Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Instacart is transforming the grocery industry by providing grocery delivery and flexible earning opportunities through its platform. The Senior Data Scientist II will lead analytics, experimentation, and algorithmic strategy for ads optimization, including pacing, targeting, budgeting, causal inference, and production experimentation. The role partners with Product, Engineering, Machine Learning, and Sales to improve advertiser outcomes, platform efficiency, and revenue.
Responsibilities
- 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
Skills
- 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
- 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
Benefits
- Employees have the flexibility to choose where they do their 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.
- This role is eligible for a new hire equity grant as well as annual refresh grants.
Company Overview
Company H1B Sponsorship