Senior Data Scientist, Algorithms, Lyft Biz

Lyft; New York (NY); On-site; USD 136,160 - 170,200; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Great medical, dental, and vision

Mental health benefits

Family building benefits

Child care and pet benefits

401(k) with company match

Paid holidays and PTO

Parental leave

Subsidized commuter benefits

Lyft credits and Lyft Pink

Job summary

Lyft is seeking a Senior Data Scientist to lead technical initiatives across Lyft Business. You will shape the technical vision, define roadmaps, and drive production ML models and analytics that accelerate growth and improve efficiency.

You will collaborate with Product, Engineering, Design, and Go-to-Market teams to deploy production ML systems and experimentation frameworks. The role requires deep ML expertise, causal inference, and strong business acumen in B2B contexts.

Qualifications

• Master’s or PhD in Machine Learning, Computer Science, Statistics, Optimization, or a related quantitative field (or equivalent applied experience)
• 5+ years of hands-on experience developing, deploying, and maintaining production machine learning models and optimization systems
• Deep knowledge of supervised/unsupervised learning, ranking/decisioning systems, probabilistic modeling, and causal inference
• Strong proficiency in Python and modern ML frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, scikit-learn) and distributed data systems (Spark, Snowflake, Databricks)
• Hands-on experience building end-to-end ML architectures, including online/batch pipelines, feature engineering, and automated monitoring frameworks
• Experience designing rigorous experimentation strategies, A/B tests, and offline/online validation methodologies
• Ability to drive multi-project algorithmic scopes and communicate with non-technical stakeholders

Responsibilities

• Lead complex Machine Learning, AI, and causal inference initiatives across Lyft Business products (Business Travel, Lyft Pass, Concierge)
• Own the complete lifecycle of algorithmic solutions—from problem formulation, data exploration, and feature engineering to deployment, monitoring, and iteration
• Partner with Engineering to build and scale production-grade ML systems, real-time inference services, batch pipelines, and feature stores
• Define offline/online metrics, evaluation frameworks, and A/B testing strategies to ensure algorithms are reliable and aligned with business outcomes
• Continually improve model performance across latency, accuracy, cost, and reliability
• Drive scientific innovation by introducing modern techniques to unlock new product capabilities
• Translate complex business challenges into algorithmic solutions in collaboration with Product, Engineering, Operations, and Science
• Mentor junior/mid-level scientists and contribute to Lyft’s ML standards and tooling

Skills

Python

PyTorch

TensorFlow

scikit-learn

Spark

Snowflake

Databricks

Experimentation

A/B testing

Mentorship

Education

Master’s or PhD in ML/CS/Stats/Optimization

Tools

Spark

Snowflake

Databricks

Job description

At Lyft, our purpose is to serve and connect. We aim to achieve this by cultivating a work environment where all team members belong and have the opportunity to thrive.

Data Science is at the heart of Lyft’s products and decision-making. Data Scientists at Lyft operate in dynamic environments, moving quickly to build the world’s best transportation solutions.We tackle a wide range of challenges - from shaping long-term business strategy with data, to making critical short-term decisions, to developing algorithms and models that power both internal systems and customer-facing products.

Lyft Business builds products that help organizations move the people who matter most - employees, customers, patients, and guests - easily and efficiently. Our offerings include Business Travel, Lyft Pass, and Concierge (for healthcare and non-healthcare rides), enabling companies to manage transportation at scale through APIs, integrations (e.g., Concur, Expensify), and dedicated tools. These platforms power high-impact B2B use cases across corporate travel, healthcare access, customer experience, and community programs.

We are seeking a Senior Data Scientist to lead technical initiatives across the entire Lyft Business product suite. In this role, you will shape the technical vision, define algorithmic roadmaps, and drive execution for data science projects that accelerate growth, improve operational efficiency, and deliver measurable value to our enterprise partners. You’ll collaborate closely with Product, Engineering, Design, and Go-to-Market teams to build production ML models, experimentation frameworks, and advanced analytics that inform strategy and power product innovation.

