Data Scientist

<p>Forward Networks is transforming how the world’s most complex networks are managed and secured. Founded in 2013 by four Stanford Ph.D.s, we built the industry’s first network digital twin — a mathematically precise model of the production network that gives IT teams unmatched visibility, verification, and agility across every major cloud and vendor environment.</p> <p>Our customers include global leaders such as Goldman Sachs, PayPal, S&amp;P Global, IBM, and Dell, as well as fast-growing enterprises and government agencies. According to IDC, Forward Networks customers realize an average of $14.2 million in annual benefits through improved efficiency and security.</p> <p>Backed by world-class investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Goldman Sachs, MSD Partners, and Threshold Ventures, Forward Networks offers a people-centric, innovative culture where brilliant minds are shaping the future of network reliability, security, and AI-ready operations.</p> <p>Forward Networks seeks a pragmatic, end-to-end Data Scientist who can operate across the full data lifecycle, from ingestion and modeling to productionizing key data systems.&nbsp; This is a high-impact, high-agency, "help steer the ship" role which reports directly to the CTO.&nbsp; Modern AI-assisted development tools make this role possible, where the data scientist can now do real engineering, too.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>What You'll Do</strong></p> <ul> <li>Collaborate closely with other teams (Sales, Finance, Product, Marketing, and more) to translate problems and needs into action-oriented data solutions</li> <li>Design, build, and maintain data pipelines for reliable ingestion and transformation</li> <li>Rapidly prototype and iterate using AI coding tools to accelerate development and reduce toil</li> <li>Drive rigor and best practices, with a focus on data quality, consistency, and transparency</li> <li>Develop and deploy statistical models and machine learning, where appropriate</li> <li>Build clear, decision-oriented visualizations and dashboards for stakeholders across multiple departments</li> <li>Own selected production data systems: selection, orchestration, monitoring, and tuning</li> <li>Communicate and shepherd key data results and analysis to executives</li> </ul> <p><strong>What We're Looking for</strong></p> <ul> <li>Experience with B2B SaaS-relevant data, including Salesforce and financial metrics</li> <li>Strong communication skills and ability to work effectively across multiple departments and stakeholder groups</li> <li>Ownership mindset and ability to deliver end-to-end outcomes independently; must be a "startup type"</li> <li>Demonstrated ability to design data pipelines and work with imperfect, evolving data sources</li> <li>Sharp attention to data quality, including validation, anomaly detection, and root-cause analysis of inconsistencies</li> <li>Strong proficiency in Python and SQL; experience with modern data stack tools (e.g., dbt, Airflow, Spark, or equivalents, a plus)</li> <li>Experience with data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Looker, or similar)</li> <li>Some familiarity with infrastructure and related setup (databases, data warehouses, VMs)</li> <li>Knowledge of core machine learning concepts and when to apply them pragmatically</li> </ul> <p><strong>Example Initial Projects</strong></p> <ul> <li>Build a likelihood-of-close model for Salesforce opportunities, which factors in relevant metadata and history</li> <li>Create a framework and initial implementation for an executive operational dashboard, working with a broad set of teams</li> <li>Define, validate, and implement key SaaS product-usage metrics</li> </ul> <p>As we grow, you will, too, with the broad scope of a software startup.</p> <p>Location: Bay Area preferred (HQ in Santa Clara), but open to the right remote candidate.</p> <p>Salary Range: The base pay range for this role is between $170,000 and $190,000. Base pay will depend on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location</p>