Staff Applied Scientist – Distribution Center

Afresh

Staff Applied Scientist leading R&D work on AI/ML models for grocery replenishment technology. Apply knowledge in machine learning and optimization to reduce food waste across global supply chains.

Posted 7/1/2026full-timeRemote • Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin • 🇺🇸 United StatesLead💰 $191,760 - $287,640 per yearWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

NumpyPandasPython

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Set technical direction for core replenishment R&D — define the modeling roadmap across demand forecasting, inventory optimization, and decision-making policy, and align it with product and business strategy.
Model complex problems such as inventory decay, promotions, price elasticity, and inventory uncertainty, and implement solutions to multi-stage and multi-echelon inventory optimization problems.
Drive fundamental changes to our core system from research through production, writing rigorously tested and scalable code.
Lead research and development for new product and business challenges.
Raise the technical bar across the Intelligence team: mentor scientists and engineers, set standards for experimental rigor, and review designs and results.
Push the boundaries of AI capabilities in both products and scientist workflows.

Requirements

What you’ll need

MS or PhD in Operations Research, Industrial Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or another quantitative field, or equivalent practical experience.
For candidates with an MS, 8+ years of industry experience; for candidates with a PhD, 4+ years of industry experience.
Experience researching and building systems that support large-scale decision making under uncertainty.
Prior experience in areas such as inventory optimization, supply chain management, network optimization, forecasting, game theory, decision analysis, stochastic optimization, approximate dynamic programming, or related fields is a plus.
Excellent communication and presentation skills.
Ability to independently deliver high quality software implementations of your solutions in the Python data stack (numpy/torch/pandas/etc).

Benefits

Comp & perks

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your family, with the majority of premiums covered by Afresh.
Dedicated mental health support and counseling services.
Competitive base salary, meaningful equity (U.S. employees), and a 401(k) program with a generous company match.
Home office stipend and "Coworking Wallets" for flexible workspace access.
Every employee receives an annual professional development budget to master new skills and grow their career at Afresh.
Monthly stipends for "Betterment" (wellness/lifestyle) and telecommunications to ensure you have what you need to thrive.
Flexible paid time off to take the time you need to recharge.

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard Skills & Tools

Modeling Roadmap DefinitionMulti-Stage Inventory OptimizationStochastic OptimizationApproximate Dynamic ProgrammingGame TheoryForecastingDecision AnalysisExperimental RigorScalable Code ImplementationComplex Problem Modeling

Soft Skills

MentoringCollaborationCommunication

Certifications

MS or PhD in Operations ResearchIndustrial EngineeringComputer ScienceElectrical Engineering