Unlocking potential

SmartNews is a global leader in redefining information and news discovery, committed to providing users with accurate, timely information and supporting quality journalism. We combine the power of our unique machine-learning technology with the expertise of our first-rate editorial team to bring news that matters to millions of users from our over 3,000 global publishing partners. Founded in 2012 in Tokyo, Japan, SmartNews has offices in Tokyo, San Francisco, Palo Alto, New York, Shanghai, Beijing, and Singapore.

Responsibilities as a Data Scientist

• Partner with cross-functional teams across the organization, from product to business development to engineering.
• Work closely with product managers, business partners, designers, and engineers to prioritize data projects which will maximize business impact and inform product strategy and planning.
• Develop metrics, analytics frameworks, and data science roadmaps to drive the decision-making process at all levels of the company.
• Deliver actionable analytics insights to further enhance our user understanding and content understanding.
• Be hands-on in conducting A/B test analysis and provide actionable insights regarding product/UX changes for user onboarding, engagement, and retention.
• Dive deep into user behavior patterns, product features performance, user acquisition, and develop domain expertise about segments of user behaviors and interests for online news, features, and content

• Advanced degrees are in Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science or analytical field
• 5 or more years of analytical work experience related to apps or websites
• 3 or more years’ experience in one or more programming languages used for data analysis (Python, R, etc.)
• Prior experience working as a DS lead with cross functional partners
• Advanced SQL
• Expert knowledge of A/B testing, applied statistics and predictive modeling (fit regression curves, build predictive models, choose sample sizes, etc.)
• Business-level English

Nice to have experience/skills

• Experience with analysis of digital or mobile user interfaces
• Understanding of machine learning and end-to-end deployment
• Understanding of data engineering tasks (e.g. data warehousing, model deployment, using data workflow tools like Azkaban or Airflow)
• Experience related to user growth, and product features development and understanding
• What kind of personality or mindset will the ideal candidate have?
• Collaborative, strong ownership, great communicator, impact driven, Proactive, contribution to business/product improvement
• Business-level Japanese

Benefits available at the SmartNews Tokyo Office

• Lunch and snacks prepared daily in our on-site kitchen facility
• In-office coffee stand offering single-origin coffees, espresso-based beverages, teas, and other seasonal drinks
• SmartSelect, our support program for employee self-development, well-being, and productivity
• All healthcare and social insurance required by the Japanese labor law

Visa Sponsorship and Relocation Support

• Work visa sponsorship is available for candidates who meet eligibility requirements
• To support a smooth transition for candidates who are moving to Japan from overseas, SmartNews partners with a travel service provider