Lead Data Scientist, Demand Forecasting

Posted 7/14/2026 · last confirmed live 8/26/2026

Here at Scout Motors, we're carrying forward the heritage of one of the most iconic American vehicles in history. A vehicle dating back to 1960. One that forged the path for future generations of rugged SUVs and trucks and will do so once again. But Scout is more than just a brand, it’s a legacy steeped in a culture of exploration, caretaking, and hard work. The Scout brand is all about respect. Respect for the past and the future by taking an iconic American brand that hasn’t been around for a while, electrifying it, digitizing it, and loading it with American innovation. Respect for communities by creating a company that stands for its people and its customers. Respect for both work and play, with vehicles that are equally at home at a camp site, a job site, or on a Tuesday commute. And respect for our customers by developing two powertrains that meet their requirements — an all-electric powertrain as well as the Harvester™ range extender powertrain which includes a built-in gas-powered generator with an estimated 500 miles of combined range. At Scout Motors, we empower our talented, inclusive, and entrepreneurial teams to innovate. What makes a Scout employee? Someone who is a visionary and a leader, who seeks new paths and shares lessons learned. A knowledgeable doer who collaborates across the company to build better. A go-getter with unrivaled passion. Join us at Scout Motors and be part of shaping the future of transportation. If you're ready to drive change and make history, apply now! Role Overview Scout Motors is building its first enterprise demand forecast - and there's no sales history to build it on.   As a VW Group–backed EV company in the run-up to launch, Scout has reservations data, an enthusiastic and loyal community, and a product about to enter the market — but not the years of historical sales a demand model usually leans on. That's the problem this role owns: building a rigorous, probabilistic forecast from the signals that do exist, and growing it into the analytical engine of Scout's planning system as real demand data arrives.   This is the first dedicated modeling seat in Integrated Business Planning. You'll develop the demand forecasting model and own the data behind it — then partner with IT and Product Management to productionize it into the digital IBP product Scout is building, so the forecast lives where the business actually plans and decides. What you’ll do Become part of an iconic brand that is set to revolutionize the electric pick-up truck & rugged SUV marketplace by achieving the following: Build Scout's first demand forecasting model — probabilistic rather than point-estimate, forecasting unconstrained demand at the grain the business plans on. Convert reservation backlog with explicit probabilities, phase the timing of that conversion, and layer in organic demand as its own signal.    Solve the cold-start problem — stand up a credible forecast before there's sales history, using reservations, configurator and order data, market analogs, and structured priors — then systematically replace assumptions with data as the market gives it to us.    Own the demand data end to end — source, define, and steward the data that feeds the forecast; build the pipelines and the feature/data layer; own data quality and the shared definitions everyone downstream depends on.    Partner across the business to get the inputs and outputs right — work with the teams that own the signals feeding the forecast and the teams that consume it, so the model is grounded in real inputs and lands in a format the business can actually use.   Make the forecast legible — document methodology and assumptions, quantify uncertainty honestly, and explain the model's logic clearly to non-technical stakeholders in Finance, Commercial, Production, and Procurement.    Productionize with IT and Product — partner with engineering to move the model from notebooks into the IBP digital product (pipelines, deployment, monitoring, retraining)   Stand up forecast measurement — back-testing, accuracy tracking, and model monitoring, so the forecast improves on a known cadence as post-launch data accumulates and the model is retrained against reality.    Lay the foundation for what's next — build the data and modeling base that Scout's future AI/ML planning capabilities will extend.   Location & Travel Expectations : This role may be based out of the  Scout Motors corporate headquarters in Charlotte, NC .  This role requires 4-5 days per week in the office, with regular in-person meetings and events.  Applicants should expect that the role will require the ability to convene with Scout colleagues in person and travel to participate in events on behalf of the company from time to time. What you’ll bring  We expect all Scout employees to have integrity, curiosity, resourcefulness, and strive to exhibit a positive attitude, as well as a growth mindset. You’ll be comfortable with change and flexible in a fast-paced, high-growth environment. You’ll take a collaborative approach to achieve ambitious goals. Here's what else you'll bring:  12+ years of applied data science or forecasting, or equivalent experience — you've built and shipped statistical or ML models that other people depend on, not just one-off analyses.    MS of PhD in a quantitative discipline (statistics, applied math, physics, operations research, economics, or similar), or equivalent applied experience   A strong probabilistic and time-series modeling foundation — hierarchical, Bayesian, or other methods suited to granular, sparse, and uncertain demand. You reason in distributions, not just predictions.    Fluent in Python and the modern modeling stack, strong SQL , and comfortable owning data end to end — pipelines, quality, and definitions, not just the model that sits on top.    Experience forecasting with sparse, new-product, or cold-start data — analogs, priors, judgment-augmented methods — and honest about the limits of each.    You've put models into production alongside engineering and product; you think about deployment, monitoring, and retraining, not just the notebook.    You work fluently with AI coding tools (e.g., Claude Code, Copilot, Cursor) to build, prototype, and ship faster — and have the judgment to know where they help and where they don't.   You translate technical work for non-technical audiences and can defend a forecast to a skeptical, senior, cross-functional room.    A high-ownership mindset , comfortable in a fast-moving, build-it-yourself environment where the data and the priorities are still maturing   Nice to have: automotive, manufacturing, or other physical-product demand; demand sensing or hierarchical forecasting; ML Ops; experience embedding models inside a digital product.   What you'll gain The benefits of joining Scout include the chance to build products and a company from the ground up .  This is a chance to create something new and lasting – with an iconic brand at its foundation .  In addition, Scout provides competitive compensation and benefits to support your physical, mental, and financial wellbeing. Program specifics are detailed in company policies and employee benefit guides, select highlights: Competitive insurance including: Medical, dental, vision and income protection plans 401(k) program with: An employer match and immediate vesting Generous Paid Time Off including: 20 days planned PTO, as accrued 40 hours of unplanned PTO and 14 company or floating holidays, annually Up to 16 weeks of paid parental leave for biological and adoptive parents of all genders Paid leave for circumstances related to bereavement, jury duty, voting time, or military leave Why This Role Matters  Scout's entire planning system reconciles demand against supply and this is the seat that builds the demand side of that equation. You'll own the model and the data from version one, with the rare chance to design them right before launch rather than retrofit them under pressure after. As Integrated Business Planning scales and the planning product matures, the person who built the forecast is positioned to grow into deeper technical and team ownership. Pay Transparency This is a full-time, exempt position eligible to receive a base salary and to participate in an annual performance bonus program. Final salary offered will be determined based on factors including but not limited to the candidate's skills and experience. The annual performance bonus program is preset and not candidate dependent. Initial base salary range = $160,000.00 - $192,500.00 Internal leveling code: IC7 Notice to applicants: To be considered for career opportunities at Scout Motors, applicants must be 18 years of age or older.  Residing in San Francisco :  Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Scout Motors will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.  Residing in  Los Angeles :  Scout Motors will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance.  Residing in  New York City :  This role is not eligible for remote work in New York City.   Equal Opportunity Scout Motors is committed to employing a diverse workforce and is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer .  Qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, disability, pregnancy,  or any  other characteristics  protected by law.   Scout Motors is committed to compliance with all   ap p licable  fair  employment  p ractice laws .  If you require reasonable accommodation to complete a job application, pre-employment testing, or a job interview or to otherwise participate in the hiring process, please contact ScoutAccommodations@scoutmotors.com.

This role is published by Scout Motors on greenhouse. SwiftFit is not the employer and does not accept applications.