Data Science Specialist

Founded in 1913 in Italy, the Prada Group was built on a tradition of excellence and with a vision of innovation. The Group, a world leader in the luxury sector, operates in more than 45 countries with the PRADA, Miu Miu, Versace, Church’s, Car Shoe and Luna Rossa brands, and has employees of over 100 nationalities.

Job Purpose

We are seeking a Data Science Specialist to join the Data & Analytics Team within IT. Based in our Milan HQ, the role focuses on designing and industrializing AI solutions for customer personalization and recommendation systems. The ideal candidate combines strong technical skills with the ability to coordinate small external development teams and work across multiple IT and business functions on complex enterprise programs.

Responsibilities

• Design and deploy personalization models and recommendation engines, translating business requirements into scalable, data-driven solutions.
• Lead the full lifecycle of data science projects — from prototyping to production — ensuring alignment with enterprise platform standards.
• Coordinate small teams of external developers, overseeing code quality, timelines, and deliverables.
• Collaborate on cross-IT programs, managing dependencies with other teams (Data Platform, Integration, Digital, CRM) and business stakeholders.
• Build and maintain scalable data pipelines on Databricks and Azure to support model training, serving, and continuous improvement.
• Monitor model performance and proactively identify opportunities to enhance accuracy and business impact.
• Contribute to ML Ops best practices and reusable frameworks within the Data Science area.

Knowledge And Skills

• Master’s degree in a quantitative field (Statistics, Computer Science, Machine Learning, Data Science, Mathematics, Engineering) or equivalent experience.
• 4+ years of industry experience in data science, with a strong focus on personalization and recommendation systems.
• Advanced proficiency in Python and PySpark; solid knowledge of SQL.
• Hands-on experience with recommendation models (collaborative filtering, content-based, hybrid) and personalization algorithms at scale.
• Strong experience with Databricks (MLflow, Feature Store, Model Serving) and Azure.
• Familiarity with ML Ops practices (CI/CD for ML, model monitoring, automated retraining).
• Experience managing external development teams and ensuring delivery quality.
• Proven ability to work on complex, cross-functional programs in international environments.
• Experience with Agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban) is preferred.
• Previous experience in Fashion & Luxury or management consulting is a plus.
• Excellent communication skills; ability to bridge technical and business language.
• Fluency in Italian and English, written and spoken.

Joining our Company means working in a creative and international environment, with teams of people motivated by curiosity and the quest for excellence. The engine of our success is the importance and value that we place on the talent and passion of our people leading to their own professional growth.

Prada Group promotes an inclusive work environment, ensuring equal opportunities for all candidates, regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, or other personal characteristics. We believe that diversity is a value and we are committed to build a fair and respectful workplace for all.