Sr. Staff Data Scientist – Marketplace Algorithms

Airbnb was born in 2007 when two Hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 4 million Hosts who have welcomed more than 1 billion guest arrivals in almost every country across the globe. Every day, Hosts offer unique stays and experiences that make it possible for guests to connect with communities in a more authentic way.

The Community You Will Join:

• You will join a cross-functional team of data scientists, analysts, engineers, product managers, and designers who build pricing and data products for Airbnb hosts. You will guide the technical development of next-gen algorithms to improve the Airbnb marketplace for guests and hosts.

The Difference You Will Make:

• You will lead the technical vision for next-generation host guidance, one of Airbnb’s most important growth and monetization levers. You will develop pricing algorithms to help millions of new and existing hosts to find prices that work for them. You will partner with product, engineering, and design leaders to bring these algorithms to life through product launches and continuous algorithm innovation. You will co-own our overall host guidance roadmap and deliver science-powered experiences to make it easy to succeed as an Airbnb host.

A Typical Day: 

• Provide technical leadership for a mixed team of applied scientists, data scientists, and economists, guiding them through modeling and system design.
• Develop and refine Airbnb's pricing guidance strategy and roadmaps in collaboration with cross-functional teams.
• Design and evaluate pricing algorithms using state-of-the-art casual machine learning and/or reinforcement learning techniques.
• Build world-class, next-generation pricing and host guidance products through hands-on coaching and model development.
• Partner with product, engineering, design, and data science teams to align on goals and deliverables. Work hand-in-hand with marketplace data science and algorithms engineering teams to develop, implement, and iterate quickly.
• Uplevel the craft and velocity of everyone who works with you!

Your Expertise:

• Advanced degree (PhD or Masters) in Computer Science, Data Science, Econometrics, Statistics, or a related field.
• 12+ years of relevant industry experience (9+ with a PhD), with 2+ years of domain experience in pricing or promotions.
• 4+ years of experience in a technical leadership role with applied scientists and economists (as a manager or technical lead).
• Hands-on ‘builder’ experience in causal machine learning problems. Expert understanding of causal machine learning and reinforcement learning algorithms is a plus.
• Proven ability to communicate effectively with audiences of varying technical knowledge and seniority.
• Strategic thinker with experience laying out and delivering on 1+ year technical / product vision.
• Prior experience in multi-sided marketplaces is preferred.

Location:

This position is US - Remote Eligible. The role may include occasional work at an Airbnb office or attendance at offsites, as agreed to with your manager. While the position is Remote Eligible, you must live in a state where Airbnb, Inc. has a registered entity. Click here for the up-to-date list of excluded states. This list is continuously evolving, so please check back with us if the state you live in is on the exclusion list. If your position is employed by another Airbnb entity, your recruiter will inform you what states you are eligible to work from. 

Our Commitment To Inclusion & Belonging:

Airbnb is committed to working with the broadest talent pool possible. We believe diverse ideas foster innovation and engagement, and allow us to attract creatively-led people, and to develop the best products, services and solutions. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply.

We strive to also provide a disability inclusive application and interview process. If you are a candidate with a disability and require reasonable accommodation in order to submit an application, please contact us at: reasonableaccommodations@airbnb.com. Please include your full name, the role you’re applying for and the accommodation necessary to assist you with the recruiting process. 

We ask that you only reach out to us if you are a candidate whose disability prevents you from being able to complete our online application.

How We'll Take Care of You:

Our job titles may span more than one career level. The actual base pay is dependent upon many factors, such as: training, transferable skills, work experience, business needs and market demands. The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future. This role may also be eligible for bonus, equity, benefits, and Employee Travel Credits.