This is a high-visibility, high-impact role with direct influence on Lyft’s enterprise offerings. The ideal candidate will bring deep expertise in algorithm development, machine learning, causal inference, and experimentation, alongside strong business acumen in B2B contexts and a proven track record of technical leadership in fast-paced, cross-functional environments.

Responsibilities

• Technical Leadership: Lead complex Machine Learning, AI, and causal inference initiatives across Lyft Business products (Business Travel, Lyft Pass, Concierge) in ambiguous, high-impact problem spaces.
• End-to-End Modelling: Own the complete lifecycle of algorithmic solutions—from problem formulation, data exploration, and feature engineering to deployment, monitoring, and iteration.
• Production Deployment: Partner closely with Engineering to build and scale production-grade ML systems, real-time inference services, batch pipelines, and feature stores.
• Experimentation & Rigor: Define offline/online metrics, evaluation frameworks, and A/B testing strategies to ensure algorithms are reliable, fair, and aligned with business outcomes.
• System Optimization: Continually improve model performance across latency, accuracy, cost, and reliability using advanced tuning and scientific rigor.
• Algorithmic Innovation: Drive scientific excellence by introducing modern techniques in ML, optimization, reinforcement learning, or graph-based methods to unlock new product capabilities.
• Cross-Functional Influence: Translate complex business challenges into concrete algorithmic solutions in close collaboration with Product, Engineering, Operations, and Science teams.
• Mentorship & Quality Bar: Mentor junior and mid-level scientists, providing technical guidance, conducting modeling critiques, and contributing to Lyft's broader ML standards and tooling.

Experience

• Master’s or PhD in Machine Learning, Computer Science, Statistics, Optimization, or a related quantitative field (or equivalent applied experience)
• Industry Background: 5+ years of hands-on experience developing, deploying, and maintaining production machine learning models and optimization systems.
• Core Technical Expertise: Deep knowledge of supervised/unsupervised learning, ranking/decisioning systems, probabilistic modeling, and causal inference.
• Technical Stack: Strong proficiency in Python, modern ML frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, scikit-learn), and distributed data systems (Spark, Snowflake, Databricks).
• Production ML Systems: Hands-on experience building end-to-end ML architectures, including online/batch pipelines, feature engineering, and automated monitoring frameworks.
• Experimental Design: Demonstrated track record of designing rigorous experimentation strategies, A/B tests, and offline/online validation methodologies.
• Domain Ownership: Proven ability to independently drive multi-project algorithmic scopes and navigate technical ambiguity from ideation to delivery.Communication & Leadership: Exceptional ability to translate complex technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders, alongside a history of mentoring peers and raising technical bars.

Benefits:

• Great medical, dental, and vision insurance options with additional programs available when enrolled
• Mental health benefits
• Family building benefits
• Child care and pet benefits
• 401(k) plan with company match to help save for your future
• In addition to 12 observed holidays, salaried team members have discretionary paid time off, hourly team members have 15 days paid time off
• 18 weeks of paid parental leave. Biological, adoptive, and foster parents are all eligible
• Subsidized commuter benefits
• Monthly Lyft credits and complimentary Lyft Pink membership

Lyft is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive workplace that fosters belonging. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regards to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, age, genetic information, or any other basis prohibited by law. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with applicable federal, state and local law.

Lyft highly values having employees working in-office to foster a collaborative work environment and company culture. This role will be in-office on a hybrid schedule — Team Members will be expected to work in the office 3 days per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Lyft considers working in the office at least 3 days per week to be an essential function of this hybrid role. Your recruiter can share more information about the various in-office perks Lyft offers. Additionally, hybrid roles have the flexibility to work from anywhere for up to 4 weeks per year. #Hybrid

The expected base pay range for this position in the Seattle area is $136,160 - $170,200, not inclusive of potential equity offering, bonus or benefits. Salary ranges are dependent on a variety of factors, including qualifications, experience and geographic location. Your recruiter can share more information about the salary range specific to your working location and other factors during the hiring process.

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