‘Decision Scientist’ isn’t a title you’ll hear often, but it’s an important role at Vinted. In this post, we’ll take a look at what Decision Scientists do, and why it’s a position where your work can make a real impact.So, what is Decision Science at Vinted? The team’s goal is to guide Vinted’s decisions using the scientific method – and they don’t hesitate to use intuition when speed matters.There are four key parts to their process:<ol><li>Influence</li><li>Decisions</li><li>Intuition</li><li>The Scientific Method</li></ol>

<h2>Shaping decisions, not confirming them</h2>Decision Scientists aren’t there to support a choice that’s already been made. They get involved earlier, when things are just taking shape, and there’s still space to create precise hypotheses and iterative roadmaps to test them.That means asking the right questions, challenging assumptions, and setting the right metrics.<h3>You’re moving away from Decision Science if the focus is on:</h3><ul><li>Trying to build confidence in a decision that’s already been made</li><li>Looking for supporting evidence to match a gut feeling</li><li>Reaching a conclusion before exploring the data.</li></ul>

<h2>1. Influencing decisions from the start</h2>The first step is working with stakeholders to identify the jobs to be done, so it’s clear what needs to be decided and what will actually move things along.That means:<ul><li>Co-creating with Product Managers, Engineers, and Designers to reach the best outcomes for Vinted</li><li>Building a strong understanding of product, engineering, and design realities</li><li>Understanding team goals and the constraints around them</li><li>Turning those goals into clear, testable questions and metrics</li><li>Communicating clearly and persuasively, without relying on formal authority.</li></ul>

<h3>What this looks like in practice</h3>Take something like using AI to auto-fill listing details from item photos. When uploading an item and selecting the brand, size, or fabric – speed matters for sellers, while accuracy shapes how easily buyers can find what they’re looking for. Improving one may affect the other.That means, the task’s not just about efficiency, but how that change plays out across the entire experience, from listing through to purchase.This leads to more specific questions:<ul><li>Does auto-fill actually reduce time to publish, or do people spend longer correcting it?&nbsp;</li><li>Does it improve search relevance, or make items harder to find?&nbsp;</li><li>And if details are wrong, what does that mean for trust, complaints, or returns?</li></ul>This is where Decision Scientists add value. They help teams explore those trade-offs, define what success really looks like, and develop tests that reflect how people actually use the product.

<h2>2. Staying close to the decisions that matter</h2>Decision Scientists stay close to the decisions that inform how Vinted evolves. If there’s a chance that data or structured thinking can improve a decision, it’s worth engaging.That can mean reframing a target that doesn’t quite reflect reality yet, or working with a team to test the thinking behind a direction before it moves forward. The role isn’t just about supporting decisions, but guiding them at the right moment.This relies on two things working together. One is recognising where input can genuinely change an outcome. The other is building the trust that makes that input useful, so it’s heard and acted on.At the same time, there’s a clear sense of focus. If a piece of work doesn’t lead to a decision, it’s a moment to reflect on why:<ul><li>Was the question the right one to begin with?</li><li>Did we define the problem and scope correctly?</li><li>Did we collaborate well with stakeholders to understand the need and challenge?</li></ul>Example: If a team asks for a dashboard with 20 metrics, the first question is: what decisions will these metrics inform? That often leads to a smaller, sharper set of metrics, along with clear decision rules – helping teams move faster with less effort. &nbsp;

<h2>3. Knowing when intuition should guide the way</h2>When we talk about intuition, we don’t mean guessing. It’s about using the evidence and patterns we’ve learned along the way to work faster, with confidence. Or, as Jevgenij puts it, “...using accumulated evidence and patterns to safely cut corners.”Over time, Decision Scientists build a strong sense of how things tend to play out. Often, they’ve:<ul><li>Seen similar experiments before</li><li>Worked on similar features or markets</li><li>And understand how certain patterns show up in the data.&nbsp;</li></ul>That means they don’t always need to analyse everything from scratch.Sometimes, that looks like recognising early that an idea is unlikely to have a big impact. For example, if several similar experiments on a screen have shown limited results, it can be enough to say: this opportunity is likely smaller than it seems, so it may be worth focusing elsewhere.That kind of call lets teams move ahead without waiting for a full deep dive every time.This allows Decision Scientists to:<ul><li>Move faster when timing matters</li><li>Avoid work that won’t change the outcome</li><li>And save their time and attention for the problems that require deeper analysis.</li></ul>At the same time, the use of intuition is never hidden or assumed. It’s important to be clear about where experience is being used, and why it’s safe to do so in that moment.

