Data Scientist

Proximity Designs provides income-boosting products and services to hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers in Myanmar every year. As the organization continues to support rural families through the challenging political, economic and health crises, access to high quality information and analysis is increasingly important. As a member of the data analytics team, you will be digging into data from existing sources and finding new ones to help us maximize the impact of our products and services. You will contribute to strategic discussions on using data and digital resources to support farmers in new ways. And you will work with an energetic group of data enthusiasts who can sympathize about the frustrations of poorly formatted date fields.

Note: This is a remote position for candidates who are able to work anywhere in Asia. However, preference will be given to those who are open to moving to work in Myanmar.

Once You’re Here, You Will:

• Conduct complex causal and predictive analyses to guide decision-making at different levels of the organization.

• Develop and maintain statistical and machine learning models for use in analysis, dashboards, chatbots and apps for staff and/or farmers.

• Partner with data engineers and analysts to ensure data models and pipelines are designed to be available, scalable, maintained, and accurate.

• Advise team leaders on potential applications for data science in better understanding and supporting farmers.

• Provide advice and feedback to help other members of the data analytics team grow their skills in data science and engineering and promote a more data-driven culture across the organization.

Must-Haves:

• Strategic thinking: You are able to identify opportunities to use data, statistics and machine learning to support Proximity’s operations and mission.
• Analytical Skills: In-depth understanding of advanced statistics and causal inference (e.g. linear and logistic regression, Bayesian statistics, multivariate analysis, dimension reduction, etc.).
• Technical Skills: Proficiency with R, Python, and/or Julia. Proficiency with SQL. Detailed understanding of machine learning methods. Can develop processes and tools to monitor and analyze model performance and data accuracy. Ability to collaborate across teams to incorporate machine learning models into apps, dashboards, and chatbots.
• Clear communicator: Effectively communicate insights and plans to cross-functional team members and management. Able to explain technical concepts with different levels of detail and complexity.
• Team Player: Able to bring unique perspectives and skill sets to contribute to a dynamic, supportive, cross-cultural team. Willing to go out of the way to support data analysts and others in the organization to help them solve problems.
• Passion for Impact: You are passionate about the prospect of working to bring innovative, data-based solutions to the organization and supporting the rest of the organization to better serve low-income farmers in Myanmar.

Added Bonus:

• Graduate degree in a related field and at least 5 years of relevant work experience
• Experience analyzing spatial data or time series data with seasonal trends.
• Experience working with data warehouses.

In return…

You’ll earn a competitive salary, with medical benefits, and incredible opportunities to develop your career. You can expect an annual impact bonus, an amazing office with the forward-thinking people and world-class training opportunities through Proximity School.

You’ll get to see more of the world, with the potential for international travel to conferences and events to keep your skills sharp.

And, ultimately, you’ll have the opportunity to change lives in Myanmar for the better, while doing groundbreaking work.

About Proximity

Proximity Designs is tackling globally important issues at the nexus of climate change, deep poverty, food insecurity, inequality and political conflict. We do this by helping hundreds of thousands of rural people care for their soils, grow more food, earn better incomes and build resilience against climate change. We address a critical government and market failure, by designing and delivering products and services needed to make farming families more productive, profitable and environmentally sustainable. We offer our low-income customers a suite of innovative and affordable farm solutions such as micro-irrigation systems, bio-fertilizers and bio-pesticides, soil health testing kits, on-call crop protection services and farm loans.

Over the past 18 years, we’ve generated USD 782 million in additional income for 1.2 million poor farming households across rural Myanmar. With this income increase, farmers can invest in their future: education for their children, more nutritious food, better healthcare and investments in their farms or other village enterprises.

How to Apply

If you are interested in joining us, please click Apply to submit your application.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis without regards to race, sex, color, national origin, sexual orientation, age, or marital status, and therefore interested candidates are encouraged to apply.

Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted.