Principal Decision Scientist, Strategic Partner Analytics

Ibotta•Denver, CO

2d•$159,000 - $190,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Ibotta is seeking a Principal Decision Scientist, Strategic Partner Analytics to join our Publisher Insights team. This role is a senior individual contributor focused on leading and elevating others through the delivery of best-in-class analytics solutions and actionable insights for Ibotta's third-party publishers (retailers and platforms like Walmart, 7-Eleven, Uber, and DoorDash). The ideal candidate possesses a blend of hands-on analytics skills, a consultative mindset, and the ability to act as a trusted advisor to senior partner stakeholders. Responsibilities include owning the full spectrum of analytical work, from proactive insight generation and measurement methodology to executive-level storytelling. The role also involves driving the evolution of analytics delivery to partners, shifting towards a proactive, insight-driven, and automated approach. This position is based in Denver, Colorado, with a hybrid work model requiring three days in the office per week. A relocation bonus is offered for candidates moving to Denver.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in analytics, data science, or decision science roles of increasing responsibility, with domain experience in retail media, performance marketing, or digital advertising; retail or CPG experience a strong plus.
Bachelor's degree in computer science, mathematics, statistics, data science, or a related quantitative field, or equivalent experience required; a Master's or PhD is a plus.
Deep partner-facing and consultative experience required: a proven advisor (not just an analyst) and expert communicator with experience presenting to senior executives and the C-suite; consulting background a significant advantage.
Expertise in experimental and quasi-experimental design (holdouts, matched markets, difference-in-differences, synthetic control) and in measurement models such as incrementality and MMM, with the ability to explain their outputs and limits to non-technical audiences.
Proven experience in forecasting, financial modeling, and partner economics, including scenario planning, opportunity sizing, revenue share, and minimum guarantees.
Experience with privacy-safe data collaboration, such as data clean rooms, and with measurement when partner data is limited.
Hands-on proficiency with SQL, Python, and BI platforms (Looker, Tableau, or equivalent), plus fluency with AI-assisted analytics workflows; Git/GitHub, Databricks, and data pipeline tooling a plus.
Expertise in one or more partner business models (mass retail, grocery and delivery, dollar stores, rideshare and last-mile, or QSR), or the ability to build it quickly.
Self-directed and highly organized collaborator who manages multiple complex partner engagements at once and elevates the people and cross-functional teams around them.
Willingness to travel up to 20% for partner meetings and engagements.
Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.

Nice To Haves

retail or CPG experience a strong plus
a Master's or PhD is a plus
consulting background a significant advantage
Git/GitHub, Databricks, and data pipeline tooling a plus
the ability to build expertise in partner business models quickly

Responsibilities

Serve as the trusted analytics advisor to Ibotta's strategic publisher partners, independently owning the analytics relationship with partner executives in close partnership with the Strategic Partner Management (SPM) team.
Build and own the analytics foundation for our publisher network: per-publisher and network-level scorecards and reporting, built on KPI definitions aligned with Finance and SPM.
Own the analytical narrative for publisher business reviews and deep dives. Diagnose what drove performance and turn it into clear "So What / Now What" recommendations for partners and Ibotta, for technical and non-technical audiences.
Lead partner-facing measurement: design tests and case studies, build measurement models as partners share data (including through clean rooms), and defend our methodology with partner analytics teams.
Forecast publisher performance against contractual commitments such as minimum guarantees, and size opportunities for new partner capabilities and prospective publishers with Business Development.
Analyze partner economics, including profitability by publisher, overlap between publishers, and revenue concentration across the network.
Shape the Publisher Insights roadmap with SPM, Business Development, and Finance, turning recurring partner requests into scalable, increasingly automated solutions, including AI-assisted workflows.
Mentor and coach junior and mid-level members of the Publisher Insights team, and set the bar for partner-facing analytical quality through reviews and teach-outs.
Position Ibotta as a credible measurement authority through point-of-view content and industry conversations, bringing an outside-in view of trends in forecasting, attribution, measurement, and retail media analytics.
Embrace and uphold Ibotta's Core Values: Integrity, Boldness, Ownership, Teamwork, Transparency, & A good idea can come from anywhere.