Join Our Mission at HopSkipDrive: Data Scientist Opportunity

Who We Are
HopSkipDrive’s mission is to enhance mobility and create opportunities for all. Our innovative school transportation solutions serve over 600 school districts, charter schools, nonprofits, government agencies, and busy families, ensuring kids get where they need to go reliably and safely.

The student transportation sector in the U.S. is the largest mass transit system. With school districts spending around $28 billion annually on transportation, only 30% of kids use school buses. The current system has gaps, leading to inequities in educational access and affecting millions of kids daily. HopSkipDrive addresses these unmet needs through our personalized transportation solutions.

Why Work with Us

Heart-Driven Company
We partner with school districts, child welfare agencies, and nonprofits to ensure equitable educational access for vulnerable populations like foster children, homeless children, and students with disabilities.

We believe showing up is crucial for success. Our mission leverages innovative technology, operational expertise, and new thinking to help kids reach their full potential by providing a dependable transportation solution.

Recognized Work Culture
HopSkipDrive has been acknowledged for its company culture, listed in Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, Best Places to Work by Built In LA, Comparably, Inc., and the Los Angeles Business Journal. Comparably also honored us as a Best Company for Professional Development and Best CEOs, particularly for women.

Rapid Growth
Started by three moms to solve their transportation challenges, HopSkipDrive now operates in over 13 states and continues to expand rapidly. We've made the Inc. 5000 list four times and the Deloitte 500 Fast-Growing Technology list. To date, we've raised $100M in funding.

Your Role: Data Scientist

Leverage organizational data to generate insights that enhance user experiences and improve core business functions. You'll be responsible for specifying, testing, validating, and maintaining predictive and prescriptive models in both product and organizational spaces.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deploy advanced ML solutions for problem-solving across the enterprise.
• Scope, explore, specify, test, deploy, and maintain accurate and stable models in production environments.
• Utilize modern, open-source data science workflows (SQL, R/Python, Github).
• Operate models in production and retrain them as necessary.
• Create deployable components for existing products or standalone data products.
• Collaborate with BI, Engineering, Product Management, DevOps, and business stakeholders.
• Communicate results and model specifications effectively.
• Mentor and train aspiring data science professionals.

Skills and Experience

• 5+ years of hands-on experience with production-quality predictive/prescriptive models.
• Strong data acquisition skills using SQL in modern technical stacks like PostGres, AWS, or Snowflake.
• 5+ years with open-source data science tools like Python or R.
• 2+ years deploying models to production environments.
• 3+ years in at least two of the following methods: Supervised/Unsupervised ML, Econometric modeling, Reinforcement learning, Operations research.
• Experience with reproducible data science environments and version control using Git/Github.
• Skilled in literate programming workflows.

Preferred Experience

• Masters or PhD in relevant fields.
• Experience with MLOPS and cloud ecosystems.
• Experience with "big data" solutions requiring cloud infrastructure.
• Experience in transportation, logistics, or delivery spaces.
• Familiarity with Transformers for data analysis.

This role is fully remote and available in several states.

Compensation and Benefits

All full-time employees receive equity in our company. We offer competitive compensation, flexible vacation, FSA, medical, dental, vision coverage, and 401(k). Salary range: $140,000 to $155,000, with final compensation based on experience and location. The compensation package includes equity stock options.

Equal Opportunity Employment

HopSkipDrive is an equal opportunity