Staff Data Scientist, Ads Delivery

Jobtailor; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor in Seattle, WA is seeking an accomplished Senior ML Scientist to advance our ads delivery platform. You will own end-to-end ML systems for recommendation, ranking, and experimentation, guiding cross-functional teams.

You will mentor data scientists, translate complex questions into actionable metrics, and ensure robust experimentation and scalable evaluation across product, engineering, and design.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of hands-on experience in web-scale data environments.
• Expert in ML for recommendation, ranking, prediction, and experimentation.
• Strong coding in Python/R and advanced SQL/Spark.
• Proven ability to translate data questions into business insights.

Responsibilities

• Develop a deep understanding of Pinterest ads delivery and quantify full funnel opportunities.
• Lead projects on Pinner LTV, ad-vs-organic tradeoffs, and funnel-stage opportunities.
• Design scalable ML and evaluation frameworks for forecasting and causal inference.
• Advocate for robust experimentation, instrumentation, and metrics; connect proxy metrics to business impact.
• Collaborate across Product, Engineering, Research, Business, and Design to translate data questions into insights.
• Mentor junior and senior scientists and drive technical excellence.

Skills

Machine learning

Python

R

SQL

Spark

Product analytics

Experimentation

Communication

Mentoring

Cross-functional leadership

Education

Bachelor’s/Master’s degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

TensorFlow

scikit-learn

Job description

Responsibilities

• Develop a deep, nuanced understanding of Pinterest ads delivery, quantifying full funnel opportunities and risks.
• Lead projects on:
  • Pinner LTV
  • Tradeoff between ads and organic engagement
  • Ads Delivery opportunities across different funnel stages
• Design and productionize robust, scalable ML and evaluation frameworks—spanning forecasting, recommendation, and causal inference.
• Advocate for best‑in‑class experimentation, instrumentation, and metric design; bridge the gap between short‑term proxy metrics and long‑term business impact.
• Collaborate across disciplines—Product, Engineering, Research, Business, and Design—translating complex data questions into actionable business insights.
• Mentor and guide junior and senior scientists, fostering intellectual curiosity and driving technical excellence.

Requirements

• 10+ years of hands‑on experience in web‑scale data environments.
• Bachelor’s/Master’s degree in a relevant field such as Computer Science, or equivalent experience.
• Deep expertise in Machine Learning (recommendation, ranking, prediction, experimentation), Statistical Modeling & Causal Inference (observational and experimental data), Product analytics/strategy (beyond dashboards: root cause, goaling, design collaboration), Programming in Python/R and advanced SQL/Spark.
• Strong product intuition—ability to scope, question, and design the right solutions for ill‑defined, high‑impact business problems.
• Scientific rigor and healthy skepticism: You challenge assumptions, find flaws, and drive towards robust, reproducible outcomes.
• Exceptional communication: You make the complex simple, and can influence both technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Track record mentoring and growing data talent at the staff/senior IC level.
• Cross‑functional leadership and the ability to align competing interests towards shared goals.