<h2>4. Using the scientific method with intent</h2>When it comes to engaging with the scientific method, this can take different forms, from forecasting how something might perform to designing experiments that test a specific idea. What matters is being deliberate about how we approach it.That means:<ul><li>Being clear on what we expect to happen, and why</li><li>Making assumptions visible, whether they relate to user behaviour, data quality, or how things connect</li><li>Deciding what needs to be tested, and what can wait.</li></ul>This is where strong technical skills come in. Experiments, statistics, and modelling all play a part, but always in service of helping teams make better decisions.<h3>What this looks like in practice</h3>For example, a country filter is a common request from buyers when they’re browsing items. At first glance, it seems like an easy feature to build. But instead of jumping straight into it, the focus shifts to understanding what problem it’s really solving.The starting point is a clear hypothesis: making it easier to find local items should help people find what they want faster and improve conversion.From there, the assumptions behind it need to be made explicit. Is this about faster delivery, lower costs, or more relevant content? Or is it actually about something else, like language?Rather than testing everything at once, we concentrate on what matters most. For example, if people are actually trying to find items listed in their own language, then a country filter might not be the right solution at all.That can change how the idea is tested. Instead of building a full feature, it might be enough to adjust how local items are shown and see if that delivers the same result.This approach goes beyond surface-level answers. It shows us what’s actually driving behaviour, and ensures decisions reflect how people really use the product, not just what they ask for.

<h2>Turning insight into impact</h2>Overall, Decision Scientists are part of how decisions get made at Vinted.They help teams navigate uncertainty, make trade-offs, and allow us to grow with clarity. The results of their work show up in our platform and in the experience of millions of members.It’s a role where you can see the connection between what you work on and what changes as a result.<h3>Want to see what you can do at scale?</h3>If you enjoy working through complex problems, thinking about impact, and helping teams progress with confidence, this is a role where you can make a real difference.Explore our <a href="https://careers.vinted.com/jobs?departments%5B0%5D=Data%20Science%20%26%20Analytics&amp;page=1&amp;q=decision&amp;gh_src=4dae07a2teu&amp;utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_medium=blog" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">open roles </a>now.

140126Vinted EB30895.jpg

What it means to be a Decision Scientist at Vinted

Data science and analytics at Vinted are fields that are constantly evolving. To excel in this ever-changing landscape, it's imperative to stay informed about the latest trends and tools.Within Data Science &amp; Analytics (DSA) we have three distinct roles. To understand your potential role within DSA context better, here are brief descriptions of each role we have in the department:<ul class="ul1"><li class="li1">Analytics Engineers are responsible for data curation – translating data needs from stakeholders into architecting, building and maintaining efficient &amp; reliable data models and pipelines. &nbsp;</li><li class="li1">Decision Scientists are responsible for actionable insights, identifying and seizing opportunities, and automated tools that increase the quality of product and business decisions by applying statistical methods and data-driven decision making. &nbsp;</li><li class="li1">Data Scientists are responsible for identification of algorithmic opportunities, ensuring those opportunities are addressed in an optimal fashion and design, development and maintenance of production-grade statistical and machine learning algorithms.</li></ul>

