Director Data Science Labor [T500-21975]

About Albertsons Companies Inc.:

As a leading food and drug retailer in the United States, Albertsons Companies, Inc. operates over 2,200 stores across 35 states and the District of Columbia. Our well-known banners across the United States, including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco and others, serve more than 36 million U.S customers each week.

We build and shape technology solutions that solve customers’ problems every day, making things easier for them when they shop with us online or in a store. We have made bold, strategic moves to migrate and modernize our core foundational capabilities, positioning ourselves as the first fully cloud-based grocery tech company in the industry.

Our success is built on a one-team approach, driven by the desire to understand and enhance customer experience. By constantly pushing the boundaries of retail, we are transforming shopping into an experience that is easy, efficient, fun and engaging.

About Albertsons Companies India:

At Albertsons Companies India, we‘re not just pushing the boundaries of technology and retail innovation, we‘re cultivating a space where ideas flourish and careers thrive. Our workplace in India is a vital extension of the Albertsons Companies Inc. workforce and important to the next phase in the company’s technology journey to support millions of customers’ lives every day.

At the Albertsons Companies India, we are raising the bar to grow across Technology & Engineering, AI, Digital and other company functions, and transform a 165-year-old American retailer. At Albertsons Companies India associates collaborate directly with international teams, enhancing decision-making processes and organizational agility through exciting and pivotal projects. Your work will make history and help millions of lives each day come together around the joys of food and inspire their well-being.

Position Title: Director / Senior Director Data Science

About the Role:

Albertsons Companies is seeking a visionary Senior Director of Data Science to lead the design and deployment of advanced data science and AI capabilities that forecast demand, predict labor requirements, and intelligently schedule store teams.

This leader will define the data science roadmap that powers store-level labor precision— connecting demand signals, staffing needs, and scheduling automation to elevate both customer experience and operational efficiency.

You will shape the future of how Albertsons plans, allocates, and deploys labor — leveraging AI agents that augment and automate decision-making across our 2,200+ stores

Roles & Responsibilities:

• Set the strategic vision for end-to-end labor intelligence — from demand forecasting to workforce scheduling — enabling right-staffed, right-skilled, and right-timed operations.
• Develop and deploy advanced machine learning and optimization models to forecast store-level demand across departments, and roles.
• Design and implement AI scheduling agents that translate forecasts into actionable labor schedules — dynamically adjusting for promotions, local events, weather, and in-store traffic.
• Evaluate and refine agentic AI frameworks that simulate, recommend, and optimize staffing decisions in near real time, learning continuously from execution outcomes.
• Partner with Store Operations, HR, Finance, and Technology to operationalize forecasting and scheduling models at enterprise scale.
• Drive the development of intelligent workforce planning systems that proactively balance cost, compliance, and customer service.
• Lead a world-class team of data scientists and ML engineers — fostering innovation, technical rigor, and business partnership.
• Translate complex analytical insights into strategic recommendations for senior executives and field leadership.
• Establish measurable impact metrics: forecast accuracy, explainability, labor efficiency, schedule adherence, and associate productivity uplift.

Experience Required:

• Advanced degree in a quantitative discipline (Computer Science, Data Science, Operations Research, Statistics, Applied Math, or related field).
• 10+ years of experience applying advanced analytics, forecasting, and optimization techniques to solve operational problems — preferably in retail, logistics, or workforce management.
• Proven track record in demand forecasting, workforce optimization, and scheduling automation at scale.
• 5+ years of leadership experience building and managing high-performing data science teams.
• Deep expertise in in Time-series forecasting, reinforcement learning, optimization, and multi-agent systems.
• Technical proficiency in Python, SQL, and production deployment on Snowflake, Azure Databricks, or similar big data platforms.
• Demonstrated ability to bridge data science with business operations influencing executive stakeholders and field leaders to embed AI-driven decisioning.
• Strong communication and storytelling skills to simplify complex technical concepts into strategic business narratives.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience building AI or agent-based systems for decision automation, particularly in labor scheduling or workforce management.
• Strong grounding in operations research, constraint optimization, and simulation modeling.
• Familiarity with retail store operations, labor laws, and workforce planning systems.
• Experience designing closed-loop learning systems where forecast accuracy and scheduling efficiency continuously improve through feedback.