Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Avalara is a cloud compliance technology company seeking a senior People Analytics Data Scientist to shape global workforce strategy through advanced analytics and AI-powered solutions. The role owns end-to-end analytics initiatives, including machine learning, employee listening, causal inference, predictive modeling, and delivering data-driven insights to senior People, Finance, and business leaders.
Responsibilities
- Design and deploy machine learning and predictive models, including natural language processing (NLP), sentiment analysis, and generative AI applications to surface workforce signals at scale
- Leverage AI tools to automate data pipelines, accelerate hypothesis testing, and enhance the speed and accuracy of insight delivery
- Serve as a practitioner and advocate for AI-first analytics, helping the People team adopt new AI capabilities and embedding them into everyday workflows
- Lead the analytics approach for employee listening programs, including engagement surveys, pulse checks, lifecycle touchpoints, and always-on feedback channels—translating signal into actionable intelligence
- Build NLP and text analytics models to mine open-ended survey responses, exit interviews, and qualitative feedback at scale, identifying themes, sentiment trends, and early attrition signals
- Design listening architectures that integrate structured (HRIS, performance) and unstructured (survey, verbatim, Slack/Teams signals) data to produce a holistic view of the employee experience
- Partner with People leaders to close the loop and translate listening insights into targeted interventions and measuring their impact over time
- Design and execute rigorous analyses using experimental design, causal inference, and quasi-experimental methods (e.g., difference-in-differences, propensity score matching) to evaluate the effectiveness of people programs
- Build, validate, and refine predictive and explanatory models using R, Python, and SQL against large, complex HR and business datasets
- Manage the full analytical lifecycle: data preparation, feature engineering, model evaluation, and stakeholder-ready insight delivery
- Collaborate directly with senior People, Finance, and business leaders to frame hypotheses, ensure analytical rigor, and champion data-driven decision-making
- Communicate complex analytical findings—including AI model outputs and listening program results—in clear, compelling narratives for non-technical executive audiences
- Deliver multiple high-impact analytical workstreams in parallel, balancing rigor, speed, and business relevance
Skills
- This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship
- 5+ years applying advanced analytics methods (experimental design, quasi-experimental approaches, predictive modeling) to people or business decisions
- Proficiency in Python and SQL; experience with R is a plus. Hands-on experience building, validating, and iterating on statistical or ML models using large, complex datasets
- Experience with employee listening platforms (e.g., Qualtrics, Glint, Culture Amp, Medallia) and the ability to design analytics strategies around them
- Demonstrated use of NLP, text analytics, or sentiment analysis to extract insight from unstructured employee feedback data
- Familiarity with AI/ML tools and frameworks—including LLMs and generative AI—and a track record of applying them to real-world analytics problems
- Proven ability to deliver end-to-end analytical projects, from problem definition through insight adoption, in a fast-paced environment
- Experience influencing senior, non-technical stakeholders with data and translating analytical complexity into clear recommendations
- Bachelor's degree or higher in a quantitative field (statistics, economics, data science, computer science, I/O psychology) or equivalent practical experience
- You'll bring experience using AI and AI-related technologies, ready to thrive here
- Proficiency in Python and SQL; experience with R is a plus
Benefits
- Annual bonus based on individual and company performance, depending on the terms of the applicable plan and the employee’s role.
- Paid time off
- Paid parental leave
- Health benefits that vary by location, generally including private medical, life, and disability insurance.
- Access to employee-run resource groups, each with senior leadership and executive sponsorship.
- Remote work
Company Overview