Lead Decision Scientist, Supply Chain Optimization

Job Description

Job Description

Farmer’s Fridge makes fruits and vegetables accessible and approachable for everyone. We offer a variety of fresh, healthy, ready-to-eat meals and snacks through our fresh food vending machines, wholesale partners, and our office pantry solution — providing chef-curated meals to customers within seconds. Today, we operate a network of Fridges and partner with clients nationwide in high-foot-traffic areas, such as airports, hospitals, universities, and large office buildings — where there is limited accessibility to fresh, healthy, grab-n-go options.

We care deeply about what we’re creating and aspire to make sure our customers feel that through every touchpoint. This shows up in many ways across the business. We are committed to prioritizing food safety, we are passionate about product quality, we value our employees, we champion the best idea no matter where it comes from, and we’re committed to making an overall positive impact as we scale. 

About this Role: This is a new discipline for Farmer's Fridge. We're introducing optimization and decision science as its own capability — distinct from our existing data science and forecasting work — and you'd be the first person to own it. We already have a route optimization and inventory allocation model live in NextMV; your job is to take that from built to fully rolled out, and then build the next models that turn our supply chain planning process into something we solve with math instead of manual judgment.

You'll work alongside other members of the data team, including a data scientist — you own the solver and the prescriptive layer that acts on model inputs like demand forecasts. Real ownership, and the latitude to define how this discipline gets built at FF.

What You’ll Do…

• Own the solver stack (Gurobi) — model formulation standards, performance, and validation.
• Take our existing route optimization and inventory allocation model from built to rolled out, partnering with planning and ops stakeholders to define success benchmarks and rollout criteria.
• Build new decision models across the supply chain planning process — inventory, production, fulfillment, and network decisions — wherever we're running on manual planning or heuristics today.
• Work in the NextMV platform to develop, test, and deploy optimization models into production.
• Translate ambiguous planning problems — constraints, tradeoffs, objectives — into solvable mathematical formulations.
• Partner with the data science team on model inputs (demand forecasts, feature data) without owning the predictive layer yourself.
• Communicate model logic, tradeoffs, and results in plain language to non-technical planning and operations stakeholders — you'll be explaining why the solver made a decision as often as you're building it.
• Write production-quality Python and SQL, and pick up additional languages or tools as the solver environment requires.
• Set the technical bar for how decision science work gets built, tested, and documented at FF — you're establishing the standard, not inheriting one.

Who You Are…

• 4–10 years of experience building decision science or optimization models in a production environment.
• Hands-on experience with mathematical solvers (Gurobi, FICO Xpress, CPLEX, OR-Tools, or similar).
• Experience with the NextMV platform, or the ability to ramp quickly on it.
• Strong Python and SQL skills; comfortable picking up additional languages as the work requires.
• Experience formulating real business problems as linear programs, mixed-integer programs, or constraint satisfaction problems.
• Excellent communication skills — able to explain model tradeoffs to non-technical stakeholders and defend modeling decisions to technical peers.
• Track record as an individual contributor who owns modeling work end-to-end, from formulation through production.
• Comfortable in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment with limited existing precedent — this role is defining the discipline, not joining an established one.
• Familiarity with using AI tools in your day-to-day workflow.
• Based in Chicago or willing to relocate. This is an in-office role.
• Nice to have: experience with supply chain or logistics optimization specifically (routing, inventory, network design); familiarity with dbt/Snowflake; exposure to how optimization models get productionized alongside data engineering pipelines.

The base salary range for this role is $165,000 - $175,000. The base pay offered will be determined by factors such as experience, skills, training, certifications, education, and any applicable minimum wage requirements.

In addition to base salary, this position is eligible for company performance-based bonuses and equity.

We provide a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance (multiple plans available)
• 401(k) with immediate employer match vesting
• Paid time off (including vacation, sick leave, and holidays)
• Paid sabbatical after 5 years of service
• Employee discounts
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Benefits at Farmer's Fridge:

In This Together - We stay connected, whether in person or virtually. We encourage business transparency through monthly town hall meetings and weekly financial updates. We set out to make the best product on the market, and we believe we’ve done it. We value your input in the new menu creation process. From regular tasting panels, where employees provide new menu feedback. 

Happier Workdays - Each day at work should fill you with joy. We're a fun and passionate group, and we don't take ourselves too seriously. Bring your unique self to work, dress comfortably, and always feel free to share your thoughts and opinions. We encourage curiosity; there's no hierarchy here when we're all swapping ideas.

Never run on empty - Daily Farmer's Fridge meal and office snacks are just some of the offerings to make sure you aren't distracted by a growling stomach. Recharge with our paid sabbatical program after five years of service. 

Innovate & Elevate - We're all teachers and learners. You'll grow and help grow the company through cross-functional collaboration, open access to leadership, and regular business updates. You have a direct impact on the company’s bottom line. You can also impact your bottom line by participating in our 401(k) plan that includes a company match with immediate vesting.

Farmer’s Fridge Diversity Statement:

"Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Farmer’s Fridge, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.”

Farmer’s Fridge is an equal-opportunity employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunity in all employment practices, including hiring, without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. View our disclosures related to External Agencies and Applicants below:

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