Principal Data Scientist

About FourKites

At FourKites we have the opportunity to tackle complex challenges with real-world impacts. Whether it’s medical supplies from Cardinal Health or groceries for Walmart, the FourKites platform helps customers operate global supply chains that are efficient, agile and sustainable. Join a team of curious problem solvers that celebrates differences, leads with empathy and values inclusivity.

Role Overview

We are seeking an exceptional Principal Data Scientist with 15+ years of experience to lead technical innovation in Shipments ETA prediction across multiple transportation modes. This senior individual contributor role requires deep expertise in predictive modeling, supply chain analytics, and transportation logistics, with particular strength in regression problems and modern deep learning architectures. You will be the technical authority driving ETA accuracy improvements for Full Truck Load (FTL), Less-than-Truckload (LTL), Parcel, and complex multi-pickup/delivery scenarios.

What you'll be doing

ETA Modeling Excellence

• Design and implement state-of-the-art predictive models for shipment ETAs across FTL, LTL, Parcel, and multi-stop delivery scenarios
• Develop unified frameworks that account for mode-specific characteristics while maintaining consistency across transportation types
• Build sophisticated models for multi-pickup and delivery scenarios with dynamic routing optimization
• Architect scalable solutions that provide accurate ETAs with sub-second latency for millions of shipments

Advanced Analytics & Research

• Lead development of advanced time series models incorporating seasonality, weather, traffic, and operational constraints
• Implement cutting-edge location-based models combining GPS tracking, route optimization, and historical patterns
• Create novel features from telematics data, driver behavior, carrier performance, and external data sources
• Develop probabilistic models that provide confidence intervals and risk assessments for ETA predictions

Strategic Technical Influence

• Define the technical roadmap for ETA prediction systems, balancing accuracy, scalability, and operational efficiency
• Partner with Product, Engineering, and Operations teams to translate business requirements into technical solutions
• Represent the company at conferences, publish research, and establish thought leadership in transportation analytics
• Guide junior data scientists and establish best practices for transportation modeling

Who You are

Education & Experience

• Master's degree in Data Science, Statistics, Computer Science, Mathematics, Operations Research, Industrial Engineering, or related quantitative field (required)
• 15+ years of data science experience with at least 5 years in transportation, logistics, or supply chain analytics
• Proven track record of building production ETA systems for multiple transportation modes
• Understanding of logistics operations, carrier networks, and transportation economics
• Experience with high-volume, real-time prediction systems serving millions of requests

Technical Excellence

Core Data Science Mastery

• Expert-level EDA skills: Advanced proficiency in transportation data analysis, anomaly detection, and pattern recognition
• Deep expertise in time series regression, spatial regression, and hierarchical modeling
• Hands-on experience with sequence models, attention mechanisms, and transformer architectures for temporal prediction
• Mastery of Bayesian methods, survival analysis, and probabilistic forecasting