Here's a diverse range of recommendations that can help you navigate this journey, but be sure to customize your choices to match your individual interests and objectives within the realm of data science and analytics.&nbsp;&nbsp;About Git &amp; GitHub:<ul class="ul1"><li class="li3"><a href="https://docs.github.com/en/get-started/start-your-journey/git-and-github-learning-resources" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">How to Use Git and GitHub</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://www.udemy.com/course/github-ultimate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">GitHub Ultimate: Master Git and GitHub - Beginner to Expert</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://nvie.com/posts/a-successful-git-branching-model/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">A successful Git branching model</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="http://engineering.vinted.com/2015/01/02/proper-git/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Proper Git</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2/Getting-Started-About-Version-Control" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">What is version control?</a></li></ul>&nbsp;Useful Courses:<ul class="ul1"><li class="li3"><a href="https://scikit-learn.org/stable/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Scikit learn</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://pytorch.org/tutorials/beginner/basics/intro.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pytorch basics</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://course.fast.ai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Practical Deep Learning</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://mode.com/sql-tutorial/introduction-to-sql/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Introduction to SQL</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://www.bradyneal.com/causal-inference-course" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Introduction to causal analysis</a></li></ul>&nbsp;Books:<ul class="ul1"><li class="li3"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51635906-trustworthy-online-controlled-experiments" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Trustworthy Online Controlled Experiments: A Practical Guide to A/B Testing</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://d2l.ai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dive into Deep Learning</a>&nbsp;</li><li class="li3"><a href="https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/building-machine-learning/9781492045106/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Building Machine Learning Powered Applications </a>by Emmanuel Ameisen</li><li class="li3"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Clean-Code-Handbook-Software-Craftsmanship/dp/0132350882" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship</a> by by Robert C. Martin</li><li class="li1"><a href="https://www.deeplearningbook.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Deep Learning</a> by Ian Goodfellow, Yoshua Bengio and Aaron Courville</li><li class="li3"><a href="https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/python-for-data/9781449323592/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Python for Data Analysis</a> / Oreilly</li><li class="li3"><a href="https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/thinking-with-data/9781491949757/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Thinking with data</a> / Oreilly</li><li class="li3"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Storytelling-Data-Visualization-Business-Professionals/dp/1119002257?pd_rd_w=GOBtn&amp;content-id=amzn1.sym.7f0cf323-50c6-49e3-b3f9-63546bb79c92&amp;pf_rd_p=7f0cf323-50c6-49e3-b3f9-63546bb79c92&amp;pf_rd_r=PRDGPBNW9STWB7TQTHQW&amp;pd_rd_wg=v8uFy&amp;pd_rd_r=024055bd-f103-4273-9e7f-100ca4cb5886&amp;pd_rd_i=1119002257&amp;psc=1&amp;linkCode=sl1&amp;tag=swdbooks-20&amp;linkId=309f73640a0cb64e3b676e26561d07a0&amp;language=en_US&amp;ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Storytelling with Data: A Data Visualization Guide for Business Professionals</a></li></ul>&nbsp;Blogs:<ul class="ul1"><li class="li3"><a href="https://huyenchip.com/blog/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Chip Huyen’s</a> blog</li><li class="li3"><a href="https://eugeneyan.com/writing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Eugenayan.com</a></li><li class="li3"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZOu6yXnpL_duYixQKsXTMEH_sAe4JDKT/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Scientific Method &amp; ML Engineering</a></li><li class="li1"><a href="https://www.kaggle.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kaggle</a> - the repository of community-published models, data &amp; code</li></ul>&nbsp;

Vinted1302.jpg

List of useful resources for joining Data Science and Analytics at Vinted

Meet Agnė, Analytics Engineer at Vinted. During our interview, Agnė talked about her career journey to Vinted, explained her role-switching career jump, and shared what makes her current work meaningful.

