant vertical)

• Demonstrated experiences in relevant fields or industries in Information Retrieval, Machine Learning, NLP, and Query understanding

• Experience implementing Machine Learning models and algorithms into production at scale with machine learning algorithms such as classifiers, anomaly detection, and clustering

• Demonstrated expertise in managing the entire AI/ML lifecycle, from ideation, data acquisition and model training, to production deployment and monitoring, including developing scalable AI/ML CI/CD solutions. Ability to manage AI/ML projects including success metrics and use of project management tools (e.g. JIRA)

• Proficient in using various programming languages and tools for data analysis and machine learning, such as Databricks MLflow (Python, SQL, TensorFlow, PyTorch, or Spark)

• Great communication skills, excelling in breaking down intricate AI/ML concepts for a diverse audience. Communicate technical concepts and results effectively to diverse stakeholders, including senior leadership.

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills that can partner with cross-functional teams

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to maintain stationary position to be able to operate a computer and other office equipment

• Must be able to identify, analyze and assess details

• For certain positions, must be able to occasionally move or transport items up to 50 pounds

• Ability to communicate with others and exchange information accurately and effectively

• Constantly positions self and move about to support ordinary restaurant or food production support or office operations, as applicable

• Ability to work in a constant state of alertness and in a safe manner

• Competitive salary, plus bonus and long-term incentives*

• Early Wage Access!

• Unlimited PTO, paid parental leave, plus paid opportunities to give back to the community

• Health, Dental, Vision, Telemedicine, Pet Insurance plus more!

• 401k enrollment with CAVA contribution

• Company-paid STD, LTD, Life and AD&D coverage for salaried positions*

• Free CAVA food

• Casual work environment

• The opportunity to be on the ground floor of a rapidly growing brand

• All exempt and non-exempt employees are eligible for benefits. Benefits are effective on the 1st of the month following 30 days of service, and you have until the day before the effective date to enroll. A new hire can enroll in our benefit program by selecting a link that is emailed directly to the new hire at their personal email address once hired

• The compensation range posted includes total cash

*Indicates qualifying eligible positions only