Principal Data Scientist

Upstart

1d•$182,300 - $252,500•Remote

About The Position

Upstart's Product & Growth Analytics team drives strategic insights and evidence-based decision-making across our expanding portfolio of credit products. Our team works at the intersection of product strategy, data science, and business impact, partnering with product leaders, the ML organization, and finance to shape how Upstart evolves its offerings and delivers value to borrowers and banking partners. We're entering a new chapter. As Upstart expands into subscription-based products, we need to rethink how we approach data science and analytics from the ground up. This requires people who don't just answer questions, but ask the right ones first. People who dive into ambiguity, surface what matters, and guide the business toward smarter decisions. As a Principal Data Scientist, you'll be a strategic thought partner to product, marketing, finance, and ML leaders, helping them optimize the decisions in their domains. You'll combine deep technical expertise with the judgment to know which problems merit rigorous experimentation, which require causal inference, and which first demand foundational business understanding. You will additionally build out technical tools to improve our understanding of the business, with examples including forecasting models, spend allocation optimization, marketing incrementality, and attribution models.

Requirements

8+ years of experience in data science or quantitative roles with direct impact on product or business strategy.
Demonstrated mastery of experimental design and A/B testing
Deep statistical expertise, including causal inference methods.
Strong coding skills.
Track record of partnering with non-technical stakeholders to translate data into actionable business decisions, not just delivering analyses.
Comfort operating in ambiguous environments where the right questions aren't predetermined, and the ability to shape direction through thoughtful inquiry.
Exceptional communication skills, demonstrated ability to move fluidly between strategic questions and tactical details, and excellence in translating complex technical bodies of work into clear narratives.
Exposure to ML applications and ability to partner effectively with ML/data science teams on technical challenges.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with personalization, recommendation systems, or matching algorithms.
Experience with at least one of the following is highly preferred: forecasting, spend allocation optimization, marketing incrementality, or attribution.

Responsibilities

Proactively identify gaps in how the business thinks about problems, rather than waiting for direction.
Partner with stakeholders to identify and frame foundational questions and build solutions.
Design, build, and own tools that are leveraged across the team, such as models for forecasting change, optimizing spend allocation, marketing incrementality, and attribution.
Design and execute experiments, from classic A/B tests to complex causal inference analyses, with full ownership of hypothesis development, experiment design, and results interpretation.
Build metrics frameworks and measurement strategies, helping stakeholders understand what to optimize for and why.
Collaborate with our ML organization on high-complexity technical challenges, bringing statistical rigor and causal reasoning to our work.
Translate ambiguous, multifaceted business problems into clear frameworks that guide decision-making.
Take ownership of your work end-to-end: from scoping the question, to analysis, to storytelling, to driving organizational change based on insights.
Influence without direct authority across engineering, product, finance, and executive leadership, creating clarity and alignment where understanding is incomplete.

Benefits

Competitive compensation, including base pay, bonus opportunities, and annual equity grants that vest quarterly
Retirement benefits to help you plan for the future, including a 401(k) or Group Retirement Savings Plan with a company match of $2 for every $1 contributed, up to $15,000 annually (USD in the US, CAD in Canada)
Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) with discounted stock purchase options for eligible employees (US only)
Comprehensive health coverage designed to support you and your family, including medical, dental, vision, and wellness resources for US and supplemental health coverage for Canada.
Health Savings Account contributions from Upstart for eligible plans (US only)
Income protection benefits, including life insurance and disability coverage for added financial security
Paid time off, sick leave, and company holidays, in line with local requirements
Paid family and parental leave to support caregiving and major life moments (duration varies by country)
Family-centered benefits to support fertility, parenthood, and caregiving needs
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offering mental health support and life-centered resources
Financial wellness resources, including access to financial planning tools and a financial concierge service (US Only)
Annual wellness allowance to support your physical and emotional well-being and personal development, based on what matters most to you
Annual productivity allowance to invest in relevant tools and resources you need to do your best work, no matter where you work from
Connection and community through team events, all-company updates, and employee resource groups (ERGs)
Onsite perks, including catered lunches and fully stocked micro-kitchens when working from one of our offices in the Bay Area, Austin, Columbus, and New York City