What’s your name and job at Vinted?I’m Agnė, and I work as an Analytics Engineer in the Transactional Experience domain. Analytics Engineers at Vinted are responsible for taking raw data from different primary sources and translating it into meaningful analytical tables, which can help tackle business questions for anyone interested: data scientists, product owners, leaders, customer support. The Data Science &amp; Analytics department’s vision is to make data obvious throughout Vinted, and I feel my role plays an important part in achieving this.&nbsp;When and how did you join? Why? (Be honest!)I joined Vinted four years ago when there were only around two hundred employees here. Before that, I was a financial analyst in a manufacturing company, doing all kinds of reports, analyses, and process improvements. Even though I wasn’t looking for a change, somewhere deep down I wanted to move into the tech industry.I’ve heard friends talking about Vinted’s culture before. It caught my interest. So one day, when I stumbled upon an ad for a Product Data Scientist role, I decided to apply, wrote a warm motivational letter, put an honest effort into my homework assignment, and, to my surprise, was hired!&nbsp;How is Vinted’s mission important for you?&nbsp;It’s a great feeling to be working with a product that contributes to the growth of sustainability worldwide. It brings a deeper purpose and meaning to everyday tasks.&nbsp;Tell us about your typical work day? Do you have a morning ritual?I usually prepare for the workday ahead before it even starts. I wake up, drink a glass of water, do a fifteen minute morning exercise, meditate, prepare a nutritious breakfast and treat myself to a cup of strong black coffee. A successful morning routine sets the mood and productivity level for the whole day.During working hours, I divide my time between concentrated individual work and collaboration with stakeholders while sorting out data nuances or requirements.&nbsp;What makes you excited to wake up and go to work each morning?Firstly, no two of my work tasks are the same — and that keeps me continually stimulated, and always learning something new. For instance, we’re now preparing for the migration from the on-premise data warehouse to BigQuery (Google Cloud) and dbt (Data build tool). I feel a bit nervous about it, but it’s a good feeling because it will be a tremendous opportunity to grow my knowledge.&nbsp;Secondly, we use world-class technologies and processes, which put us at the forefront of the world’s data market. In parallel with the cloud migration, we’ll also be building a Data Mesh — the data platform version of microservice architecture. It's one of the hottest data buzzwords right now, and I’m more than excited to be a part of this.And finally, we truly have a data-driven culture here at Vinted, so the work I’m doing feels necessary and meaningful.&nbsp;&nbsp;You’ve been at Vinted for 4 years now. What was your first position?I started out as a Product Data Scientist in a cross-functional product team in the Trust domain. My responsibility was to answer various business questions using data from our app. Sometimes those questions were very abstract or oriented toward future opportunities. You had to call upon your knowledge, data, and creativity to answer them.&nbsp;Product teams act autonomously, so it was great to drive our initiatives and see the impact we make. It’s like a micro-entity inside the company.&nbsp;Why did you decide to switch career paths? What was the main motivation?While working in a product team, I felt I enjoyed and brought more value to the technical side, such as writing data jobs, tackling data inconsistencies, and improving datasets. Back then, we didn’t have specialisations. Product Data Scientists were responsible for the whole pipeline: from preparing data in the data warehouse to providing business insights out of analyses.&nbsp;With Vinted’s growth, the role inevitably split into three positions: Data Scientist, Decision Scientist, and Analytics Engineer. Then I realised that it was a perfect opportunity for me to switch roles. My lead was super supportive, and here I am.&nbsp;What was easy and what was hard about it? Tell us about the process.I wouldn't say anything was particularly hard. I was already doing some analytics engineering in my previous role. The only difference was how I divided my time; I switched from full-time analyses to full-time engineering. It wasn’t a massive change, but significant enough. It also didn't happen overnight. I shifted into it gradually and had to prove my capabilities.I had (and still have) to deepen my technical knowledge, which was challenging, but also enjoyable. My greatest advantage was my knowledge of how both the data and product teams work.&nbsp;I now see my work as a product I supply to the end users. The end user used to be me, so I find it pretty easy to understand data requirements when the demand arises. For example, when we launch a new feature, I can quickly understand what kind of tables will be useful and how to design a new dataset from the raw backend data or tracking events.&nbsp;What would be your top advice for someone who wants to change careers to something they virtually know nothing about?The most important one — please don’t hold yourself back by thinking that something's too complicated or impossible.&nbsp;One interesting fact about you?It might sound unusual, but I’ve been wearing only black for almost twenty years. It started as a gothic teenage rebellion and developed into my own individual style over the years.&nbsp;No, I don't get bored of it, and yes — it gets a bit warm during the summer!&nbsp;By the way, do you use the Vinted app? If so, what’s your way of using it?I was using it a long time before joining Vinted as an employee. Usually, I buy black clothes!&nbsp;When I see something I like in a clothes shop, I memorise or write it down and wait for the item to appear on the Vinted app. Someone might have bought it and didn’t like it, so I’ll buy it second-hand from them. It's a definite win-win situation.&nbsp;Aiming high daily is not easy – how do you relax?Music takes up a lot of my spare time. I listen to a variety of genres, visit concerts weekly, and travel to watch my favourite artists’ shows across Europe. I also attend online music history courses and read biographies and I’ve been going to music quizzes with a group of friends for years. I secretly cherish a dream of creating some music myself. I reckon it would be very structured and mathematical, yet delicately emotional.&nbsp;Pick one piece of media to recommend. Why do you think it deserves someone’s attention and what role does it play in your life?The School of Life&nbsp;instantly pops into my head. If you’re either going through a tough period in your life, as we all sometimes do, or you simply want to grow as a better human being — The School of Life <a href="https://www.theschooloflife.com/shop/">books</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/theschooloflifetv">videos</a> are a great source of wisdom. They cover various themes. From relationships, self-love, and work to philosophy and art. But most importantly, they teach a more empathetic approach towards life, ourselves, and others.

