Data Scientist – NLP, Search & Legal Intelligence

Bedrijfsprofiel

Zeno is a legal AI startup building the next generation of intelligent software for legal professionals. The legal world runs on documents, context, and nuance — and we’re building AI tools that deeply understand that. Our end-to-end platform combines advanced language models, retrieval systems, and document intelligence to support the full legal workflow: from research and drafting to bulk contract review.

We’re not just building features — we’re rethinking how legal knowledge work is done. Our clients include top-tier law firms (50+ FTE), and we’ve secured €2M in funding. Everything we build is hosted securely in Europe, fully ISO 27001 certified.

What makes us unique is our approach: no shallow AI integrations, but agentic systems designed for real-world performance and legal-grade reliability. Everything is built in-house by a small team of highly technical founders (backgrounds in AI, theoretical physics, infra), based in Rotterdam.

You’ll join us at a pivotal moment. The foundation is there, the traction is real, and we’re scaling. As engineer #5 or #6, you’ll shape what Zeno becomes — in code, architecture, and culture.

What you'll do:

Turn unstructured legal data into insight, action, and automation

• Clean, structure, and model legal datasets for classification, summarization, and extraction
• Improve search ranking and relevance through semantic search and vector-based techniques
• Develop tools and dashboards that provide real-time insights to legal professionals
• Work across the team to connect data-driven systems to the core AI workflows

What we're looking for:

• 2+ years experience in NLP, search, or applied data science

• You know your way around Python and tools like spaCy, Hugging Face, and ElasticSearch
• You combine attention to detail with the ability to abstract patterns and insights
• You don’t just deliver models — you make sure they work in practice

What we offer:

• A unique opportunity to work at a startup that is shaping the future of legal tech
• The ability to make a direct and tangible impact on the development and growth of our platform
• An inspiring place to work in an office located at the heart of Rotterdam
• Collaboration with a top-tier team of engineers, researchers, and entrepreneurs
• Competitive compensation, including growth and equity opportunities within the company

Recruitment process via Haystack People

Zeno works exclusively with Haystack People to fill these key roles. Haystack helps us connect with engineers who can build exceptional systems and thrive in a culture of autonomy, focus, and momentum. You’ll be supported throughout the process — from first intro to final offer — by an experienced consultant who understands both the role and the team behind it.

Interested or have questions? Reach out directly to Samir via s.jouseiph@haystackpeople.nl