About this role.
YipitData is seeking a Data Classification Associate to own and improve retail product category hierarchies across datasets containing millions of SKUs. The role combines data analytics, taxonomy design, AI-enabled classification, data-quality investigation, and quality-assurance process development. The associate will use SQL, Python, PySpark, and related tools while partnering with Insights, Data Validation, and Engineering teams. This is a client-facing position requiring clear explanation of category definitions, methodology, coverage, and limitations. It is a US-remote role aligned to East Coast working hours for a professional with roughly 3–5 years of relevant experience.
Role DNA
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Job Complexity
4/5Pace & Pressure
5/5Autonomy Level
5/5Communication Load
5/5Salary analysis
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Core skills
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Sample interview questions
I would first define the business objective, intended hierarchy levels, category inclusion rules, and known edge cases with relevant stakeholders. I would profile product attributes and descriptions using SQL and Python, establish a representative labeled sample, and create transparent rule-based and model-assisted mappings. After validating precision and coverage through stratified QA, I would document the methodology, monitor exceptions, and iterate based on error patterns and client feedback.
I would quantify the issue by category, source, brand, and attribute pattern to determine whether it is caused by source-data changes, unclear definitions, mapping logic, or model behavior. I would review representative false positives and false negatives, identify a root cause, and implement a targeted rule, taxonomy clarification, or model-input improvement. Finally, I would add regression tests and monitoring so the pattern is detected before future releases.
I would clarify the decision the client needs to make and identify the minimum reliable scope required to support it. I would prioritize high-impact categories, communicate confidence levels and known limitations early, and use automated checks to accelerate validation without reducing quality standards. If a complete answer requires more time, I would provide a well-defined interim deliverable with a plan and timeline for final validation.
I would describe the limitation in business terms, explain which products or metrics may be affected, and avoid unnecessary technical jargon. For example, I would say that certain bundled products cannot yet be consistently separated into their component categories, which may slightly overstate one category’s sales. I would then outline the mitigation, expected impact, and next steps so the client can use the data appropriately.
I would combine automated validation rules, sampled human review, and ongoing performance monitoring. The framework would test hierarchy consistency, required-field completeness, duplicate and anomaly rates, brand-specific edge cases, and precision/recall against a maintained gold-standard set. I would segment results by category and data source, establish escalation thresholds, and feed reviewed errors back into prompts, rules, training data, or methodology documentation.
About Us:
YipitData is the leading market research and analytics firm for the disruptive economy and most recently raised $475M from The Carlyle Group at a valuation of over $1B. Every day, our proprietary technology analyzes billions of alternative data points to uncover actionable insights across sectors like software, AI, cloud, e-commerce, ridesharing, and payments.
Our data and research teams transform raw data into strategic intelligence, delivering accurate, timely, and deeply contextualized analysis that our customers—ranging from the world’s top investment funds to Fortune 500 companies—depend on to drive high-stakes decisions. From sourcing and licensing novel datasets to rigorous analysis and expert narrative framing, our teams ensure clients get not just data, but clarity and confidence.
We operate globally with offices in the US, APAC, and India. Our award-winning, people-centric culture—recognized by Inc. as a Best Workplace for three consecutive years—emphasizes transparency, ownership, and continuous mastery.
What It’s Like to Work at YipitData:
YipitData isn’t a place for coasting—it’s a launchpad for ambitious, impact-driven professionals. From day one, you’ll take the lead on meaningful work, accelerate your growth, and gain exposure that shapes careers.
Why Top Talent Chooses YipitData:
- Ownership That Matters: You’ll lead high-impact projects with real business outcomes
- Rapid Growth: We compress years of learning into months
- Merit Over Titles: Trust and responsibility are earned through execution, not tenure
- Velocity with Purpose: We move fast, support each other, and aim high—always with purpose and intention
If your ambition is matched by your work ethic—and you’re hungry for a place where growth, impact, and ownership are the norm—YipitData might be the opportunity you’ve been waiting for.
About The Role:
YipitData’s Corporate Retail & Brands team collaborates directly with organizations like Ulta, 3M, and Scotts Miracle-Gro to build one of the most comprehensive views into how consumers in the U.S. are purchasing and engaging with brands. By transforming massive volumes of consumer data into accurate, reliable, and actionable insights, we enable our clients to understand not just what is happening in their businesses, but why—and to use that understanding to make higher-confidence decisions in an increasingly competitive landscape.
