<div><p><span>Careem is building the Everything App for the greater Middle East — making it easy to move around, order food and groceries, manage payments, and more. Our purpose is simple: to simplify and improve people’s lives and build an awesome organisation that inspires.</span><br /><span>Since 2012, Careem has enabled earnings for over 2.5 million Captains, simplified the lives of more than 70 million customers, and built a platform where the region’s best talent and entrepreneurs thrive. We operate in 70+ cities across 10 countries, from Morocco to Pakistan.</span></p> <p><span><strong><em>We’re now entering our next chapter — one powered by AI. We’re looking for AI talent: curious problem-solvers who know how to apply AI to build tools, automate workflows, and create real impact. Whether it’s streamlining operations, enhancing customer experience, or reimagining internal systems — we want people who can make Careem work smarter and move faster.</em></strong></span></p></div><h2><strong>About the Role</strong></h2> <p>The <strong>Director of Data Science (ML)</strong> leads Careem’s central Machine Learning and Data Science organization — a 30+ members team driving applied AI innovation across the Everything App. This leader defines and executes Careem’s AI strategy, scaling machine learning capabilities across all verticals, and ensuring AI becomes a core competitive differentiator.</p> <p>You will shape how Careem personalizes user experiences, optimizes its marketplace dynamics, and leverages the latest in Generative AI and Large Language Models to serve millions of customers every day.</p> <h2> </h2> <h2><strong>What youll do</strong></h2> <h3><strong>1. Strategic Leadership</strong></h3> <ul> <li>Define and execute the vision and multi-year strategy for Data Science and Machine Learning across all Careem verticals.<br /><br /></li> <li>Closely partner with product, engineering, and business leaders to identify and prioritize high-impact AI opportunities with measurable business ROI.<br /><br /></li> <li>Drive standardization, scalability, and platformization across ML systems to accelerate delivery and innovation.<br /><br /></li> <li>Evangelize AI across the company, ensuring alignment between AI investments and Careem’s overall strategic priorities.<br /><br /></li> </ul> <h3><strong>2. Team Leadership &amp; Development</strong></h3> <ul> <li>Build, lead, and inspire a high-performing team of 30+ ML engineers and data scientists distributed across geographies and domains.<br /><br /></li> <li>Foster a culture of inclusion, experimentation, and excellence — empowering teams to take ownership and innovate.<br /><br /></li> <li>Ensure clear ownership and accountability across core DS streams, and continuously evolve team structure for scale and accelerating impact.<br /><br /></li> <li>Mentor emerging leaders and invest in developing technical and leadership capabilities across the organization.<br /><br /></li> </ul> <h3><strong>3. Technical &amp; Operational Excellence</strong></h3> <ul> <li>Oversee the design, development, and deployment of end-to-end ML systems — from data collection and feature engineering to productionized models and monitoring.<br /><br /></li> <li>Partner with engineering to ensure robust infrastructure for training, retraining, and serving ML models at scale.<br /><br /></li> <li>Define and oversee the technical AI roadmap and direction for the team.<br /><br /></li> <li>Lead innovation in Generative AI and LLM applications, ensuring Careem stays at the forefront of applied AI technologies.<br /><br /></li> <li>Champion MLOps and automation to reduce experimentation-to-production cycle time.<br /><br /></li> </ul> <h3><strong>4. Product Impact &amp; Delivery</strong></h3> <ul> <li>Ensure each Data Science domain delivers measurable impact aligned with company OKRs and product outcomes.<br /><br /></li> <li>Collaborate with vertical leaders to embed ML into user-facing experiences (e.g., personalized discovery, dynamic ranking, ETA prediction, integrity systems).<br /><br /></li> <li>Establish clear success metrics and measurement frameworks for AI-driven initiatives with clear AI impact accounting.<br /><br /></li> <li>Champion a data-driven culture across Careem — ensuring insights and experimentation inform every product and business decision.<br /><br /></li> </ul> <h3><strong>5. Cross-Functional Influence</strong></h3> <ul> <li>Represent Data Science leadership in executive and strategic forums, influencing company priorities and investment decisions.<br /><br /></li> <li>Collaborate closely with Engineering Platform, Product Analytics, and Data Platform teams to align on architecture, tooling, and data strategy.<br /><br /></li> <li>Serve as a thought leader for AI innovation across the region and strengthen collaboration with academia and research centers.<br /><br /></li> </ul> <h2> </h2> <h2><strong>What youll need</strong></h2> <ul> <li>10+ years of experience in Data Science, ML, or Applied AI, including 5+ years leading large, high-performing technical teams.<br /><br /></li> <li>Proven record of building and scaling ML systems in production for large-scale consumer platforms (e.g., personalization, recommendation, search, marketplace optimization, fraud detection).<br /><br /></li> <li>Advanced degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, or related field.<br /><br /></li> <li>Demonstrated ability to translate complex ML concepts into strategic business impact.<br /><br /></li> <li>Strong stakeholder management and communication skills across technical and non-technical domains.<br /><br /></li> <li>Deep passion for product-oriented AI — using data and ML to create delightful, human-centered experiences.</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p> </p> <h2><strong>What we’ll provide you</strong></h2> <p>We offer colleagues the opportunity to drive impact in the region while they learn and grow. As a full time Careem colleague, you will be able to:</p> <ul> <li>Work and learn from great minds by joining a community of inspiring colleagues.</li> <li>Put your passion to work in a purposeful organisation dedicated to creating impact in a region with a lot of untapped potential.</li> <li>Explore new opportunities to learn and grow every day.</li> <li>Work 4 days a week in office &amp; 1 day from home, and remotely from any country in the world for 30 days a year with unlimited vacation days per year.</li> <li>Access to healthcare benefits and fitness reimbursements for health activities including gym, health club, and training classes.</li> </ul> <p> </p>

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