Principal Applied Scientist, Experimentation

Zillow Group; United States; Remote; USD 186,000 - 299,000; Full time

Job summary

Zillow Group is seeking a Principal Applied Scientist to lead innovation in experimentation across their platform. This remote role demands deep expertise in statistics and strong collaboration skills. Ideal candidates will have a proven track record in experimentation methods, enabling fast and reliable decision-making.

Benefits

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage

Parental leave

Retirement contributions

Paid time off

Qualifications

• PhD and 6+ years, or MS and 8+ years of experience in related fields.
• Proven track record in designing statistical frameworks.
• Strong understanding of common challenges in online experimentation.

Responsibilities

• Lead evaluation of Zillow’s experimentation practices.
• Design and validate methodologies for experimentation.
• Collaborate to create self-service tools and automated guardrails.

Skills

Online experimentation

Causal inference

Statistical analysis

Collaboration

Communication

Education

PhD in Statistics

MS in Statistics

Tools

Python

R

SQL

Job description

About the team The Zillow Experimentation Platform (ZEXP) team is pivotal in enabling Zillow Group’s Product, Engineering, and Science organizations to test bold ideas, validate strategies, and accelerate innovation. Our mission is to make trustworthy, self-service experimentation possible for anyone, regardless of their role, by providing powerful tools, guidance, and scientific rigor.
We are part of the Core Data Tech organization, partnering with engineers, data scientists, and machine learning practitioners to scale experimentation and measurement across the Zillow ecosystem. Our work fuels Zillow’s Housing Super App strategy by enabling fast, safe, and accurate decision-making rooted in data and experimentation.

Learn more about what we’re building at zillow.com/tech and zillow.com/tech/data-analytics About the role

As a Principal Applied Scientist, you will be a key scientific and strategic leader in advancing Zillow’s experimentation capabilities. You will design, validate, and scale statistical methodologies that underpin trustworthy experimentation across a wide range of products, platforms, and customer experiences. Your work will drive innovation at scale – improving our core experimentation infrastructure and empowering teams with scientifically grounded tools and frameworks to make faster, smarter decisions.

This role blends deep technical expertise in statistics and causal inference with strong product intuition, exceptional cross-functional influence, and a strong sense of ownership. It is ideal for a scientist who thrives at the intersection of applied research and large-scale impact and is passionate about building robust and trustworthy experimentation practices.

You Will Get To:

• Lead an independent evaluation of Zillow’s current experimentation practice, identifying key strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement in experiment quality and reliability

• Design, validate, and scale statistically rigorous methodologies for experiment design, analysis, and validation

• Collaborate closely with engineers, product leaders, and scientists to build scalable, self-service tools and automated guardrails to prevent common causes of experiment restarts and manual interventions

• Drive Zillow’s strategy for high-confidence inference and measurement across online and offline channels on our ML and Agentic AI platforms

• Contribute to the Experimentation Platform’s scientific strategy and roadmap, identifying emerging opportunities and guiding technical investments

• Foster a strong culture of scientific rigor, collaboration, and mentorship across teams, promoting the adoption of best practices in experimentation

• Share Zillow’s scientific contributions in the field of experimentation through internal and external channels

This role has been categorized as a Remote position. “Remote” employees do not have a permanent corporate office workplace and, instead, work from a physical location of their choice, which must be identified to the Company. U.S. employees may live in any of the 50 United States, with limited exceptions. In California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, Washington state, and Washington DC the standard base pay range for this role is $186,700.00 - $298,300.00 Annually. This base pay range is specific to California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, Washington state, and Washington DC and may not be applicable to other locations. In addition to a competitive base salary this position is also eligible for equity awards based on factors such as experience, performance and location. Actual amounts will vary depending on experience, performance and location. Who you are

• Deep expertise in online experimentation, including frequentist and Bayesian methods, causal inference, and a thorough understanding of experimentation maturity models

• Proven track record of designing and scaling statistical frameworks for experimentation and measurement at a technology company

• Strong understanding of the common challenges in online experimentation platforms, including Sample Ratio Mismatch, experiment interference, and data interpretation pitfalls, and experience in developing solutions for these issues

• Outstanding collaboration and communication skills – able to explain sophisticated methodologies to both technical and non-technical audiences and partner effectively

• Proficient in scientific computing tools and languages such as Python, R, SQL, and experience with relevant libraries (e.g., NumPy, Pandas, scikit-learn)

• Demonstrated ability to drive adoption of new methodologies and processes within a cross-functional environment

• A proactive and strategic problem solver with a passion for improving the quality and impact of online experimentation

Qualifications:

• PhD and 6+ years, or MS and 8+ years, of experience in Statistics, Econometrics, Machine Learning, Operations Research, or a related field

Transferable Skills:

Here at Zillow - we value the experience and perspective of candidates with non-traditional backgrounds. We encourage you to apply if you have transferable skills or related experience.

Get to know us

Zillow is reimagining real estate to make home a reality for more and more people.

As the most-visited real estate website in the United States, Zillow and its affiliates help movers find and win their home through digital solutions, first class partners, and easier buying, selling, financing and renting experiences. Millions of people visit Zillow Group sites every month to start their home search, and now they can rely on Zillow to help make it easier to move. The work we do helps people get home and no matter what job you're in, you will play a critical role in making home a reality for more and more people.

Our efforts to streamline the real estate transaction are supported by a deep-rooted culture of innovation, our passion to redefine the employee experience, a fundamental commitment to Equity and Belonging, and world-class benefits . These benefits include comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life, and disability coverages as well as parental leave, family benefits, retirement contributions, and paid time off. We’re also setting the standard for work experiences of the future, where our employees are supported in doing their best work and living a flexible, well-balanced life. But don’t just take our word for it. Read recent reviews on Glassdoor and recent recognition from multiple organizations, including: the 100 Best Companies to Work For, Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Award, Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index, Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Corporate Equity Index, and TIME 100 Most Influential Companies list.

Zillow Group is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive, innovative environment with the best employees. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please contact your recruiter directly.

Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with applicable state and local law.

Applicants who receive job offers from Zillow Group will be asked to sign a Proprietary Rights Agreement which includes confidentiality, intellectual property assignment, customer and employee non-solicitation, and non-competition provisions. If you are contacted for a role at Zillow Group and wish to review a copy of the Proprietary Rights Agreement prior to receiving an offer, you may request a copy from your Recruiter.