Latests posts

Agne Misiukonyte.jpg

Agnė Misiukonytė: Don’t Hold Yourself Back by Thinking That Something’s Impossible

Meet Witek, Manager of Data Science &amp; Analytics at Vinted. During our interview, he talked about his day-to-day work at Vinted, told us why growth is vital in personal and professional life and opened up about his curiosity for life.

What’s your name and job at Vinted?I am Witek. At Vinted, I work as a Manager in the Data Science &amp; Analytics team and the Leadership team of the Monetisation domain. The latter department is responsible for the added value from paid services and advertisements. These additional revenue streams allow Vinted to reduce buyer fees or shipment costs. And as a result, improve the proposition to all Vinted users.&nbsp;When and how did you join? Why? (Be honest!)I joined Vinted when it acquired Bloom, the company I had worked for before. It was an Amsterdam-based consulting company that combined strategy and data science to accelerate digital growth. We had been consulting with Vinted for almost two years. So I had first-hand experience of how the values and mindsets of the two companies aligned.&nbsp;How is Vinted’s mission important for you? What extra efforts do you take to live sustainably in your life outside work?My professional background is in sustainable energy. I studied nuclear physics, and my first job as an applied physicist was all about solar energy. I see sustainable consumption (next to sustainable energy) as a crucial element that we should embed in our society.Personally, I have reduced eating meat and switched to one of the most sustainable energy providers and banks. Besides, I take trains instead of planes where it makes sense.&nbsp;Tell us about your typical workday? Do you have a morning ritual?There is no typical workday. But a week usually consists of having talks and discussions with my data team about the insights of analyses, as well as personal development.With my leadership team, we have workshops to develop the domain strategy, identify growth opportunities, and build the roadmaps and organisation around it. And individually, I always look into our key metrics to understand drivers of change and the possible actions we should take based on those drivers.&nbsp;What makes you excited to wake up and go to work each morning?Vinted has large ambitions. The company grows and changes extremely fast, which requires a lot of flexibility and energy. But this is also what makes it very exciting for me. It is an adventure that I go on with very smart, motivated, and supportive colleagues.&nbsp;How important is growth to you? What role does it play in your life outside work?&nbsp;I’ve always been eager to learn and understand things. I enjoyed studying applied physics because I am curious about how the world works. Then my interest in how business and strategy work was the reason why I switched from my first role to my second job. And now, my personal growth is mostly about learning what drives and motivates people.&nbsp;How does Vinted contribute to your growth? What work and side projects could you name that have taught you a lot?No week is the same at Vinted. That’s why most learning and growth is on the job. Next to that, Vinted highly encourages learning and personal improvement. We have a significant learning budget for anything that helps you grow faster and better. You can use it for books, training, courses, or coaching.&nbsp;Also, Vinted has multiple in-house training programs. For example, the Data Science and Analytics program, where you can develop technical, business, and people skills. Personally, I learned a lot from the leadership training series offered by Vinted.&nbsp;Usually, when people talk about growth, they mean advancing to a higher, often managing position. What do you think about horizontal growth?Well, we cannot live in a world with only managers, right? Within the Data Science &amp; Analytics organisation, we have two tracks: the people-lead track and the individual contributor track. Both are equally important, have equal growth potential, and are rewarded based on the impact you make.&nbsp;People say you can learn a lot from teamwork – is it true for Vinted? Could you give an example?In my previous job as a consultant, I worked on most projects independently. At Vinted, we take a different approach. Here, working in a team brings me a lot of value because we learn from each other's backgrounds and experiences. We complement each other's strengths and weaknesses. This gives us a strong sense of achieving things together.&nbsp;What has Vinted taught you that is not directly related to your job?Vinted's headquarters and most of my colleagues are in Vilnius, Lithuania. The place where Vinted was founded. I've managed to learn a lot about its history, culture, and people.&nbsp;By the way, do you use the Vinted app? If so, what’s your way of using it?Yes, I started using it when I joined Vinted. By now, I’ve bought shoes, shorts, a sweater, a jacket, and swim shorts via the app.&nbsp;One fun fact about you?I participated twice in the Dutch Championship of jigsaw puzzles. With a team of 4 people, we had to complete a 1000 piece puzzle as fast as possible while competing against 40 teams. Too bad we did not win, but it was quite an experience!&nbsp;Your favourite place in the world?The mountains are the best place in the world. I enjoy hiking a lot and took up mountaineering a few years ago. The mountains never stop to amaze and impress me. Being there can be a humbling experience and gives a feeling of fulfilment when you reach a summit or complete a part of the journey.&nbsp;&nbsp;Aiming high daily is not easy – how do you relax?Sports make me feel good and relaxed. I like to swim, cycle, and climb. Additionally, I play the piano. It was during the pandemic that I started taking piano lessons. Now I try to play every day.

