Sr. Manager, Decision Science Santa Monica, CA

ZipRecruiter, Inc.; Santa Monica, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 208,000 - 265,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Exceptional benefits package

Flexible Vacation & Paid Time Off

Employer‑matched 401(k) plan

Job summary

ZipRecruiter, Inc. is seeking a Sr. Manager, Decision Science to lead the Marketplace Decision Science team.

You will be a hands-on leader who grows a small team while tackling high-impact analyses in ranking, supply-demand balance, and marketplace liquidity. You will set rigor standards for experiments, partner with Product, Engineering, and Finance, and translate findings into actionable strategy for executives.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of product analytics or data science experience in a product/engineering/tech environment.
• 2+ years of people management experience, including performance management and career development.
• Demonstrated ability to lead data teams on top organizational priorities with high trust from senior stakeholders.
• Experience designing and analyzing A/B tests to drive product decisions.
• Experience developing metric and tradeoff frameworks, including modeling or forecasting longer-term impact.
• Strong business acumen and ability to connect data analysis to business outcomes.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills for technical and non-technical audiences, including exec leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a small, high-performing decision science team supporting the Marketplace area.
• Set methodological standards and provide strategic guidance on decision science for projects beyond the team.
• Own the decision science agenda for Marketplace, defining questions, priorities, and rigor across analyses and large-scale A/B tests.
• Quantify ROI and forecast longer-term metric and revenue impact to inform leadership decisions.
• Partner with Product, Engineering, and Finance/GTM to influence the roadmap.
• Synthesize complex findings into clear business strategy for executives.

Skills

8+ years of product analytics or data

2+ years people management

A/B testing design/analysis

Metric and tradeoff frameworks

Executive communication

Cross-functional influence

Education

Bachelor's degree in quantitative field

Job description

We offer a hybrid work environment. Most US-based positions can also be performed remotely (any exceptions will be noted in the Minimum Qualifications below.)

Our Mission:

To actively connect people to their next great opportunity.

Who We Are:

ZipRecruiter is a leading online employment marketplace. Powered by AI-driven smart matching technology, the company actively connects millions of all-sized businesses and job seekers through innovative mobile, web, and email services, as well as through partnerships with the best job boards on the web. ZipRecruiter has the #1 rated job search app on iOS & Android.

Summary:

We are looking for a Sr. Manager, Decision Science to lead our Marketplace Decision Science team at ZipRecruiter. Our Marketplace team optimizes supply and demand by turning matches into hires for jobseekers and employers, and driving sustainable revenue for ZipRecruiter. As a Sr. Manager supporting the Marketplace Team, you will be a true player-coach: developing a small, high-performing team of decision scientists while personally leaning in on high impact analyses in your problem space. You will own how marketplace quality is measured, set the bar for experimentation rigor on ranking changes, and translate a complex, often ambiguous problem space into clear strategy for Product, Engineering, and business leadership.

Key Focuses:

• Lead & Develop a High-Performing Team: Manage, coach, and grow a small team of decision scientists supporting the Marketplace area. Own performance and development conversations, set clear expectations, identify each person's strengths and growth opportunities, and foster a culture of connection, belonging, and results. Attract and develop talent as the team scales.
• Player-Coach Technical Leadership: Lean in on the highest-stakes analyses in the Marketplace space and be able to dive into the details. Set methodological standards for the area, pressure-test causal claims, and provide strategic guidance on decision science methodology for projects that extend beyond your immediate team.
• Lead Decision Science for the Marketplace Area: Own the decision science agenda for a broad and often ambiguous problem space — partnering with stakeholders to define which questions are worth asking, setting analytical priorities, and holding the team to a high bar of rigor across everything it ships. This spans work such as defining the metrics and diagnostic frameworks that describe supply and demand balance and marketplace liquidity, and setting the standard for how ranking changes are evaluated through well-designed, large-scale A/B tests that deliver rapid, reliable insight.
• Evaluate Business Tradeoffs & Quantify Long-Term Impact: Build the frameworks to weigh competing priorities — jobseeker experience against employer outcomes, short-term metric movement against durable growth. Quantify the ROI of initiatives, and where the answer isn't visible in a two-week experiment, model and forecast the longer-term metric and revenue impact so leadership can prioritize based on estimated impact and data-driven confidence.
• Strategic Cross-Functional Partnership: Serve as the trusted Decision Science leader for Product, Engineering, and Finance/GTM partners. Influence the roadmap by identifying new opportunities, and garner stakeholder buy‑in by demonstrating a strong understanding of cross-functional priorities and capabilities.
• Executive Communication & Advocacy: Synthesize complex quantitative findings into clear, actionable business strategy for executive leadership and senior stakeholders. Regularly influence key decisions through effective storytelling and expert knowledge, and advocate for Decision Science to be in the room for the discussions that matter.
• Prioritization, Resourcing & Team Efficiency: Prioritize effectively across multiple concurrent projects and align your team's capacity to the goals of the Marketplace area and the company. Be opinionated about and set standards for Data and AI tooling for the team.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in a quantitative field such as mathematics, computer science, operations research, economics, or equivalent experience.
• 8+ years of product analytics or data science experience in a product/engineering/tech environment.
• 2+ years of people management experience, including direct responsibility for performance management and career development.
• Demonstrated ability to lead data teams on top organizational priorities with high levels of trust from senior stakeholders and leadership.
• Experience designing and analyzing A/B tests to drive product decisions.
• Experience developing metric and tradeoff frameworks, including modeling or forecasting the longer‑term metric and revenue impact of initiatives
• Strong business acumen and a demonstrated ability to connect data analysis to measurable business outcomes.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with a track record of synthesizing complex findings for both technical and non‑technical audiences, including executive leadership.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior experience with two‑sided marketplaces (e.g., job boards, e‑commerce, or similar platforms), particularly supply and demand dynamics.
• Experience partnering with ML or Applied Science teams on ranking, search, or recommendation systems.

As part of our team you’ll enjoy:

• Exceptional benefits package
• Flexible Vacation & Paid Time Off
• Employer‑matched 401(k) plan

The US base salary range for this full‑time position is $207,500-$265,000 Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location, and the range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location, role‑related knowledge and skills, depth of experience, relevant education or training, and additional role‑related considerations.

Depending on the position offered, equity, bonuses, commission, or other forms of compensation may also be provided as part of a total compensation package, in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and other benefits.

ZipRecruiter is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or genetics.

Voluntary Self‑Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self‑identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in ZipRecruiter’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service‑connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three‑year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.