Senior Data Scientist, People and Talent

Airwallex • San Francisco, CA

4d • $160,000 - $250,000

About The Position

The Data Science team at Airwallex builds the data foundations, models, and decision-support systems that help the business scale with speed and precision. We partner closely with leaders across the company to solve high-impact problems through analytics, experimentation, machine learning, and data products. Within this team, you'll be the dedicated data science partner for our People & Talent (P&T) function — the team that builds the systems, insights, and experiences behind how Airwallex attracts, grows, and retains exceptional people at global scale. You'll work closely with P&T, Finance, and Engineering to improve how HR and recruiting data is modelled, governed, and used, and help shape a more scalable, self-serve, and AI-enabled analytics ecosystem for people's decisions.

As Senior Data Scientist, People and Talent, you will own the People & Talent (P&T) data domain at Airwallex and turn our HR and recruiting data into a scalable analytics foundation for the business. You will define how headcount, hiring, and people metrics are modeled, governed, and accessed, and you will build the pipelines, dashboards, and self‑serve tools that power decisions across P&T, Finance, Revenue Strategy, and Engineering.

This role combines hands-on data engineering and analytics with product thinking and stakeholder management: you will manage the roadmap for P&T data, act as the subject matter expert on people data, and drive continuous improvements in automation, governance, and AI-enabled insights. You will also build context layers that make people data more accessible and meaningful across the business, and enable AI analytics capabilities that help P&T teams move faster and make better decisions.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in data science, analytics, or a related quantitative field, with end-to-end ownership of data models, pipelines, and dashboards in a production environment.
• Advanced degree (MS or PhD) in Statistics, Computer Science, Engineering, Economics, or a related field.
• Strong hands-on proficiency in SQL and Python and/or R, with experience working with large and complex datasets, data transformations, and building robust data solutions.
• Experience with cloud data platforms such as Databricks (including Delta tables) and transformation frameworks like dbt.
• Proven ability to translate ambiguous business challenges into clear analytics projects, apply structured problem-solving, and communicate insights to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience in causal inference, experimentation, or forecasting to analyze and explain key metric changes.
• Strong documentation skills and familiarity with tools such as Hex or other notebook-based analytics platforms.
• Hands-on experience with HR and recruiting data systems (e.g., BambooHR, Ashby, HRIS/ATS), including knowledge of data quirks, unique identifiers, and common update patterns.
• Exposure to high-growth technology or fintech environments, especially in contexts where People & Talent analytics intersect with Finance, Revenue Strategy, or GTM teams.
• Understanding and application of rigorous data governance, privacy standards, and user access controls, especially for sensitive people and HR data.
• Excellent communication skills, strong curiosity, and the ability to build effective partnerships across cross-functional teams.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with AI-powered analytics, self-serve tools, or LLM-powered data access solutions is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Own and manage all People & Talent (P&T) data assets, ensuring robust data models, pipelines, documentation, and governance across all HR and recruiting systems.
• Build and maintain scalable dashboards, reports, and self-serve analytics supporting stakeholders in People & Talent, Finance, Revenue Strategy, and Engineering.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to prioritize requests, manage the P&T analytics roadmap, and drive improvements in automation, data quality, and end-user access workflows.
• Act as the subject matter expert on people data, supporting metric definition, troubleshooting, and user guidance, while upholding strict governance and privacy standards.
• Enable AI-powered and self-serve analytics use cases, and continuously identify opportunities to enhance the P&T analytics ecosystem to support global growth.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior