Sr. Data Scientist - Forecasting

About the job

About McDonald’s: One of the world’s largest employers with locations in more than 100 countries, McDonald’s Corporation has corporate opportunities in Hyderabad. Our global offices serve as dynamic innovation and operations hubs, designed to expand McDonald's global talent base and in-house expertise. Our new office in Hyderabad will bring together knowledge across business, technology, analytics, and AI, accelerating our ability to deliver impactful solutions for the business and our customers across the globe. Job Description: Sr. Data Scientist - Forecasting Role: Sr. Data Scientist - Forecasting Location: India Level: Sr Data Scientist Organization: Enterprise Data, Analytics, and AI (EDAA) – Data Science Company Description: McDonald’s is redefining the customer experience using intelligent data systems and scalable technologies. As the brand continues to deliver innovation at the speed and scale of its global operations, enterprise data, analytics, and AI (EDAA) leaders are at the forefront of enabling insights and intelligence across every aspect of the business. Key Responsibilities: • Support model development for market- and store level forecasting of demand, sales, SKUs, and customer traffic, from problem framing through production handoff. • Design and implement statistical and machine learning approaches for time series forecasting (e.g., hierarchical, intermittent, and cold start scenarios), with emphasis on interpretability and reliability. • Own feature engineering and validation, including backtesting protocols, error attribution, scenario simulation, and guardrails for drift detection and model monitoring. • Partner with Data Engineering and MLOps to productionize models using CI/CD best practices, model registries, and automated evaluation pipelines. • Translate business needs from cross functional stakeholders (e.g., Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing, Finance) into rigorous forecasting solutions that drive decisions and measurable outcomes. • Mentor and review work of Data Scientists I–III; set modeling standards, code quality guidelines, and documentation practices within the team. • Contribute to platform evolution, reusable components, and experimentation frameworks for forecasting at enterprise scale. Qualifications Required: • Advanced degree (MS/PhD) in Statistics, Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, Operations Research, Econometrics, or related quantitative field; or equivalent practical experience. • 5+ years of hands on experience in forecasting, predictive modeling, and applied machine learning, including taking models to production. • Depth in time series methods (e.g., ARIMA/ETS, state space models, hierarchical reconciliation, causal impact/SCM) and feature rich ML approaches (e.g., gradient boosting, deep learning for sequences). • Strong proficiency in Python (pandas, NumPy, scikit learn; familiarity with PyTorch/TensorFlow) and comfort with big data ecosystems (e.g., Spark). • Experience with MLOps practices (versioning, model lineage, monitoring, alerting) and cloud/containerization (e.g., Docker; Kubernetes familiarity a plus). • Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence technical and non technical partners; proven collaboration across product and engineering. • Ability to balance short-term delivery with long-term platform evolution. Preferred: • Knowledge of McDonald’s business operations and global supply chain dynamics. • Experience in retail, QSR (Quick Service Restaurant), e-commerce, or financial forecasting domains. • Exposure to human-in-the-loop systems and explainable AI techniques for forecasting. • Contributions to reusable forecasting components and experimentation platforms. McDonald’s Values At McDonald’s, we live by our values: Equal Opportunity Statement: McDonald’s is an equal opportunity employer that champions a culture of fairness and inclusion. We welcome all qualified applicants and are committed to ensuring equal access to opportunities for advancement. • Serve: We put customers and people first • Inclusion: We open our doors to everyone • Integrity: We do the right thing • Community: We are good neighbors • Family: We grow together

Requirements

• Statistical and machine learning approaches
• Time series forecasting
• Feature engineering
• Python
• MLOps

Qualifications

• MS/PhD in Statistics, Computer Science, or related field
• 5+ years of experience in forecasting and predictive modeling

Preferred Technologies

• Statistical and machine learning approaches
• Time series forecasting
• Feature engineering
• Python
• MLOps

About the company

One of the world’s largest employers with locations in more than 100 countries, McDonald’s Corporation has corporate opportunities in Hyderabad. Our global offices serve as dynamic innovation and operations hubs, designed to expand McDonald's global talent base and in-house expertise.