Witek_N_DSA.png

Witek Nawara: Growth Requires Teamwork

Arūnas Umbrasas‘ career path at Vinted has taken him from working as a data scientist in Special-Ops to leading Trust &amp; Safety as a Director of Data Science &amp; Analytics. Arūnas tells us about his journey to becoming a director, and what he thinks it takes to succeed at work. &nbsp;

Hi Arūnas! What’s your “becoming part of Vinted” story?&nbsp;I joined Vinted back in 2019, and luck played a significant part in it! Up until then, my career was in consultancy-type roles. I was looking for an opportunity to move from consulting to a company where I can deliver consistent impact and see projects through from beginning to end.&nbsp;I met for an interview with Artūras, the Head of Strategy &amp; Analytics at the time. One homework assignment and one try-out later, I got invited to join as an individual contributor. I knew very little about Vinted before the interview, and was pleasantly surprised to find such a great company hiding right under my nose in Vilnius!&nbsp;&nbsp;Was managing a Data Science team at Vinted your first leadership position?&nbsp;I became a team lead after a year of working with Vinted, as the company was growing rapidly and a new organizational structure was taking shape. It was my first real leadership position, even though I had experience leading projects and ad-hoc teams as a project manager. But the aspects of long-term people leadership were quite new to me.&nbsp;Was it hard adjusting to having a permanent team that you lead?&nbsp;My first months as a team lead were stressful and awkward. On the bright side, this lack of experience, coupled with the immediate responsibility of a battlefield promotion, was very motivating. Since then, I have read books and taken courses on management, made many mistakes, and collected tons of feedback. Ultimately, it’s about reading a bit, working a lot, reflecting, and improving!&nbsp;So far, what do you think is the key to leadership?&nbsp;To me, leadership is all about caring and taking ownership. To achieve great results, you need great people and processes that enable them - and we have both at Vinted. As a leader, you have to be ambitious and result-oriented, but also care about the people you work with. We’re all in it together and it’s important that everyone is engaged and enabled to aim high and deliver impact.Ultimately, I think there is no silver bullet to leadership – it’s challenging, you inevitably make mistakes, and you never stop learning. Vinted has been a great teacher, because it's an environment that provides loads of responsibility, freedom, and opportunities to learn, both through mistakes and successes.&nbsp;&nbsp;What does a typical workday of a Director of Data Science &amp; Analytics look like?&nbsp;Getting things done and abusing coffee are the only things that are routine about my day. Typical activities during the week will include 1:1 meetings with my colleagues, planning and strategizing sessions, as well as analysis and problem-solving. The Trust &amp; Safety domain is still growing, so figuring out organizational structure, ownership, and having interviews with candidates are tasks that I also engage in fairly often.&nbsp;Is there anything in particular that motivates you to start work each morning?It’s the combination of difficult challenges, pressure, and smart colleagues. At Trust &amp; Safety, our mandate is to keep Vinted and its members safe from increasingly sophisticated fraudsters. There’s always something to do and the right solution is not obvious, which keeps you on your toes. The nature of this work is that it’s adversarial and never fair: the attackers can be smarter than you, there’s almost an infinite supply of them, and they stand to gain disproportionately large rewards. The landscape is also ever-changing: you might be proactively improving your defensive tools &amp; processes one day, but a vulnerability in the system will put you into reactive mode the next day. I can’t imagine work that’s more fun than this!