Senior Data Scientist

Harnham; Los Angeles (CA); Hybrid; USD 167,000 - 273,000; Full time

Job summary

Harnham is seeking a Senior Data Scientist to influence major commercial decisions by building decision-grade models of customer value and forecast-driven performance. The role blends data science with strategy, finance, and product, requiring hands-on leadership and strong stakeholder engagement.

You will work in a hybrid setup with collaboration across Finance, Strategy, and Platform teams to translate analytics into actionable business recommendations and measurable impact.

Qualifications

• Experience delivering business-critical analytical and modeling solutions related to customer value, forecasting, incrementality, portfolio strategy, or commercial performance.
• Strong forecasting experience is required.
• Expertise in at least two of forecasting, optimization, and causal inference.
• Ability to independently own projects from problem definition through implementation and impact.
• Experience with large, complex datasets to build scalable, trustworthy models.
• Exceptional stakeholder management and communication with senior partners.

Responsibilities

• Design and deliver advanced analytical models quantifying customer value and long-term platform impact.
• Build forecasting frameworks supporting strategic planning and investments.
• Develop optimization and scenario-planning models for decision-making under constraints.
• Measure impact of launches and investments, isolating true incremental effects.
• Communicate methodologies and insights to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Mentor other data scientists and contribute to best practices while staying hands-on.

Skills

Forecasting

Causal inference

Python

SQL

Stakeholder management

Communication

Portfolio planning

Data storytelling

Education

Master's degree

Tools

PySpark

Job description

A leading global technology, digital entertainment, and subscription platform is seeking a Senior Data Scientist to join a highly visible team focused on understanding customer value, product engagement, commercial performance, and long-term business growth.

Positioned at the intersection of Data Science, Finance, Strategy, and Product, the team helps business leaders answer critical questions around where value is created, how investments perform, what drives customer engagement, and how future business outcomes can be optimized through data-driven decision-making.

Work produced by this group directly influences portfolio planning, commercial strategy, investment prioritization, product launches, and long-range business planning. Success is measured not only by technical excellence, but also by the ability to drive meaningful business outcomes and influence strategic decisions through data.

An ideal fit will be a hands-on Data Scientist who enjoys solving complex business problems, navigating ambiguity, building sophisticated analytical models, and partnering with senior stakeholders.

About the Business

One of the world's largest digital consumer ecosystems serves hundreds of millions of users through a combination of technology, digital services, subscriptions, content, and entertainment experiences.

Data science sits at the center of key business decisions, helping leadership teams understand customer behavior, evaluate investments, forecast future performance, measure commercial impact, and identify opportunities for sustainable growth.

Close collaboration with Finance, Strategy, Product, and Platform leaders allows data scientists to directly influence how resources are allocated, which initiatives receive investment, and how long-term value is created for customers and the business.

The Role

As a Senior Data Scientist, you will serve as a senior individual contributor responsible for developing decision-grade analytical frameworks and modeling solutions that inform major commercial and strategic decisions.

A significant portion of the role focuses on understanding customer value, measuring incrementality, forecasting future outcomes, evaluating investment opportunities, and identifying where value is being created or lost across the business.

Partnership with stakeholders across Finance, Strategy, and Platform organizations will be essential while independently owning projects from problem definition through model development, stakeholder adoption, and executive-level communication.

No direct people management responsibilities are attached to this position. Success will come from remaining highly hands-on while serving as a trusted advisor on critical business decisions.

What You Will Be Doing

• Design and deliver advanced analytical models that quantify customer value, incremental business impact, and long-term platform performance.
• Build forecasting frameworks that support strategic planning, commercial initiatives, investment decisions, and future growth strategies.
• Develop optimization and scenario-planning models that help business leaders make informed decisions under real-world constraints and competing priorities.
• Measure the impact of product launches, investments, business initiatives, and external market events while isolating true incremental impact from underlying trends.
• Apply causal inference methodologies to evaluate business outcomes and establish reliable measurement frameworks that help stakeholders understand what is genuinely driving performance.
• Partner with Finance, Strategy, Product, and Platform teams to solve complex business challenges and translate analytical findings into actionable recommendations.
• Evaluate and select appropriate modeling approaches while balancing statistical rigor, scalability, interpretability, and business impact.
• Communicate complex methodologies, assumptions, insights, and recommendations clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences, including senior leadership teams.
• Mentor fellow data scientists and contribute to best practices while maintaining a strong hands-on focus.

