Lead Data Scientist

DT; Durham (NC); Hybrid; USD 170,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity awards

Hybrid work environment

Total well-being benefits

Job summary

DT is seeking a Lead Data Scientist to serve as a technical authority and strategic partner across engineering, product, and executive leadership. Define roadmaps, architect ML and experimentation frameworks, and elevate data science excellence across DT’s global marketplace.

You will collaborate with ML Infrastructure and Data Engineering, mentor senior scientists, and translate complex findings into strategic narratives for executives to influence product strategy and investments.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive experience in data science, quantitative analysis, or ML with leadership experience.
• Expertise in statistical modeling, causal inference, experimental design, and ML architectures.
• Fluent in Python or R and SQL; comfortable with large-scale data in cloud environments.

Responsibilities

• Translate complex business challenges into multi-quarter data science roadmaps.
• Lead centralized experimentation framework and causal inference standards.
• Architect production-grade models for bid optimization, audience segmentation, and LTV.
• Direct time-series forecasting and real-time event processing strategy.
• Mentor senior/mid-level scientists and drive code/methodology standards.

Skills

Data science leadership

Causal inference

Experiment design

Python

SQL

Cloud infrastructure

Machine learning

AdTech domain

Education

Masters/PhD preferred

Tools

Databricks

Spark

Snowflake

AWS/GCP

Job description

DT (NASDAQ: APPS) is unifying the full mobile experience. Our growth platform powers the mobile ecosystem by bringing together advertisers, app developers, and device partners, to create a unique and premium value exchange, that results in a personalized and seamless mobile device experience.

At DT, we move fast, think big, and build collaboratively. We believe great ideas can come from anywhere, and we trust our teams to take ownership, challenge convention, and make an impact from day one.

Here, you’ll have the opportunity to grow your career while contributing to products and experiences used by millions around the world.

With us, you will enjoy competitive compensation, equity awards, and a comprehensive benefits package designed to invest in your total well-being, all within a hybrid and flexible work environment.

As a Lead Data Scientist, you will serve as a technical authority and strategic partner across engineering, product, and executive leadership. You will define technical roadmaps, architect high-impact ML and experimentation frameworks, and set the standard for data science excellence across DT’s global marketplace — from bidding efficacy and audience curation to measurement, attribution, and enterprise experimentation.

About The Lead Data Scientist Role

• Strategic Problem Framing & Vision: Lead the translation of complex, business challenges into multi-quarter data science roadmaps that directly shape product strategy and commercial outcomes
• Experimentation Architecture: Drive the methodology, design, and standards for DT’s centralized experimentation framework — serving as the primary authority on causal inference, A/B testing, and hypothesis validation across product surfaces
• Advanced Modeling & System Architecture: Architect and oversee the development of production-grade statistical and ML models for bid optimization, audience segmentation, recommendations, and user lifetime value (LTV)
• Real-Time Data Intelligence: Direct the strategy for time-series forecasting and real-time event processing to enhance automated decisioning, yield optimization, and recommendation engines
• Engineering Partnership & Productionization: Partner with ML Infrastructure and Data Engineering leads to establish best practices for model deployment, monitoring, and integration
• Practical Application: Proven ability to take theoretical state of the art advances and apply them to DT’s engines in a strategic and scalable manner
• Technical Leadership & Mentorship: Elevate the technical rigor of the data science organization. Mentor senior and mid-level scientists, establish code and methodology standards, and foster an evidence-based culture across the company
• Executive Influence: Translate deep technical findings into strategic narratives for executive stakeholders, influencing product strategy and commercial investments

About You As The Lead Data Scientist

• Experience: 8+ years of progressive experience in data science, quantitative analysis, or machine learning, with a track record of technical leadership in AdTech, two-sided marketplaces, or consumer-scale data platforms
• Technical Mastery: Expertise in advanced statistical modeling, causal inference, experimental design, and machine learning architectures (regression, classification, time-series, clustering, deep learning, multi-armed bandits, and large language models)
• Stack & Scale: Expert fluency in Python (or R), SQL, and handling petabyte-scale data within cloud infrastructure (e.g., Databricks, Spark, Snowflake, AWS/GCP)
• Systemic Thinking: Proven ability to look beyond individual analyses to design scalable tools, reusable metrics frameworks, and automated modeling pipelines
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Exceptional communication and alignment skills, with a history of driving technical strategy across matrixed product, engineering, and business organizations

Nice To Haves

• Hands-on experience architecting metrics semantic layers or enterprise experimentation tools
• Deep domain expertise in real-time bidding (RTB) auctions, algorithmic yield management, large scale content recommendation engines, or advanced attribution methodologies
• Masters or Ph.D. in a quantitative field (Statistics, Computer Science, Economics, Operations Research, or Physics)

DT (NASDAQ: APPS) is a mobile growth platform that powers superior experiences and outcomes for advertisers, app developers, carriers, OEMs, and publishers worldwide. Our technology connects brands and apps with consumers across devices, apps, and mobile environments — helping partners drive awareness, acquisition, engagement, and monetization through intelligent, integrated experiences.

Headquartered in Austin, Texas, DT operates globally across North America, EMEA, APAC, and LATAM.

DT is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace. We welcome people of different backgrounds, experiences, abilities, and perspectives, and believe teams with different points of view build better products, ideas, and experiences.