Freelance Data Scientist Machine Learning Jobs in Riverside, CA

DIRECTOR, DATA SCIENCE & INSIGHTS

REPORTS TO: CHIEF DIGITAL OFFICER

STATUS: EXEMPT

Summary

Boot Barn is where community comes first. We thrive on togetherness, collaboration, and belonging. We build each other up, listen intently, and implement out-of-the-box ideas. We celebrate new innovations, congratulate one another's achievements, and most importantly support each other.

At Boot Barn, we work together to make a positive impact on the world around us, and by working collectively with encouragement, we consider ourselves "Partners." With the values of the West guiding us, Boot Barn celebrates heritage, welcomes all, and values each unique Partner within our Boot Barn community.

Our vision is to offer everyone a piece of the American spirit - one handshake at a time.

The Director, Data Science & Insights will be instrumental in defining and executing Boot Barn's Data Science strategy. This role will provide leadership and vision to build and scale advanced analytics, machine learning, and generative AI capabilities that drive measurable business impact across the organization.

This leader will establish the roadmap, operating model, and best practices for Data Science, partnering closely with Technology, Ecommerce, Marketing, Merchandising, Supply Chain, and Store Operations to unlock value through data-driven decision making and intelligent systems. The Director will lead a high-performing team and ensure the delivery of scalable, production-ready solutions that support Boot Barn's long-term growth strategy.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Define and drive the vision, strategy, and operating plan for Data Science across the organization, aligning initiatives to business priorities and revenue objectives including partnering on AI intiatives.
• Build and lead a high-performing team of Data Scientists, fostering a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous development
• Identify, prioritize, and execute high-impact use cases across personalization, forecasting, pricing, marketing optimization, and customer experience
• Establish and track KPIs to measure the impact of data science initiatives on revenue, margin, customer engagement, and operational efficiency
• Partner with executive leadership and cross-functional stakeholders to translate business needs into scalable data science & AI solutions
• Oversee the design, development, and deployment of predictive models, and intelligent systems at enterprise scale
• Ensure strong collaboration with Data Engineering and AI/ML Engineering teams to productionize models through robust architecture, MLOps, and scalable infrastructure
• Standardize data science best practices, including experimentation frameworks, model governance, documentation, and reproducibility
• Help evaluate and implement new tools, technologies, and vendor solutions to enhance AI/ML capabilities
• Communicate complex analytical insights and model outcomes to executive and non-technical audiences, enabling data-driven decision making
• Continuously assess and optimize data science operations to improve efficiency, scalability, and business impact
• Demonstrates high level of quality work, attendance and appearance.
• Demonstrates high degree of professionalism in communication, attitude and teamwork with customers, peers and management.
• Adhere to all local, federal and state laws in addition to Company policies, procedures, and practices.
• Performs any other duties that may be assigned by management.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or advanced degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, or related field
• 5+ years of experience in data science, machine learning, or advanced analytics, with increasing leadership responsibility
• Proven experience building and scaling data science teams and delivering production-grade ML solutions
• Strong understanding of machine learning, statistical modeling, experimentation, and modern AI techniques
• Experience partnering with senior leadership and influencing cross-functional strategy
• Familiarity with modern data and ML ecosystems (Python, cloud platforms, MLOps frameworks, data pipelines)
• Demonstrated ability to balance strategic thinking with execution

Competencies

• Leadership
• Strategic Thinking
• Decision Making
• Communication
• Innovation
• Results Oriented
• Collaboration
• Business Acumen

Boot Barn Benefits & Additional Compensation Opportunities

• Competitive salary.
• Merchandise discount: 50% off of Exclusive Brands and 40% off of third-party brands.
• Paid Time Off plan for year-round Boot Barn Partners.**
• Medical, Dental, Vision and Life Insurance.**
• 401(k) plan with generous company matching.
• Flexible schedules and work/life balance.
• Opportunities for growth at every level - we are opening 50+ new stores each year.

**For eligible Boot Barn Partners

PAY RANGE: $150,000.00 - $200,000.00/yr*

*compensation varies based on geography, skills, experience, and tenure

Physical Demands

In general, the following physical demands are representative of those that must be met by a Partner to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to allow differently abled individuals to perform the essential functions of the job.

• Standing, walking and squatting less than fifty percent of the work shift.
• Required to lift, move and carry up to 40 pounds.
• Ability to read, count and write to accurately complete all documentation and reports.
• Must be able to see, hear and speak in order to communicate with partners and customers.
• Specific vision abilities include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.
• Manual dexterity required using hands to finger; handle, feel and type; reach with hands and arms.

[ ] Sedentary: Limited activity, no lifting, limited walking

[ X ] Light: Office work, some lifting, bending, stooping or kneeling, walking

[ ] Moderate: Mostly standing, walking, bending, frequent lifting

[ ] Arduous: Heavy lifting, bending, crawling, climbing

Work Environment

In general, the following conditions of the work environment are representative of those that a Partner encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to allow differently abled individuals to perform the essential functions of the job within the environment.

• The workspace is clean, orderly, properly lighted and ventilated with the proper safety compliance.
• Noise levels are considered moderate.

Boot Barn, Inc. reserves the right to make exceptions to modify or eliminate this document or its content. This document supersedes all previous policies, procedures or guidelines pertaining to this subject.

Our core value of community bands us together in supportive and inclusive ways to drive our collective success. Boot Barn provides equal employment opportunity to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national or ethnic origin, veteran or military status, disability, as well as any other protected status under the law.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) - Boot Barn will provide reasonable accommodations (such as a qualified sign language interpreter or other personal assistance) with the application process upon your request as required by applicable laws. If you have a disability and require assistance in this application process, please visit your nearest Boot Barn Store or Distribution Center or reach out to Human Resources at 1-949-453-4400, Option 4.

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