Principal Data Scientist
About The Position
Microsoft AI is building AI-powered consumer experiences across Microsoft products. MSN and Copilot Discover help users find relevant content, stay informed, and engage with the web. The MSN & Copilot Discover Business Analytics team supports product, engineering, marketplace, monetization, and business teams through business insights, forecasting, strategic planning, experimentation, monetization analytics, and decision-making frameworks. The Principal Business Analytics Data Scientist will work at the intersection of user engagement, AI-powered content discovery, and revenue optimization. This role partners with Product, MAI Marketplace, Monetization, Finance, Engineering, and Business Planning teams to turn complex data into actionable recommendations, inform product investments, and influence business outcomes. The position requires strong analytical expertise and business acumen, including experience with content platforms, digital advertising, monetization, forecasting, experimentation, and business strategy. The role involves navigating ambiguity and influencing senior stakeholders. AI Experiences employees who live within a 50-mile commute of a designated Microsoft Hub in the U.S. are expected to work from the office at least four days per week. This expectation is subject to local law and may vary by jurisdiction.
Requirements
- Doctorate in Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Econometrics, Economics, Operations Research, Computer Science, or a related field and 5+ years of data-science experience; OR a master's degree in one of these fields and 7+ years of data-science experience; OR a bachelor's degree in one of these fields and 10+ years of data-science experience; OR equivalent experience.
- Data-science experience managing structured and unstructured data, applying statistical techniques, and reporting results.
- Strong business acumen and deep analytical expertise.
- Experience in content platforms, digital advertising, and monetization.
- Ability to navigate ambiguity, influence senior stakeholders, and translate complex data into actionable business decisions.
Nice To Haves
- Doctorate in Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Econometrics, Economics, Operations Research, Computer Science, or a related field and 8+ years of data-science experience; OR a master's degree in one of these fields and 10+ years of data-science experience; OR a bachelor's degree in one of these fields and 12+ years of data-science experience; OR equivalent experience.
- Experience in content ecosystems, news feeds, recommendation systems, search, shopping, or content discovery platforms.
- Experience partnering with advertising, monetization, or marketplace organizations.
- Familiarity with engagement and monetization metrics such as sessions, time spent, retention, RPM, ad requests, inventory utilization, advertiser demand, and marketplace efficiency.
- Experience leading analytics for large-scale consumer products with millions of users.
- Demonstrated success influencing product strategy and business outcomes through data-driven insights.
- Understanding of AI-powered consumer experiences and their impact on user engagement and monetization.
- Experience managing cross-functional initiatives involving Product, Engineering, Monetization, Marketplace, and Finance stakeholders.
Responsibilities
- Serve as a trusted analytics partner to leadership and cross-functional teams, translating data into clear business recommendations.
- Partner with Product, Engineering, MAI Marketplace, Monetization, Finance, and Business Planning teams to shape strategy and investment decisions.
- Analyze user engagement, content consumption, marketplace dynamics, and revenue performance to identify growth opportunities and business risks.
- Develop business frameworks connecting product initiatives, user behavior, content quality, and monetization outcomes.
- Build forecasting and scenario-planning models for engagement, traffic, ad requests, and revenue.
- Leverage AI and machine learning solutions to automate business insights, improve forecasting accuracy, enhance decision-making processes, and scale analytical capabilities.
- Evaluate tradeoffs between user experience, engagement, and monetization to support long-term business growth.
- Communicate insights clearly to senior stakeholders and influence decisions through data-driven storytelling.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Principal
