Principal Data Scientist

Unity Technologies SF; Mountain View (CA); On-site; USD 240,000 - 317,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Commute subsidy

Employee stock ownership

Retirement plans

Generous vacation and personal days

Parental leave

Office snacks

Wellbeing programs

Job summary

Unity Technologies is expanding its Data Science team to drive revenue growth in its ads business. You will own analytics spanning supply, demand, and customer insights, mentoring peers and delivering data-driven decisions to executive leadership.

This principal role remains hands-on and technical, guiding product and ML initiatives across the Ads and AI groups. You will collaborate with cross-functional partners, transform large datasets into actionable insights, and define success metrics to

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in a related field or equivalent practical experience.
• Strong statistical analysis and experimentation in Python, R, or equivalent for large-scale data and user behavior.
• Deep experience with adtech or two-sided marketplaces.
• Ability to present analysis and recommendations to C-level executives.
• Experience leading technical work without formal authority and mentoring teammates.
• Hands-on ML product development, deployment, or analysis in production environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead the analysis behind Unity's ads business, identifying revenue drivers and growth opportunities.
• Present analysis and recommendations to C-level and executive leaders to inform decisions.
• Collaborate with PM, Engineering, Sales, and Finance to shape strategy and support decisions.
• Transform large-scale datasets into actionable insights using quantitative analysis and experimentation.

Education

Advanced degree in Economics, Computer Science, Machine Learning, Statistics, Mathematics

Tools

LLM analytics tooling

Job description

The opportunityWe're growing the Data Science team behind Unity's ads business, transforming large-scale data into actionable insights. The team informs every stage of the ads product lifecycle: from identifying opportunities to evaluating performance and shaping long-term strategy across supply, demand, and customer insights. We do that in partnership with PM, Engineering, Sales, and Finance, and directly with the executive leaders who set direction for Ads and AI.As a Principal Data Scientist on this team, you'll have strong ownership over revenue growth and overall business success, working across key areas within Ads and AI: Vector initiatives, supply-side analytics, and sales insights. You'll establish a product analytics culture, take ownership of high-impact ML products, and define how data drives decisions. This is a technical leadership role rather than a management one: you'll mentor other data scientists, lead the initiatives that need a senior voice, and stay hands-on in the data.What you’ll be doingLead the analysis behind Unity's ads business: what drives revenue, how supply and demand behave, and where growth comes fromPresent analysis and recommendations directly to C-level and executive leaders, and shape the decisions that followCollaborate closely with PM, Engineering, Sales, and other multi-functional leaders to inform strategy and support decisionsTransform large-scale datasets into actionable insights, using quantitative analysis, experimentation, and data mining to support product and business successDefine success metrics, track performance, and measure the impact of ML and product initiativesGuide product decisions by uncovering trends, identifying opportunities, providing data-driven recommendations and driving product roadmapsMentor other team members and serve as a subject matter expert, translating business questions into analytical work that drives decisions and identifies process improvementsWhat we’re looking forAdvanced degree in Economics, Computer Science, Machine Learning, Statistics, Mathematics, a related field, or equivalent practical experienceStrong statistical analysis and experimentation practice in Python, R, or equivalent, applied to large-scale data and user behaviorDeep experience analyzing an advertising business or a two-sided marketplaceDeep understanding of market dynamics: how supply, demand, and advertiser behavior interact in an ads ecosystemExperience presenting analysis and recommendations directly to C-level and executive leaders, and influencing decisions at that levelExperience leading technical work without formal authority: mentoring, setting direction, and bringing peers alongYou might also haveExperience in AdTech, performance marketing, mobile games industry or SaaS (marketplace) productsHands-on work with agentic or LLM-based analytics toolingExperience developing, deploying, or analyzing ML products and models in a production environment.Additional informationGross base salary:Zone A: $243,800 - $317,000 USDZone B: $217,000 - $282,000 USDZone C: $192,100 - $249,700 USDThis range reflects the anticipated base salary for this position. Beyond base salary, this role may be eligible for equity awards and participation in our company incentive plans (such as annual discretionary bonuses or sales commissions). The final offer amount will depend on several factors, including geographic location and the candidate’s relevant experience, professional background, and skill set.BenefitsAt Unity, we want our team members to thrive. We offer a wide range of benefits designed to support well-being and work-life balance.Please note: Benefits eligibility, specific offerings, and coverage vary based on the country and employment status.While specific benefits vary, here are some of the ways we strive to take care of our eligible team members globally: Comprehensive health, life, and disability insurance | Commute subsidy | Employee stock ownership | Competitive retirement/pension plans | Generous vacation and personal days | Support for new parents through leave and family-care programs | Office food snacks | Mental Health and Wellbeing programs and support | Employee Resource Groups | Global Employee Assistance Program | Training and development programs | Volunteering and donation matching programLife at UnityUnity [NYSE: U] is the world’s leading game engine, powering play for more than 3 billion consumers each month. The top mobile games in the world, the most played PC indie titles, the most innovative console games, and virtually all of the top XR and Web Games are developed, deployed, and grown in Unity. Unity also enables teams across industries like automotive, manufacturing, and healthcare to design, simulate, and collaborate in 3D — closing the gap between ideas and reality. For more information, please visit www.unity.com.Unity is a proud equal opportunity employer. We are committed to fostering an inclusive, innovative environment and celebrate our employees across age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law. Our differences are strengths that enable us to support the growing and evolving needs of our customers, partners, and collaborators. If you have a disability that means there are preparations or accommodations we can make to help ensure you have a comfortable and positive interview experience, please fill out this form to let us know.Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.This position requires the incumbent to have a sufficient knowledge of English to have professional verbal and written exchanges in this language since the performance of the duties related to this position requires frequent and regular communication with colleagues and partners located worldwide and whose common language is English.Headhunters and recruitment agencies may not submit resumes/CVs through this Web site or directly to managers. Unity does not accept unsolicited headhunter and agency resumes. Unity will not pay fees to any third-party agency or company that does not have a signed agreement with Unity.Your privacy is important to us. Please take a moment to review our Prospect and Applicant Privacy Policies. Should you have any concerns about your privacy, please contact us at [e-mail].