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 Staff Data Scientist, you’ll work cross-functionally with product managers, engineers, and analysts to identify, scope, and deliver high-impact data science initiatives. You’ll own the full data science lifecycle—from exploring and preparing data in our warehouse to building, deploying, and evaluating models in production, as well as measuring their real-world impact.

You’ll also help shape the technical direction of data science and AI at The Zebra. Our data scientists are hands-on builders who write and deploy production code themselves, supported by platform engineers—no handoffs required.

Beyond individual contributions, you’ll provide technical leadership across the team—setting best practices, mentoring other data scientists, and driving alignment on high-impact, ambiguous problem areas. You’ll operate with a high degree of autonomy, translating business goals into data science strategy and influencing product and engineering decisions. Success in this role means consistently tying work to measurable business outcomes while navigating tradeoffs and reducing ambiguity across stakeholders.

We’re looking for someone who pairs strong technical expertise with pragmatic, impact-driven thinking. You prioritize simple, scalable solutions and iterate quickly. A strong product mindset, business intuition, and the ability to frame ambiguous problems analytically are critical, along with the ability to build trust and communicate effectively across technical and non-technical audiences.

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 or Massachusetts

• 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

• Set and maintain technical standards for development, deployment, and maintenance of machine learning models

• Identify areas of opportunity for the business and help communicate the role of data science in those opportunities

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.

• 7-10+ years experience in a technical data role with 7+ 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 leading the data science function is a plus

• 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

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)

The base salary range for this position is $175,000 - $200,000 per year. The final salary amount will be determined based on a variety of factors, including experience, skills, internal equity, and insights gained throughout the interview process

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.