As part of our continued growth, we are expanding the Data team within our Corporate practice and are excited to welcome a Data Classification Associate to help deliver the most accurate category insights to our Retail clients.
This is an excellent opportunity for a professional with 3-5 years of experience who is eager to deepen their data analysis skill set, gain direct exposure to clients, and join a rapidly growing team at YipitData. In this role, you will independently manage data quality at the item level end-to-end, resolve complex definitional & methodological issues in our hierarchies, improve category classification and product attribution, collaborate closely with cross-functional partners to ensure our data is accurate, reliable, and clearly understood, and help our clients understand our methodology and data limitations.
This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who thrives in ambiguity & rapid growth, enjoys helping clients get the most value from our data, able to communicate complex problems in simple terms to internal and external stakeholders.
This is a remote-friendly opportunity that can sit in NYC (where our headquarters is located), one of our office hubs, or anywhere else in the US. However, depending upon where the remote work is performed, income could be subject to New York State tax withholding. We expect East Coast work hours.
As a Data Classification Associate, You Will:
- Own category hierarchies end-to-end — Ramp up quickly to become the primary owner of high-impact category hierarchies, delivering best-in-class outputs with a focus on accuracy, client value, and efficiency
- Build and refine product taxonomies — Construct new category hierarchies across retail product categories with high accuracy and reliability, covering large-scale datasets (millions of SKUs)
- Become a true category expert — Develop deep knowledge of key products, franchises, brands, and how they should be classified, and build rules and methodologies rooted in domain expertise
- Drive AI-enabled classification — Understand existing mapping solutions and transform them into scalable, AI-enabled approaches that improve speed and consistency
- Design and run QA processes — Create and maintain comprehensive quality assurance processes that catch error patterns that LLMs and manual review miss
- Investigate and resolve data quality issues — Independently diagnose and fix complex data quality problems, including definitional and methodological challenges in our hierarchies
- Be the client-facing expert on category data — Serve as a trusted resource for internal and external stakeholders by understanding client needs and aligning them with our category definitions, methodological limitations, and coverage
- Collaborate cross-functionally — Partner with Insights, Sector Data, Data Validation, and Engineering teams to align on best practices, develop technical solutions that streamline workflows, optimize data processes, and expand automation
- Innovate and mentor — Proactively identify opportunities to improve efficiency, robustness, and data quality within your team’s workflows; create robust processes that challenge the status quo; and mentor peers by raising the quality bar through shared standards and best practices
You Are Likely To Succeed If:
- You have 3-5 years of experience in data analytics, data operations, category mapping, or consulting
- You have 2+ years of experience working with SQL, Python, PySpark, or other programming languages to explore and transform large, complex datasets; Familiarity with GitHub and Databricks
- You have a proven track record of quickly learning new concepts, particularly complex category definitions and client needs
- You can clearly communicate complex concepts, both orally and in writing
- You have a strong ownership mentality and are enthusiastic about making a big impact at a rapidly growing company
- You can manage multiple projects simultaneously, independently prioritize tasks, and make strategic decisions based on client needs
- You enjoy mentoring peers and raising the quality bar through shared standards and best practices
- Preferred: Experience supporting market intelligence or data analytics with brand manufacturers and/or retailers, with a strong understanding of their business needs
What We Offer:
Our compensation package includes comprehensive benefits, perks, and a competitive salary:
- We care about your personal life, and we mean it. We offer flexible work hours, flexible vacation, a generous 401K match, parental leave, team events, wellness budget, learning reimbursement, and more!
- Your growth at YipitData is determined by the impact that you are making, not by tenure, unnecessary facetime, or office politics. Everyone at YipitData is empowered to learn, self-improve, and master their skills in an environment focused on ownership, respect, and trust. See more on our high-impact, high-opportunity work environment above!
- The annual on-target earnings for this position is anticipated to be up to $130K annually. The final offer may be determined by a number of factors, including, but not limited to, the applicant’s experience, knowledge, skills, abilities, as well as internal team benchmarks.
This role may be performed fully remotely within the United States. Please note that our US headquarters are located in NYC. We also have office hubs in Austin, Miami, Denver, Mountain View, and Seattle. If the remote work is performed outside of these offices, income may be subject to New York State tax withholding.
Please note that for this position, we are not able to consider candidates who currently or in the future will require visa sponsorship.
We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, or veteran status. We are proud to be an equal-opportunity employer.
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