Data Scientist - Middle Mile & Pitstops

Company mission

In the future, commerce will be instant, local, and seamless. What we now call "e-commerce" will simply be how we shop.

Relay is building the logistics network that e-commerce should have had from the start. We're designed from the ground up for sustainability - environmental, social, and economic. By rethinking both the middle and last mile, we cut miles driven, reduce carbon emissions, lower costs, and return value to local communities.

Behind the scenes, we orchestrate this with cutting-edge tech: from smart routing and real-time planning to seamless tools that empower our ground teams.

We're not just building the future, we're scaling it fast.
We just closed a $35M Series A, the largest ever for a logistics tech startup in Europe.
Brands like Vinted, TikTok, and Temu are choosing Relay to power their UK expansion.
We're growing at a top 0.01% among all European Series A startups.
About the role

As a highly operational business, we rely on data science to power nearly every part of our network - from forecasting parcel volumes, to pricing and planning courier capacity, to understanding and improving the economics of our operation.

We're hiring a Data Scientist to help us optimise our middle mile operation and model the growth, performance, and economics of our pitstop network. This role spans across domains, touching forecasting, operations, and commercial planning, and is ideal for someone who thrives on applying models in ambiguous, real-world environments.

You'll work with squads across routing, sortation, first mile, last mile, marketplace, and commercial functions; you'll focus on middle mile optimisation, routing, pitstop expansion, and understanding the long-term financial value of our physical network . You'll also bring together data from across the business, often fragmented or messy, and use smart tooling, automation, and AI to transform it into usable insight.

You'll need to be hands-on and pragmatic; it's a high-impact role with strong exposure to leadership and decision-making across the business.

What you'll do

Model and improve the cost, quality, and efficiency of middle mile operations, including vehicle use, timings, and handover reliability
Model estimated route length for Middle Mile Routes by combining real-time geospatial data with historic route and courier intelligence
Partner with marketplace and ops teams to optimise driver acquisition, targeting, and pricing for the middle mile
Optimise pitstop expansion in line with volume growth, capacity, and service levels
Model pitstop-level LTV and unit economics to support capital investment and performance tracking
Collaborate with other data scientists to support geo-sequencing, zone design, and integration with routing models
Act as a thought partner for operations, commercial, and finance leads, bringing a scientific lens to planning and network growth
What we're looking for

3+ years of experience in data science, with a strong record of delivering models into production
Deep experience with Python and SQL
Strong foundations in statistics and probability, with experience applying them in operational and/or financial contexts
Comfort working in ambiguity and navigating messy or incomplete data
Effective communication skills - you can explain technical results clearly to non-technical audiences
Comfort working across functions and disciplines to drive impact
Nice to haves

Experience working in logistics, marketplaces, or similarly complex operational businesses
Exposure to business planning, pricing, or commercial decision-making; experience with forecasting, scenario, and financial modelling (including partnering with Finance and Commercial teams and their models (in Excel, Google Sheets))
Familiarity with geospatial data
Experience in fast-scaling startups or operational teams
We're flexible on experience - if you're an experienced and pragmatic data scientist, with a track record of driving impact, we'd love to hear from you.

Example projects

Prioritising pitstop locations based on forecast volume, network coverage, and marginal return on investment
Building a model to track pitstop LTV, including parcel throughput, re-attempts avoided, and delivery reliability uplift
What we offer

Generous equity package
25 days annual leave, plus bank holidays
Bupa Global Business Premier health plan - including mental, dental, and optical cover
Enhanced Parental Leave:
20 weeks of fully paid maternity leave
4 weeks of fully paid paternity leave

Contributory pension scheme
Friday office lunches
Access to cutting-edge AI tooling
Hybrid working from our dog-friendly Shoreditch office
Free gym membership via our co-working spaces
Cycle-to-work scheme
Regular team socials, events, and offsites!!

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