Staff Data Scientist, Ads Product

Pinterest; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 164,695 - 339,078; Full time

Job summary

Pinterest is seeking a senior data and analytics leader to empower our Ads organization with reliable data, insights, and strategic guidance. You will partner with Product, Engineering, BizOps, and Finance to shape how data informs product decisions and growth opportunities.

You will translate complex questions into analytical initiatives, ensure data integrity, and drive a data-driven culture across teams, including the broader Data Science group.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a quantitative field (Data Science, Statistics, Economics, Business Analytics) or equivalent practical experience.
• 8+ years of combined post-graduate academic and industry experience applying advanced analytical methods to large-scale data in a fast-paced tech environment.
• Proven ability to translate strategic questions into analytical frameworks and actionable recommendations.
• Understanding of ads ecosystem, monetization, or real-time bidding, with interest in financial aspects.
• Expertise in data democratization, foundational datasets, and BI solutions.
• Strong fundamentals in statistics and experimentation and ability to apply causal inference insights.
• Proficiency in SQL, Python, and data visualization tools (Tableau, Looker).

Responsibilities

• Drive Ads Product Strategy across Pinterest, identifying opportunities and informing product improvements.
• Translate ambiguous business questions into structured analytical problems and actionable insights.
• Ensure data trustworthiness and reliability in analyses guiding strategy and operations.
• Act as a strategic thought partner to Product Managers and Engineering leaders.
• Connect revenue performance data with product actions for holistic business understanding.
• Communicate complex findings clearly to senior stakeholders, both technical and non-technical.
• Elevate data science practices and share best practices across the organization.

Skills

Business acumen

Product sense

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

Statistics & experimentation

Education

Bachelor's/Master's in a quantitative field

Tools

SQL

Python

Tableau

Looker

Job description

About Pinterest:

Millions of people around the world come to our platform to find creative ideas, dream about new possibilities and plan for memories that will last a lifetime. At Pinterest, we're on a mission to bring everyone the inspiration to create a life they love, and that starts with the people behind the product.

Discover a career where you ignite innovation for millions, transform passion into growth opportunities and celebrate each other's unique experiences and embrace the flexibility to do your best work. Creating a career you love? It's Possible.

At Pinterest, AI isn't just a feature, it's a powerful partner that augments our creativity and amplifies our impact, and we're looking for candidates who are excited to be a part of that. To get a complete picture of your experience and abilities, we'll explore your foundational skills and how you collaborate with AI.

Through our interview process, what matters most is that you can always explain your approach, showing us not just what you know, but how you think. You can read more about our AI interview philosophy and how we use AI in our recruiting process here.

In this role, you'll be a pivotal individual contributor, shaping how Pinterest's Ads organization leverages data for strategic decision-making and operational excellence. You'll serve as a central expert, empowering our product, engineering, and business teams with accessible, reliable data and actionable insights.

What you'll do:

• Drive Ads Product Strategy across Pinterest: Leverage your strong business and product acumen to proactively identify opportunities, generate insights, and drive data-driven decision-making aligned with the organization's strategic objectives. You'll play a crucial role in ensuring data insights inform downstream ML applications and broader product improvements.
• Translate Complex Business Needs into Data Solutions: Partner closely with product, engineering, and business stakeholders to deeply understand their challenges. You will expertly translate ambiguous business questions into structured analytical problems, providing the "why" and "how" behind performance and identifying new opportunities.
• Ensure Data Trustworthiness and Quality: Establish and uphold high standards for data integrity, consistency, and reliability in all analytical outputs. You will be responsible for ensuring consistently trustworthy and high-quality analyses that directly influence strategic and operational decisions.
• Be a Strategic Thought Partner: Bring proactive and influential product leadership into areas where data-driven decisions and insights are essential for success. This involves acting as a key advisor to Product Managers, Engineering leaders, and other cross-functional partners, anticipating future product needs, and identifying the most impactful questions that data can answer. You will be responsible for defining the analytical roadmap, translating high-level business problems into specific, actionable data initiatives, and guiding the team to execute them effectively to drive significant product and business outcomes.
• Connect Financial & Product Performance: Serve as a key liaison with BizOps, Finance, and other Strategy teams, expertly connecting revenue performance data with product actions and performance metrics to provide a holistic understanding of our business impact and growth drivers.
• Communicate for Impact: Articulate complex data findings, strategic insights, and recommendations clearly and concisely to both technical and non-technical senior stakeholders, influencing business strategy and outcomes.
• Elevate Data Science Practices: Act as a subject matter expert for the broader Data Science team, sharing best practices in data analysis, strategic thinking, and effective communication. You will contribute to a culture of continuous learning and data excellence across the organization.

What we're looking for:

• Bachelor's/Master's degree in a quantitative field such as Data Science, Statistics, Economics, Business Analytics, or equivalent practical experience.
• 8+ years of combined post-graduate academic and industry experience applying advanced analytical methods to solve complex, real-world business problems on large-scale data, preferably within a fast-paced tech environment.
• Exceptional business acumen and product sense, with a proven ability to translate strategic questions into analytical frameworks and actionable recommendations.
• Understanding of the ads ecosystem, monetization mechanics, and/or real-time bidding, with a strong interest in the financial aspects of these domains.
• Expertise in data democratization principles, including experience designing and maintaining foundational datasets and building comprehensive business intelligence solutions.
• Strong fundamentals in statistics and experimentation, with the ability to interpret and apply insights from various causal inference techniques.
• Proven ability to influence cross-functional partners and senior leadership through compelling data narratives and strategic insights.
• Proficiency in SQL, Python, and experience with data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Looker) is required.

Relocation Statement:

This position is not eligible for relocation assistance. Visit our PinFlex page to learn more about our working model.

In-Office Requirement Statement:

We recognize that the ideal environment for work is situational and may differ across departments. What this looks like day-to-day can vary based on the needs of each organization or role.

This role will need to be in the office for in-person collaboration 1 times per week and therefore needs to be in a commutable distance from one of the following offices: San Francisco, Seattle, or Palo Alto.

US based applicants only

$164,695–$339,078 USD

Our Commitment to Inclusion:

Pinterest is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions on the basis of merit. We want to have the best qualified people in every job. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion or religious creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, status as a protected veteran, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information or characteristics (or those of a family member) or any other consideration made unlawful by applicable federal, state or local laws. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you require a medical or religious accommodation during the job application process, please complete this form for support.