Principal Data Scientist, Marketing Measurement
The Team:
Marketing Science sits within Upstart's Growth, Product, and Ops Analytics team and partners with growth marketing on every channel that brings borrowers to Upstart: direct mail, paid search and social, video, mobile, email, brand campaigns, and lending partnerships. Our job is to tell the business which of those dollars are working, and then help decide where the next one goes.
As our Marketing Measurement lead, you'll own how Upstart answers some key questions about its marketing spend. What did each channel actually cause? How should credit be shared across the touches a borrower saw before applying? Where should next quarter's budget go? The answers decide whether a dollar of spend buys a funded loan or takes credit for one that would have arrived anyway.
We're looking for a data scientist with deep experience in causal inference and marketing measurement to be the measurement partner for our marketing, finance, and product leaders, and the person they trust to say when the evidence is strong enough to move the budget.
How you’ll make an impact
Guide incrementality measurement across our marketing channels, working with the analysts who run tests in each channel on design and interpretation, so the team knows what each channel causes rather than what it gets credit for
Apply causal inference methods when a clean test isn't feasible, so budget decisions still rest on causal evidence
Build and maintain the attribution approach that splits credit across direct mail, digital, partnerships, and email, including channels where a borrower never clicks anything
Turn measurement results into spend allocation recommendations that marketing and finance use to plan budgets
Use marketing mix models alongside experiments and attribution, and work out which to trust when they disagree
Automate recurring measurement reporting, so your time goes to interpretation and recommendations
Mentor analysts across the team and review their measurement work
Minimum Qualifications
8+ years of experience in data science or a related quantitative role, much of it spent measuring marketing or growth spend
Hands-on experience designing and analyzing incrementality tests, and a solid grasp of causal inference beyond standard A/B testing
Working knowledge of marketing mix modeling and multi-touch attribution, including where each one breaks down
Strong Python and SQL skills
A track record of measurement work that changed how a marketing budget was spent
Clear communication with technical and non-technical audiences, and the judgment to push back when the evidence doesn't support the plan
Good judgment about when a result is solid enough to act on and when it needs another test
Ability to work independently, scope your own projects, and drive them end to end in ambiguous situations
Preferred Qualifications
An exceptional candidate will also have:
A PhD or master's degree in statistics, economics, computer science, or another quantitative field
Familiarity with AI tools that speed up analysis and reporting
Position location This role is available in the following locations: Remote
Travel requirements As a digital first company, the majority of your work can be accomplished remotely. The majority of our employees can live and work anywhere in the U.S but are encouraged to to still spend high quality time in-person collaborating via regular onsites. The in-person sessions’ cadence varies depending on the team and role; most teams meet once or twice per quarter for 2-4 consecutive days at a time.
#LI-REMOTE
#LI-MidSenior
At Upstart, your base pay is one part of your total compensation package. The anticipated base salary for this position is expected to be within the below range. Your actual base pay will depend on your geographic location–with our “digital first” philosophy, Upstart uses compensation regions that vary depending on location. Individual pay is also determined by job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.
In addition, Upstart provides employees with target bonuses, equity compensation, and generous benefits packages (including medical, dental, vision, and 401k).
United States | Remote - Anticipated Base Salary Range
$182,300—$252,500 USD
At Upstart, your base pay is one part of your total compensation package. The anticipated base salary for this position is expected to be within the below range. Your actual base pay will depend on your geographic location–with our “digital first” philosophy, Upstart uses compensation regions that vary depending on location. Individual pay is also determined by job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.
In addition, Upstart provides employees with target bonuses, equity compensation, and generous benefits packages (including medical, dental, vision, and 401k).
Canada | Remote - Anticipated Base Salary Range
$165,800—$210,000 CAD