Principal Data Scientist, Ads

Reddit, Inc.; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 268,000 - 365,100; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare benefits

401k with employer match

Global benefit programs

Family planning support

Gender-affirming care

Mental health & coaching

Flexible vacation & volunteer time

Parental leave

Job summary

Reddit, Inc. is seeking a Principal Data Scientist for the Ads Data Science team to drive advanced quantitative methods across the advertising platform.

You will define the next generation of data science solutions, partnering with Analytics Engineering, Product, and Engineering to optimize measurement, prediction, and marketplace economics. You will lead scientific rigor, causal inference, and economic modeling while mentoring the broader team and shaping the long-term measurement strategy for

Qualifications

• Demonstrated expertise in ads marketplace understanding, auctioning/bidding, or measurement & experimentation at scale.
• Advanced proficiency in Python or R and SQL.
• Experience with statistical analysis and econometric modeling.
• Strong understanding of experimental design, causal inference, or A/B testing methodologies.
• Excellent problem-solving and communication skills; capable of influencing product and engineering partners.
• Ability to thrive in fast-paced, ambiguous environments with cross-functional teams.
• Proven experience influencing large organizations on technical direction and ML best practices.

Responsibilities

• Define the future of Ads Data Science and long-term evolution of core solutions and infrastructure.
• Lead strategic design and scientific roadmap to improve advertiser ROI, user experience, and Reddit revenue.
• Own end-to-end impact on complex domains like full funnel acceleration and advertiser LTV.
• Establish standards for large-scale modeling, offline evaluation, and A/B experimentation.
• Be the domain authority for data scientists, engineers, and product managers on data science challenges.
• Translate ambiguity into measurable outcomes through cross-org collaboration.
• Mentor senior data scientists and influence organizational direction and innovation.

Skills

Ads marketplace understanding

Auctioning/bidding

Measurement & experimentation at scale

Python or R

SQL

Statistical analysis

Econometric modeling

Causal inference / A/B testing

Problem solving & communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Leadership in large orgs

Education

Master's or Ph.D. in Economics, Statistics, CS, OR, or related quantitative discipline

12+ years industry experience for MS holders

8+ years relevant experience for PhD holders

Tools

Python

R

SQL

Job description

Reddit is a community of communities. It's built on shared interests, passion, and trust, and is home to the most open and authentic conversations on the internet. Every day, Reddit users submit, vote, and comment on the topics they care most about. With 100,000+ active communities and approximately 126 million daily active unique visitors, Reddit is one of the internet's largest sources of information. For more information, visit www.redditinc.com.

Reddit's Ads Data Science team is seeking a highly motivated Principal Data Scientist to drive the strategic application of advanced quantitative methods across our advertising platform to advance the intelligence powering the advertiser experience on Reddit.

In this pivotal leadership role, you will be responsible for defining and implementing the next generation of foundational data science solutions, leveraging expertise in statistics, econometrics, machine learning and/or other quantitative methods to optimize Reddit's Ads marketplace. You will partner closely with Analytics Engineering to ensure our underlying data systems are continuously upleveled to support advanced analysis and modeling at scale. You will be a strategic partner, collaborating closely with Product, Engineering, and Business leaders to establish the long-term vision for measurement, prediction, and optimization.

As a thought leader, you will champion scientific rigor, causal inference, and economic modeling, while providing deep mentorship to the broader team. If you are passionate about applying foundational quantitative science to solve complex, high-impact business problems, join us in shaping the future of Reddit ads.