&nbsp;Vinted is all about sustainability. How is Vinted’s mission important for you?I truly believe that Vinted can make a positive difference by enabling a way to trade second hand that’s both convenient and sustainable. The mission is close to my heart: I tend to avoid frivolous purchases, only buying what I need, and trying to buy high-quality, durable items that last long in order to minimize waste. I also believe in consuming ethically-made items: goods made from sustainably sourced materials, without animal cruelty, and produced by workers making a fair wage.&nbsp;What principles do you apply to your mission as a Director of Data Science &amp; Analytics?&nbsp;Working in Trust &amp; Safety, it’s important to be ambitious, accountable, and analytical. We try to be forward-looking but remain flexible. Incidents in Trust &amp; Safety are unpredictable by definition and an attack during the weekend can ruin your carefully crafted plans. Still, we don’t take this as an excuse and try to have ambitious targets for how safe and resilient the platform should be - and we stick to these targets regardless of circumstances.To succeed in an environment like this, we look for people who welcome a challenge. We also take care of each other - it’s a marathon, not a sprint - so balancing intense work with rest is critical. To that end, we collaborate closely, prioritise prudently, and lend each other a helping hand when times get tough.&nbsp;You‘ve told us a lot about the importance of growth and making an impact. Are these the things that give meaning to your job?&nbsp;Yes! To me, meaning comes from having the right direction, opportunity to grow as a person, and working with great people. Vinted offers all of it - our mission is ethical and inspiring, but also achievable, and I get to work with amazing people every day!&nbsp;&nbsp;By the way, do you use the Vinted app?Yes! I both buy and sell items!&nbsp;At work, we‘re most likely to see you in meetings. What would we find you doing during your free time?&nbsp;It depends on whether you catch me on a weekday or my days off. After a busy workday, you’ll find me reading or catching up on some Netflix, but I also try to hit the gym every evening! On weekends, I’m very likely to go running, hiking, or attending endurance events like Bebro Kelias and Alfa Run during the summer.&nbsp;

It sounds like you‘re an outdoorsy person! Where’s your favourite place in the world?It must be Iceland. I visited it years ago, and was fascinated by the country’s nature and infrastructure. It’s cosy, there are landmarks on virtually every kilometre of the country’s excellent roads, and the landscape is just out of this world! Not to mention the Blue Lagoon!

It was a pleasure talking to you, Arūnas. What piece of media could you recommend to anyone who has read this article and shares some of your interests?&nbsp;For all the petrolheads out there, I would recommend a YouTube channel called<a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/RegularCars/videos"> RegularCars</a>. An anonymous ex-English teacher runs it. He reviews regular cars – old, beaten-up, affordable, loved or hated – but driven by ordinary people. What’s fascinating about this channel is that someone with a literary education creates its content. His reviews gloss over the technical details of cars, but drill down into the socio-economic context of the time when the vehicle was designed and produced, the feelings that these used cars evoke, and the portraits of their current owners. The humour is the best I’ve seen in an automotive channel. Through references to transcendentalism and romanticism, the author will explain why when people see a Ferrari they will want to know about its owner, but they usually only care about the car itself when they see other such exotic vehicles.

Vinted blog

What it means to be a Decision Scientist at Vinted

List of useful resources for joining Data Science and Analytics at Vinted

Agnė Misiukonytė: Don’t Hold Yourself Back by Thinking That Something’s Impossible

Witek Nawara: Growth Requires Teamwork

Arūnas Umbrasas: Freedom at Vinted is Challenging but Engaging