Data Researcher- Foundation

ABOUT PLACER.AI: 

One of the fastest growing tech companies in North America, Placer.ai (“Placer”) reached $100 million ARR “Centaur” status in 2024, within 6 years of launching the Placer platform. We previously crossed the $1B valuation “Unicorn” threshold in 2022.

Our A.I.-based SaaS platform transforms how leaders make critical decisions by unlocking unparalleled visibility into markets and locations, creating a blue ocean market of more than $100B. And the best part is, we accomplished this by leading a privacy-first business in which data has been stripped of user identifiers and only aggregated information is provided within the platform.

Our platform provides instant visibility into almost any location in the U.S. We have grown exponentially over the past 6 years, counting more than 4,000+ paying customers including many Fortune 500 companies, such as, JP Morgan Chase, Wayfair, Google and many more.

Named one of Forbes America’s Best Startup Employers and a Deloitte Technology Fast company, we are proud of our collaborative, innovative and inclusive culture. 

SUMMARY:

We are looking for a Data Researcher to join the Foundation Entities team, part of the Ingestion division at Placer.

The Foundation Entities group is where data meets reality. We model POIs (venues and complexes), chains, markets, and other foundation entities, tackling the challenge of turning billions of signals into a living, evolving database of the physical world. Our work powers the insights, products, and innovations that define Placer.

This role goes beyond traditional analytics. You will work with large-scale datasets, apply advanced analytics and statistical methods, and design scalable solutions that replace manual processes with automated, data-driven services. You will collaborate closely with engineers, data scientists, and product stakeholders, contributing directly to the accuracy, scalability, and innovation of Placer’s foundational data.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

We expect our analysts to be self-driven, capable of working independently with multiple stakeholders, and comfortable managing several projects in parallel.
Key responsibilities include:

• Analyzing and improving the quality, coverage, and scalability of POIs, chains, and other foundation entities.
• Developing metrics, monitoring, and validation tools to ensure data reliability and automation at scale.
• Conducting applied research and testing hypotheses to replace manual workflows with data-driven processes.
• Researching and integrating external data sources (business listings, APIs, open data, etc.) to enrich entity datasets.
• Communicating insights and recommendations clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
  
  

REQUIREMENTS:

Must haves:

• Strong data literacy: ability to connect real-world signals with large-scale data representations.
• 5+ years of experience as a data analyst working with large datasets in production.
• Proficiency in Python and PySpark (pandas, numpy, etc.) for advanced data wrangling and analysis.
• Hands-on experience with cloud-based environments (GCP, AWS, or Azure).
• Strong communication skills to collaborate across engineering, product, and business stakeholders.

Preferred skills:

• Familiarity with big data tools such as Spark.
• Experience with entity resolution, anomaly detection, or time series analysis.
• Working with geospatial data and its Python ecosystem.
• Familiarity with BI tools (Tableau, Looker, PowerBI, etc.) as serving layers.
• Exposure to machine learning frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch, or Scikit-learn).
• B.Sc in a quantitative field (M.Sc a plus).

WHY JOIN PLACER.AI? 

• Join a rocketship! We are pioneers of a new market that we are creating
• Take a central and critical role at Placer.ai
• Work with, and learn from, top-notch talent
• Competitive salary
• Excellent benefits

NOTEWORTHY LINKS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PLACER 

• Placer.ai in a nutshell
• Placer.ai's recent $100M round C funding (unicorn valuation!)
• Placer.ai's data
• Placer.ai in the news
• COVID-19 Economic Recovery Dashboard

Placer.ai is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace and promoting a safe, healthy working environment for all employees.

Placer.ai is an equal opportunity employer and has a global remote workforce. Placer.ai’s applicants are considered solely based on their qualifications, without regard to an applicant’s disability or need for accommodation. Any Placer.ai applicant who requires reasonable accommodations during the application process should contact Placer.ai’s Human Resources Department to make the need for an accommodation known.