THE ROLE & THE TEAM
As Senior Applied Scientist, you will be part of an expert team of software engineers and applied scientists working towards maximizing the warehouse throughput while keeping the delivery promise.
In your role, you will be converting real-world problems into mathematical models, and designing algorithms that solve these models. Beyond the algorithmic challenges, a significant part of your role will be the creation and maintenance of the software systems required to run these algorithms.
Here, you will have to ensure that the system adheres to the latest software engineering standards, and you will gain a comprehensive understanding of order processing systems to identify opportunities for improvement.
If you have a passion for creating scalable software systems and solving complex problems using discrete optimization, we want to hear from you. This is a unique opportunity to make a real impact and help drive the success of our business.
INCLUSIVE BY DESIGN
At Zalando, our vision is to be the starting point for fashion - one that is inclusive by design. We only assess candidates based on qualifications, merit, and business needs. We welcome applications from people of all gender identities, sexual orientations, personal expressions, racial identities, ethnicities, religious beliefs, and disability statuses. We only want to know why you’re great for this role, so please avoid including your picture, age, and marital status in your CV as well.
We want to provide you with a great candidate experience. Please feel free to inform us of any accommodations you may need, so we can best support and assist you throughout the hiring process.
do.BETTER - our diversity & inclusion strategy: https://corporate.zalando.com/en/diversity-inclusion
Our employee resource groups: https://corporate.zalando.com/en/diversity-inclusion/our-employee-resource-groups
WHY YOU SHOULD BE INTERESTED…
Contribute to modeling, solving, and implementing our research-driven software framework to cater for the increasing scale and load. Constantly question the model and the algorithms we use and seek for a constant improvement.
Deliver end-to-end solutions and set the standard for the entire development cycle, including requirement engineering based on deep domain & business understanding, prototyping, implementing production software, as well as testing and operating the highly available production system.
Collaborate closely with our software engineers to mutually influence and understand system constraints and opportunities, and take part in shaping the future of our system.
Think abstractly and discover correlations between problems, methodologies, and solutions.
Promote and support an inclusive culture and diverse team environment, fostering a positive and productive work environment for all team members.
WE’D LOVE TO MEET YOU IF…
You hold a Master or PhD in Mathematics, Computer Science, or another quantitative field, together with industry experience in algorithm-related software development in Java, Kotlin, or similar
You have a strong academic background of combinatorial optimization. You know the basic concepts of discrete optimization such as min-cost flows, linear- and integer programming, the traveling salesperson problem, or the bin packing problems. And you are able to detect these concepts even if they are hidden in complex real-world problems.
You prefer simple solutions over complex ones but at the same time, you are aware that complex problems sometimes require advanced algorithms.
You are familiar with some of the standard concepts such as microservice architectures, design patterns, Spring Boot, REST, Kubernetes, architecture documentation, data and API specifications (e.g. OpenAPI), quality assurance and testing methods. You are eager to learn more about software engineering.
You’re excited about working in a setup that requires a deep domain understanding (e.g., how our logistics order processing works).
You are a team player who thrives in an agile and cross-functional environment, and is passionate about fostering a positive and productive work environment.
You are fluent in English.
This role offers the opportunity to tackle complex, real-world optimization challenges in logistics. The domain is rich, fast-evolving, and full of impactful problems waiting to be solved. For analytical minds who love diving deep, it’s a goldmine of problem-solving opportunities with real-world impact. Plus, you’ll get to see your algorithms come to life in real time, shaping the way things move in our warehouses.
If you think this role fits you, we encourage you to apply even if you don't meet every single requirement. You may just be the right candidate for this or other roles!
