At a Glance
- Tasks: Develop and improve taxonomies for a global e-commerce platform, enhancing consumer experiences.
- Company: Join a leading tech company revolutionising grocery and retail delivery.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible working options, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with cross-functional teams and innovative projects.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on local economies and shape the future of e-commerce.
- Qualifications: 5+ years in taxonomy development and a Master's degree in a relevant field.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 € per year.
About the Team
Our New Verticals Strategy & Operations team is re-inventing the way consumers think about grocery, convenience, alcohol and retail delivery through both our first-party and third-party operations businesses. The Global Catalog team plays a critical role in shaping DoorDash’s e-commerce strategy, leading some of the company’s most strategic programs to drive catalog excellence. Their work is highly visible and impactful—spanning the entire New Verticals catalog across DoorDash, Deliveroo, and Wolt—and influences tens of millions of items on the platform.
About the Role
We are looking to hire an experienced Taxonomist to join the Global New Verticals Catalog team across DoorDash, Wolt, and Deliveroo. This role will focus on developing and improving the processes and models that power DoorDash’s three-sided marketplace—Merchants, Dashers, and Customers—as well as its emerging fourth side, Advertisers, with the goal of empowering and growing local economies. Achieving this requires a deep understanding of local businesses, the products and services they offer, and the consumers who interact with them. A strong grasp of the global ecosystem is essential to building and mapping complex taxonomies and entity relationships within local economies. This includes the design, implementation, and governance of large-scale taxonomies to accelerate product development and deliver high-quality consumer experiences.
As a Taxonomist on the Global Catalog team, this role will be responsible for Product Categories and Brands taxonomies, as well as the broader attribute platform. The position will work closely with Strategy & Operations, Machine Learning, Engineering, Product, and Data Science partners.
You’re excited about this opportunity because you will…
- Build and maintain the metadata schema, attribute systems, and entity relationships within a global ontology platform.
- Design and maintain taxonomies across consumer domains including grocery, alcoholic beverages, apparel and more, ensuring alignment with attribute models.
- Develop and apply best practices for taxonomy and ontology modeling, including hierarchy design, attribute standardization, and relationship definition.
- Identify and address gaps in catalog quality, completeness, and discoverability across international markets.
- Partner cross-functionally with Product, Operations, Analytics, and regional teams to design and operationalize taxonomy and ontology solutions globally.
- Evolve and scale taxonomy and ontology systems for New Verticals, aligning and unifying structures across DoorDash, Wolt and Deliveroo markets.
- Contribute to strategic initiatives that strengthen merchant catalogs and improve the customer shopping experience across international markets.
We’re excited about you because…
- You solve problems from first principles. You’re excited to think innovatively, and you resist “this is how it’s always been done” thinking.
- You are an operator. You don’t hesitate to get in the weeds and operate at the lowest level of detail, but you’re also able to think long-term. You will experience our operation first hand, to inform your strategy.
- You’re analytical. You can work with data across multiple sources, ask the right questions of a dataset, and communicate findings clearly, using whatever tools get you there fastest (e.g., SQL, BI tools or AI-assisted analysis).
- You have 5+ years of experience in developing complex taxonomies, ontologies, or structured classification systems in real-world applications.
- You have experience with taxonomy or ontology management tools (Graphite, PoolParty, Graphologi, etc.) and have designed taxonomies to support navigation, search, discovery, and analytics at scale.
- You have completed a Masters Degree in either Library and Information Science, Linguistics, Philosophy, or a related field.
Nice to Haves
- Experience with AI tools such as Claude Code and Cursor to accelerate problem-solving, analysis, or workflow execution.
- Proficiency in SQL.
- Familiarity with graph-based or triple-store systems (e.g., RDF, SPARQL) is a plus.
Metadata Specialist employer: Deliveroo
At DoorDash, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer that fosters a dynamic and inclusive work culture. Our Global Catalog team is at the forefront of innovation in e-commerce, offering employees the chance to work on impactful projects that shape the future of grocery and retail delivery. With a strong emphasis on professional growth, collaboration across diverse teams, and a commitment to empowering local economies, we provide a rewarding environment for those looking to make a meaningful difference.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Metadata Specialist
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in the industry, attend events, and connect on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its culture. Understand their products and services, especially in the grocery and retail delivery space. This will help you tailor your answers and show you're genuinely interested.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice makes perfect! Do mock interviews with friends or use online platforms. Get comfortable with common questions and be ready to discuss your experience with taxonomies and data analysis.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, it shows you’re serious about joining our team and contributing to our mission of improving local economies.
We think you need these skills to ace Metadata Specialist
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for Taxonomy:When writing your application, let us see your enthusiasm for taxonomies and how they can transform the consumer experience. Share specific examples of your past work that highlight your expertise in developing complex taxonomies and ontologies.
Be Data-Driven:We love candidates who can back up their claims with data! Use metrics and outcomes from your previous roles to demonstrate how your analytical skills have made a difference. This will show us you’re not just about theory but also about practical results.
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your application to align with our job description. Highlight your experience with taxonomy management tools and any relevant projects that relate to grocery, retail, or e-commerce. This helps us see how you fit into our team!
Apply Through Our Website:Don’t forget to submit your application through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it makes the whole process smoother for everyone involved.
How to prepare for a job interview at Deliveroo
✨Know Your Taxonomies
Make sure you brush up on your knowledge of taxonomies and ontologies before the interview. Be ready to discuss your experience in developing complex classification systems and how you've applied them in real-world scenarios. This will show that you understand the core responsibilities of the role.
✨Showcase Your Analytical Skills
Prepare to demonstrate your analytical prowess by discussing specific examples where you've used data to solve problems. Whether it's through SQL or BI tools, be ready to explain how you approached a dataset, what questions you asked, and the insights you derived from it.
✨Understand the Business Landscape
Familiarise yourself with the grocery, convenience, and retail delivery sectors, especially how they relate to DoorDash, Deliveroo, and Wolt. Being able to speak knowledgeably about the industry will help you connect your skills to the company's goals and show that you're genuinely interested in the role.
✨Collaborative Mindset
Since this role involves working cross-functionally, think of examples where you've successfully collaborated with different teams. Highlight your ability to communicate effectively and how you’ve contributed to strategic initiatives that improved processes or outcomes in previous roles.
