Senior Economist - Advertising Technology

Expedia Group•Seattle, WA

9d•$184,500 - $295,000•Onsite

About The Position

Expedia Technology teams partner with our Product teams to create innovative products, services, and tools to deliver high-quality experiences for travelers, partners, and our employees. A singular technology platform powered by data and machine learning provides secure, differentiated, and personalized experiences that drive loyalty and traveler satisfaction. We are seeking an Economist to join our high-performing Advertising Technology team to drive rigorous, data-driven decisions across auction design, ad relevance, incrementality measurement, and marketplace optimization. This role sits at the intersection of economic theory, applied statistics, econometric modeling, experimentation, and large-scale ad systems, influencing how ads are ranked, priced, and evaluated in production. You will work closely with Data Science, Machine Learning, Engineering, Product, and Operations to translate statistically and economically sound analysis into scalable marketplace improvements.

Requirements

Master’s or PhD in Economics, Applied Economics, Econometrics, Statistics, Operations Research, or a related quantitative field
Solid foundation in microeconomic theory and game theory, with the ability to model strategic behavior
Strong background in applied statistics and econometric modeling
Proficiency in Python or R with strong SQL skills to work with large-scale, noisy, real-world data
Hands-on experience with statistical modeling (linear, GLM, panel data), causal inference techniques, hypothesis testing, and uncertainty quantification
Strong analytical thinking and a passion for empirical, data-driven research to explore and answer complex questions
Familiarity with AI-driven systems, tools, or workflows and applying AI/ML concepts to real world products.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly convey complex quantitative analysis, methodologies, and insights to diverse stakeholders

Nice To Haves

Experience in advertising, auctions, ranking, or marketplace platforms
Experience with incrementality measurement in production environments
Track record of delivering actionable insights from experimental design, causal inference, or large-scale data analysis.
Demonstrated leadership in designing, implementing, and scaling AI/ML‑enabled solutions that improve business outcomes.
Expertise in integrating generative AI tools to enhance economic modeling, scenario analysis, or forecasting applications.
Background in e-commerce, travel, or large-scale marketplaces

Responsibilities

Analyze and improve ad auction mechanisms (pricing, bidding, pacing) and model advertiser behavior to balance revenue, ROI, relevance, and user experience
Define and evaluate ad relevance signals using statistical and econometric methods to ensure incentive-aligned metrics
Design and analyze incrementality and causal experiments (geo tests, holdouts, switchbacks) to measure true lift and avoid cannibalization
Build and validate econometric and causal models to understand marketplace dynamics, pricing, and long-term health
Conduct advanced data analysis to inform product strategy, policy decisions, and marketplace optimization
Collaborate cross-functionally with product, engineering, and ML teams to drive experimentation and data-driven decisions at scale
Communicate clear, actionable insights to technical and non-technical stakeholders