Staff Data Scientist

The Zebra, named a Best Place to Work in Austin four years running, revolutionizes how connected consumers research and shop for insurance. We intentionally strive to build diverse teams that feel inclusive for all. Our motto is "All Stripes Welcome," we put that into practice by valuing traditional and non-conventional backgrounds and perspectives. Our Zeebs are passionate about learning, growing, & working together to tackle exciting problems.

As a Senior Data Scientist, you will collaborate cross-functionally with product managers, engineers, and analysts to scope and deliver on data science opportunities. You’ll participate in the data science lifecycle from end to end - from wrangling data in our warehouse to building and deploying models to analyzing experiment results and quantifying model impact. At The Zebra, data scientists write the code for the models that run in production with platform support from software engineers, no handoffs involved!

Our ideal candidate is not just technically skilled but practical and impact-oriented as well—prioritizing simple solutions that we can iterate and improve on continuously. Strong product/business sense and the ability to frame and answer questions analytically are essential in this role. Successful data scientists at The Zebra quickly build trust and mutual understanding with stakeholders to reduce ambiguity and drive solutions that work for our business.

Location:

While we are open to remote work across the contingent US, we are still establishing our company to support work in all states! We are set up to support employees who want to be fully remote, in-office only, or a mix of the two.

Please note - At this time we are not able to hire in California, Massachusetts and New Jersey.

What You'll Do:

• Build machine learning models to personalize our product and connect users with the policies that best fit their needs

• Work closely with cross-functional stakeholders to understand business needs and develop ML based solutions

• Analyze product data, design experiments, and drive the collection and integration of new data sources

• Write clean, maintainable production code to operationalize models using best practices from software engineering

• Perform peer code reviews, mentor other data scientists, and drive continuous improvement in our platform and practices

What We're Looking For:

As we evaluate candidates across all roles, we look for folks with a strong sense of ownership, great communication and collaboration skills, and a dedication to continuous improvement.

• 3-10 years' experience in a technical data role with 3+ years of hands-on experience building machine learning / statistical models

• MS / PhD in a quantitative field is a plus but not required

• Proven mathematical foundation and knowledge of a variety of ML and statistical methods (e.g. regression, classification, clustering, experimental design)

• Solid foundation in software engineering with a strong proficiency in both core Python and the Python data ecosystem (sklearn, pandas/polars, etc)

• Basic familiarly with engineering topics like CI/CD, unit testing, orchestration, cloud ecosystems is required

• Experience mentoring junior data scientists is a plus

Experience that will Impress the Heck Out of Us:

• Experience modeling customer/human behavior in a B2C context

• Familiarity with reinforcement learning especially contextual bandits

• Familiarity with causal inference

• Familiarity with marketing measurement methods

Interview Process:

Recruiter Screen:

Hiring Manager Screen:

• A call with the hiring manager to dive deeper into your technical skills, experience, and alignment with the team’s goals.

Technical Interview:

• A series of technical interviews to assess your problem-solving abilities, coding skills, and expertise in data science methodologies.

Final Panel Interview:

• A comprehensive interview with key stakeholders and team members to evaluate your fit within the team and company culture.

Benefits & Perks:

Inclusive and healthy environments are crafted intentionally. All of our employees can join and participate in (or create your own!) Employee Resource Groups. Here are some other wonderful perks of working here:

• Competitive Compensation & Stock Option Offering

• Health, Dental, Vision & Disability Coverages

• HSA offering + employer contribution

• 401k plan + employer match

• Unlimited PTO (paid time off)+ the flexibility to enjoy it

• Paid Parental Leave Program

• Wellness perk ($100/month)

• Pet Adoption Reimbursement ($300/year)

• Learning & Development Opportunities

• Join a team that truly lives their values (outside of the office. Cliche, we know… but we really mean it)

About The Zebra:

The Zebra is the nation’s leading, independent insurance comparison site. With our dynamic, real-time quote comparison tool, consumers can identify insurance companies with the coverage, service level, and pricing to suit their unique needs. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, The Zebra has sought to bring transparency and simplicity to insurance shopping since 2012 -- it's “insurance in black and white.”

We've garnered attention and investment of some of the nation’s top venture capitalists. Check out all of our awards & recognition!

Our core mantra is "All Stripes Welcome." As part of our dedication to maintaining an inclusive and diverse workforce, we provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform core job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.