Senior Data Scientist II - Ads Optimization

Carbon Data Solutions; United States; Remote; USD 182,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity grant

Annual refresh grants

Remote work policy

Job summary

Instacart is seeking a Senior Data Scientist for the Ads Optimization team. You will own analytics, experimentation, and algorithmic strategy that shapes how ad supply and demand meet, balancing value for users, advertisers, retail partners, and the platform.

Work spans data science, economics, and production systems, collaborating with Product, Engineering, and ML to ship solutions impacting revenue and advertiser outcomes.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in ads optimization at an ad tech company, hands-on with pacing, targeting, budget allocation
• Strong data science foundation including product and data analysis, A/B experimentation, causal inference, and statistical modeling
• Experience shipping optimization systems into production with live measurement and iteration
• Excellent communication skills for senior stakeholders
• 6+ years of work experience in a data science or related field

Responsibilities

• Own analytics and experimentation strategy for pacing, targeting and related optimization areas
• Design and build intelligent pacing algorithms and budget allocation systems for high-throughput production environments
• Lead end-to-end experimentation across optimization systems and translate results into actionable recommendations
• Apply causal inference, statistical modeling, and ML to optimize ad spend distribution over time and auctions
• Present findings and strategic recommendations to leadership across Product, Engineering, and Data Science
• Mentor peers and set analytical standards in Ads Optimization
• Collaborate with Ads Product and Sales teams to gather advertiser feedback and inform priorities

Skills

Analytics strategy

Data science

A/B experimentation

Causal inference

ML techniques

Job description

We're transforming the grocery industry

At Instacart, we invite the world to share love through food because we believe everyone should have access to the food they love and more time to enjoy it together. Where others see a simple need for grocery delivery, we see exciting complexity and endless opportunity to serve the varied needs of our community. We work to deliver an essential service that customers rely on to get their groceries and household goods, while also offering safe and flexible earnings opportunities to Instacart Personal Shoppers.

Instacart has become a lifeline for millions of people, and we’re building the team to help push our shopping cart forward. If you’re ready to do the best work of your life, come join our table.

Instacart is a Flex First team

There’s no one-size fits all approach to how we do our best work- whether it’s from home, an office, or your favorite coffee shop- while staying connected and building community through regular in-person events. Learn more about our flexible approach to where we work.

Overview

Instacart's Ads Optimization team is the decision-making engine of our $1B+ ads business. We own the systems responsible for bidding, pacing, budgeting, targeting, and additional optimization layers that convert advertiser goals into real-time outcomes - all while balancing value across users, advertisers, retail partners, and Instacart. As a Senior Data Scientist on this team, you will drive the analytics, experimentation, and algorithmic strategy that determines how our ad supply and demand meet, and how value and surplus are created and distributed across the platform.

In this role, you will operate at the intersection of data science, economics, and production systems, partnering closely with Product, Engineering, and Machine Learning to build and ship solutions that directly impact Instacart's revenue and advertiser outcomes. Your work will touch the full research-to-production loop - from problem framing and modeling to experimentation, measurement, and iteration in live systems.

About the Job

• Own the analytics and experimentation strategy for pacing, targeting, and related optimization areas, driving measurable improvements in advertiser outcomes and platform efficiency
• Design and build intelligent pacing algorithms and budget allocation systems grounded in adaptive control and model-predictive control techniques, deployed in high-throughput production environments
• Lead end-to-end experimentation across optimization systems - designing experiment frameworks, diagnosing complex or conflicting signals, and translating results into clear, actionable recommendations for Product and Engineering leadership
• Apply causal inference, statistical modeling, and ML techniques to optimize how ad spend is distributed across time and auction opportunities, balancing user experience, advertiser goals, and platform revenue
• Present findings and strategic recommendations to leadership across Product, Engineering, and Data Science
• Serve as a thought leader and technical anchor in the Ads Optimization space, setting the analytical standard and mentoring peers across the team
• Collaborate with the Ads Product and Sales teams to gather advertiser feedback and inform optimization priorities

Minimum Qualifications

• Proven experience in ads optimization at an ad tech company (e.g., Google, Meta, Amazon, TikTok, or equivalent), with hands-on work in pacing, targeting, budget allocation, or related systems
• Strong data science foundation: product and data analysis, A/B experimentation, causal inference, and statistical modeling
• Experience shipping optimization systems into production - not just research, but real measurement and iteration in live environments
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to synthesize complex technical findings for senior business and engineering stakeholders
• 6+ years of work experience in a data science or related field

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience collaborating directly with an ads product or sales team, or with advertisers, to shape product and algorithmic priorities
• Background in budget-constrained allocation methods, adaptive control, or model-predictive control in production systems

#LI-Remote

Instacart provides highly market-competitive compensation and benefits in each location where our employees work. This role is remote and the base pay range for a successful candidate is dependent on their permanent work location. Please review our Flex First remote work policy here.

Offers may vary based on many factors, such as candidate experience and skills required for the role. Additionally, this role is eligible for a new hire equity grant as well as annual refresh grants. Please read more about our benefits offerings here.
For US based candidates, the base pay ranges for a successful candidate are listed below.

CA, NY, CT, NJ $218,000-$230,000 USD WA $209,000-$220,500 USD OR, DE, ME, MA, MD, NH, RI, VT, DC, PA, VA, CO, TX, IL, HI $200,000-$211,000 USD All other states $182,000-$192,000 USD