Principal Data Scientist, Ads

Logoslabs; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 210,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive Healthcare Benefits and

401k Match

Family Planning Support

Gender-Affirming Care

Mental Health & Coaching Benefits

Flexible Vacation & Reddit Global Days

Generous paid Parental Leave

Paid Volunteer time off

Job summary

Reddit is seeking a Principal Data Scientist to shape the next generation of Ads Data Science and its infrastructure for scale, revenue, and relevance. You will drive strategic roadmaps, mentor a large team, and partner with Product, Engineering, and Business leaders to set measurement, prediction, and optimization direction.

The role requires top-tier expertise in statistics, econometrics, ML, and causal inference, plus a track record of influencing large, cross-functional organizations.

Qualifications

• Ads marketplace understanding, auctioning, measurement and experimentation at scale.
• Advanced degree in a quantitative field is required (MS/PhD).
• For MS holders: 12+ years of industry experience; for PhD holders: 8+ years.
• Proficiency in Python or R and SQL for data analysis and modeling.
• Experience with statistical analysis, econometric modeling, ML, or optimization.
• Strong grasp of experimental design, causal inference, or A/B testing.
• Excellent problem-solving and communication with cross-functional partners.
• Ability to operate in fast-paced, ambiguous environments with large teams.
• Proven track record influencing large organizations on technical direction.

Responsibilities

• Define the future of Ads Data Science and infrastructure for scale and revenue.
• Lead strategic roadmap across platform, auction, targeting, and full-funnel models.
• Own end-to-end impact on LTV, predictive and causal frameworks.
• Establish standards for modeling, offline evaluation, and A/B experimentation.
• Be the domain authority for data scientists, engineers, and product managers.
• Translate ambiguity into measurable outcomes with cross-org collaboration.
• Mentor peers and influence technical direction across the product and eng org.

Skills

Ads marketplace understanding

Experimental design

Causal inference

Machine learning

Statistics

Communication

Cross-functional leadership

Education

Master's or Ph.D. in Economics, Statistics, Computer Science, Operations Research, or related quantitative discipline

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 101M+ daily active unique visitors, Reddit is one of the internet’s largest sources of information. For more information, visit 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 Match

• Family Planning Support

• Gender-Affirming Care

• Mental Health & Coaching Benefits

• Flexible Vacation & Reddit Global Days off

• Generous paid Parental Leave

• Paid Volunteer time off