Analytics at Ibotta: Different Paths Find Common Ground
As Ibotta continues to grow through innovative product offerings, the need to support these advancements with data analytics is imperative. With that said, it comes as no surprise that Ibotta’s Client Analytics team is growing fast. In the last quarter alone, the three of us were hired to help with these initiatives and more. As we’ve gotten to know the roles and each other, we are learning that there really is no common approach to how we came into our roles in Client Analytics.
Elizabeth Miller
Senior Client Partnership Analyst, CPG Analytics
My work experience before Ibotta was 100% CPG focused. After graduating with my degree in Sales and Business Marketing, I took on a role as an Account Manager for Nestlé. At Nestlé, I learned the importance of product distribution, promotion, pricing, and placement in the retail marketplace. Over time I was able to transition into a more of an analytical role as a Category Analyst for Purina. This is where I was first introduced to data and the powerful story it can tell. Before, I was making sales forecasts based on gut feeling and prior year’s sales numbers. Working with data removed that uncertainty and better influenced the decision making process with credibility. I enjoyed connecting my competitive nature to drive sales by creating insights and stories with data to prove the value of Neslté’s products to clients.
In 2015, I had a fantastic opportunity to move abroad with my partner to Sydney, Australia. While there, I worked on the agency side at IRI as a Senior Account Manager. I serviced and consulted for a large scale grocery retail chain. At IRI I was able to leverage my prior work experience in analytical skills, but this time I worked across 100+ categories for various stakeholders in the business. Towards the end of my Australia experience, I had the opportunity to work for that same retailer but within their Liquor pillar. Having worked the client side, agency side, and retail side has given me perspective on how to tailor my approach to analysis based on the audience.
When I moved back stateside at the beginning of 2019 I knew I wanted to continue working within the field of CPG. This time however, I wanted to work somewhere that wasn’t the traditional client or retailer side. The CPG Industry has evolved so much since I started my career, and I wanted to work somewhere that was adapting to these changes. Ibotta was a clear winner for me due to its innovative influence on consumers’ path to purchase. I will admit, when I started this role the technical aspects were a bit of a culture shock to me. The Analytics team at Ibotta is more specialized than any other role I’ve been in before. All the other Analytics departments I’ve ever worked for never included Decision Scientists, Machine Learning Data Scientists, and Engineers. I felt a bit out of my league at first. After getting to know the various teams in the department better, I can see how everyone plays an integral role in optimizing the app and making it easy to use. My exposure to these teams gives me visibility to see our data flow through the entire process of data collection and storage, to observation and analysis, and finally to my part which is the visualization and storytelling.
Working for Ibotta has enabled me to use my prior skillset to assist with client insights. It has also been fulfilling to work in an environment with people who work hard and have lots of great ideas.
Jessica Rabin
Associate Decision Scientist, Retail Analytics
I started at Ibotta right out of college with my Communications degree in a sales role. As a Client Development Associate, I worked closely with our Analytics team and quickly became curious by their work and path to becoming data scientists. After dedicating my weekends to online coding courses and bugging enough people over coffee, I turned a partnership into an apprenticeship, and eventually a full-time transition to Ibotta’s Analytics department as an Associate Decision Scientist.
With no technical experience, the learning curve in this role can sometimes seem so steep it’s hard to see the top, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. The demands of making this transition have provided a unique opportunity for me to take control of my career and define my success, one step at a time. In addition to the support and patience of my teammates, the best part about this transition is being constantly challenged and always learning — the only two things I could ever want from a job. The hardest part is being gracious with myself as I continue to be challenged and learn.
Nicole Kacirek
Decision Scientist, Data & Media Analytics
Unlike most of my colleagues on Client Analytics, Ibotta is my first real job out of school. After graduating from Colorado State University with a B.S. in Computer Science in 2018, I attended the University of San Francisco to pursue my M.S. in Data Science. I always wanted to move back to Colorado after my graduate program ended, so around April I started applying to data roles in Denver. While I’ve always loved the technical side of software engineering and data science, I was looking for a role that also had a business/client facing aspect to it. For a while I had a hard time finding positions that balanced both the technical and non-technical sides I was looking for, until I came across the Decision Scientist role for Client Analytics on Glassdoor. This position is the perfect fit for all my interests. In this role, I get to utilize my technical Python, SQL, and statistics skills to assist our Data & Media clients every day.
After a little over two months on the job, I’m so happy that I chose to work at Ibotta. However, the transition from student to startup was not always easy. The first adjustment I had to make was time management. I went from having two classes a day and homework on the weekends to working 9–5 Monday through Friday. For the first two weeks, it was difficult to stay focused for 8 hours straight since in school I’d grown accustomed to taking a two hour break after class to eat and relax, and then start working on homework again later in the evening. Now that I’m adjusted to my new schedule though, I much prefer having free evenings and weekends. In addition to adjusting the hours I was working, I also had to change how I prioritize my time. In school, I would prioritize my workload based on grades — I would allocate the most time for studying for exams, then group projects, homework, etc. Now, my time is prioritized based on the business’s needs, putting the client requests/potential revenue ahead of personal strategic projects. Finally, the last and most important adjustment has been understanding the ins and outs of the business. Coming from a technical background, I never took a business class in my 5 years of college. Thus even two months in, I’m still learning how everything comes together, but I’m enjoying taking myself out of my comfort zone and learning a new industry.
Even though the three of us come from different backgrounds, we’ve all found a place on the Client Analytics team at Ibotta. We each bring our own unique experiences to the team, proving that hiring for analytics at Ibotta is more about the right fit, good attitude, and willingness to learn than having the exact skills listed on the job description. If you’re interested in working at a diverse company with cool people like us, check out our careers page.