Required Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience delivering business-critical analytical and modeling solutions related to customer value, forecasting, incrementality, investment decisions, portfolio strategy, or commercial performance.
• Strong forecasting experience is required.
• Experience in at least two of the following areas is required, while expertise across all three is strongly preferred: forecasting, optimization, and causal inference.
• Strong understanding of impact measurement methodologies and the ability to distinguish correlation from causation when evaluating business outcomes.
• Proven ability to independently own projects from problem definition through implementation, stakeholder alignment, adoption, and measurable business impact.
• Experience working with large and complex datasets to develop scalable, trustworthy, and decision-grade analytical solutions.
• Exceptional stakeholder management and communication skills, including experience influencing senior business, strategy, finance, or commercial partners.
• Advanced proficiency with Python and SQL.
• Experience leveraging modern analytics, statistical modeling, and machine learning techniques within commercial environments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience within gaming, subscription-based businesses, streaming platforms, digital media organizations, technology companies, e-commerce businesses, or other large consumer-facing platforms is highly desirable.
• Experience supporting portfolio planning, investment analysis, finance functions, commercial strategy, or business performance initiatives is strongly preferred.
• Consulting experience involving forecasting, optimization, commercial analytics, strategic modeling, or business transformation programs is particularly attractive.
• Experience with PySpark or similar distributed data processing technologies is beneficial.
• Exposure to experimentation frameworks, advanced causal inference methods, and impact attribution approaches is viewed favorably.
• Success operating within fast-paced, highly collaborative environments where priorities evolve regularly will be advantageous.

Education

A Master's degree is required.

Advanced academic backgrounds in Statistics, Economics, Operations Research, Machine Learning, Data Science, Mathematics, Computer Science, or related quantitative disciplines are strongly preferred.

PhD-level education is welcomed but not required. Demonstrated business impact, technical capabilities, and relevant industry experience will carry greater weight than academic pedigree alone.

Ideal Backgrounds

Successful candidates often come from technology companies, consumer platforms, subscription businesses, entertainment organizations, streaming providers, gaming companies, management consulting firms, and analytics-focused data science teams where forecasting, commercial modeling, optimization, and strategic decision-making are core responsibilities.

Working Model

A hybrid working model is available for professionals located in either the Los Angeles, California or San Mateo, California markets.

Monthly in-person team collaboration sessions typically occur approximately once per month.

An in-person final interview in Los Angeles is expected as part of the hiring process, although flexibility may be considered where appropriate.

Compensation

Base salary range of $167,000 - $250,000, plus annual bonus eligibility and a comprehensive benefits package.

San Mateo / Bay Area, CA

Base salary range of $182,000 - $273,000, plus annual bonus eligibility and a comprehensive benefits package.

Additional Compensation

Eligible employees participate in an annual bonus program with a target bonus opportunity of 18% in addition to base salary.

Work Authorization

Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States on a permanent basis both now and in the future.

Employer sponsorship is not available for this position. Eligibility is limited to individuals who possess unrestricted and permanent authorization to work in the United States without requiring visa sponsorship, immigration sponsorship, petition support, work authorization extensions, status transfers, or any form of employer-sponsored immigration assistance during employment.

Applicants must not require sponsorship now, within the next several years, or at any point during future employment. Eligibility is limited to candidates whose authorization to work in the United States is permanent and does not depend upon future sponsorship, visa renewals, extensions, transfers, status changes, or immigration support of any kind.

Situations that typically fall into this category include F-1 OPT, STEM OPT, CPT, H-1B, TN, E-3, O-1, J-1, and other employment-based visa classifications that require present or future employer sponsorship, extension support, renewal support, status transfer support, or immigration assistance. Candidates who anticipate requiring sponsorship in one year, three years, five years, or at any future point during employment will not meet the requirements of this position.

U.S. Citizens and U.S. Permanent Residents (Green Card holders) are encouraged to apply.

Additional Information

A highly analytical and commercially minded Data Scientist will be most successful in this environment.

Strong preference will be given to candidates who can demonstrate meaningful experience with forecasting, incrementality measurement, optimization, causal inference, portfolio planning, customer value analysis, and strategic business decision-making.

Profiles centered primarily on generative AI, AI research, software engineering, platform engineering, data engineering, or people leadership without recent hands-on analytical modeling experience are unlikely to align with the core requirements of the role.