What you'll do

• Define the future of Ads Data Science: Own the design and long-term evolution of our core Ads Data Science solutions and infrastructure, building for the next several years of continued scale, revenue growth, and relevance.
• Strategic leadership & scientific roadmap: Identify fundamental gaps and opportunities in our current systems (including platform, auction, targeting, and full-funnel relevance models). Lead the strategic design and scientific roadmap for new solutions to significantly improve Advertiser ROI, User experience, and Reddit revenue.
• Drive end-to-end impact: Take end-to-end ownership of complex problem domains such as full funnel acceleration, advertiser lifetime value (LTV), and developing advanced predictive and causal frameworks that power Reddit's strategic investments.
• Establish scientific standards: Define and codify best practices for large-scale statistical modeling, economic analysis, causal inference, offline model evaluation, and A/B experimentation to ensure scientific rigor and trust across the Ads data science and engineering teams.
• Technical deep dive & authority: Be the undisputed domain authority for data scientists, engineers, and product managers on complex problems involving large-scale behavioral data, foundational models for strategic insights, and the economics of marketplace dynamics.
• Translate ambiguity into outcomes: Influence the design and definition of core business and performance metrics, robust measurement methodologies, and collaborate deeply with cross-org XFNs to align on strategic goals and translate insights into tangible action.
• Influence and uplevel the organization: Lead technically minded peers and mentor senior data scientists, influencing technical and statistical direction across the entire product and engineering organization, and championing innovation in ad systems through advanced quantitative techniques.

Requirements

• Demonstrated expertise in at least one of the following: ads marketplace understanding, auctioning/bidding, ads creative & format evaluation, measurement & experimentation at scale
• Master's or Ph.D. in Economics, Statistics, Computer Science, Operations Research, or a related quantitative discipline
• For M.S. holders: 12+ years of industry experience in applied science, data science, or machine learning engineering roles
• For Ph.D. holders: 8+ years of relevant experience applied science, data science, or machine learning engineering roles
• Advanced proficiency in statistical programming (Python or R) and SQL
• Experience with statistical analysis, economic modeling, foundational machine learning and/or optimization techniques
• Strong understanding of experimental design, causal inference, or A/B testing methodologies
• Exceptional problem-solving and communication skills, with a track record of influencing product and engineering partners
• Experience working in fast-paced, ambiguous environments with cross-functional teams
• Proven experience in influencing large (500+ engineers/data scientists) organizations on technical direction, statistical rigor, and machine learning best practice

Benefits

• Comprehensive Healthcare Benefits and Income Replacement Programs
• 401k with Employer Match
• Global Benefit programs that fit your lifestyle, from workspace to professional development to caregiving support
• Family Planning Support
• Gender-Affirming Care
• Mental Health & Coaching Benefits
• Flexible Vacation & Paid Volunteer Time Off
• Generous Paid Parental Leave

Pay Transparency

This job posting may span more than one career level.

In addition to base salary, this job is eligible to receive equity in the form of restricted stock units, and depending on the position offered, it may also be eligible to receive a commission. Additionally, Reddit offers a wide range of benefits to U.S.-based employees, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k) program with employer match, generous time off for vacation, and parental leave. To learn more, please visit https://www.redditinc.com/careers/.

To provide greater transparency to candidates, we share base salary ranges for all US-based job postings regardless of state. We set standard base pay ranges for all roles based on function, level, and country location, benchmarked against similar stage growth companies. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors including, skills, depth of work experience and relevant licenses/credentials, and may vary from the amounts listed below.

The base salary range for this position is: $268,000-$365,100 USD.

In select roles and locations, the interviews will be recorded, transcribed and summarized by artificial intelligence (AI). You will have the opportunity to opt out of recording, transcription and summarization prior to any scheduled interviews.

During the interview, we will collect the following categories of personal information: Identifiers, Professional and Employment-Related Information, Sensory Information (audio/video recording), and any other categories of personal information you choose to share with us. We will use this information to evaluate your application for employment or an independent contractor role, as applicable. We will not sell your personal information or disclose it to any third party for their marketing purposes. We will delete any recording of your interview promptly after making a hiring decision. For more information about how we will handle your personal information, including our retention of it, please refer to our Candidate Privacy Policy for Potential Employees and Contractors.

Reddit is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and is committed to building a workforce representative of the diverse communities we serve. Reddit is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If, due to a disability, you need an accommodation during the interview process, please let your recruiter know.