Data Science Director, Growth

About Airwallex
Airwallex is the only unified payments and financial platform for global businesses. Powered by our unique combination of proprietary infrastructure and software, we empower over 200,000 businesses worldwide - including Brex, Rippling, Navan, Qantas, SHEIN and many more - with fully integrated solutions to manage everything from business accounts, payments, spend management and treasury, to embedded finance at a global scale.
Proudly founded in Melbourne, we have a team of over 2,000 of the brightest and most innovative people in tech across 26 offices around the globe. Valued at US$8 billion and backed by world-leading investors including T. Rowe Price, Visa, Mastercard, Robinhood Ventures, Sequoia, Salesforce Ventures, DST Global, and Lone Pine Capital, Airwallex is leading the charge in building the global payments and financial platform of the future. If you're ready to do the most ambitious work of your career, join us.
Attributes We Value
We hire successful builders with founder-like energy who want real impact, accelerated learning, and true ownership. You bring strong role-related expertise and sharp thinking, and you're motivated by our mission and operating principles. You move fast with good judgment, dig deep with curiosity, and make decisions from first principles, balancing speed and rigor.
You're humble and collaborative; turn zero-to-one ideas into real products, and you "get stuff done" end-to-end. You use AI to work smarter and solve problems faster. Here, you'll tackle complex, high-visibility problems with exceptional teammates and grow your career as we build the future of global banking. If that sounds like you, let's build what's next.
The Role
We're looking for a Data Science Director for Growth to lead the data science engine behind Airwallex's next phase of hyper-growth. This is a senior leadership role at the intersection of data, product, and growth strategy - responsible for driving measurable impact across acquisition, activation, conversion, retention, and monetization.
You will shape how we use experimentation, advanced analytics, and machine learning to unlock step-function growth, partnering closely with leaders in Product, Engineering, Marketing, and Design. This role is ideal for a growth-minded data science executive who thrives in a fast-scaling, high-impact environment.
This is a full-time role based in San Francisco.

What You'll Do

• Lead & Scale a High-Impact Team:
  
  • Build, mentor, and inspire a world-class data science & AI team focused on driving user and revenue growth.
  • Foster expertise in applied ML and GenAI, ensuring the team balances experimentation, traditional DS rigor, and cutting-edge AI capabilities.
• Own Experimentation at Scale:
  
  • Architect and oversee our experimentation framework - A/B testing, multi-arm bandits, and causal inference - to accelerate innovation.
  • Extend this framework into AI-driven adaptive experimentation, leveraging bandits and reinforcement learning to allocate growth investments dynamically.
• Develop Growth-Focused AI Solutions:
  
  • Agentic workflow for Growth: build copilots and agent workflows (e.g., automated campaign generation, sales assistant bots, lead research copilots)
  • Personalization engines: Use embeddings and recommendation models to deliver contextualized product experiences and lifecycle messaging.
• Advanced segmentation & profiling:
  
  • Learn patterns & turn data into numbers: Leverage ML + embeddings to identify high-value prospects and clusters.
  • Churn & retention modeling: Predict customer behavior and trigger AI-driven lifecycle interventions.
  • Propensity scoring & lead prioritization: Blend predictive ML with LLM-powered enrichment of firmographics/intent data.
  • Pricing & incentive optimization: Apply reinforcement learning and causal ML to optimize offers in real time.
• Deliver Strategic Insights & AI-Enhanced Playbooks:
  
  • Translate complex DS/AI outputs into growth playbooks, roadmaps, and investment strategies.
  • Build self-serve AI-driven insights tools (e.g., natural language query over growth data via LLMs) for cross-functional partners.
• Partner Across Functions: Work hand-in-hand with CRO, Head of Growth, Growth PMs, Growth Engineers, Marketing, and Sales to embed data-driven thinking into every growth initiative.
• Define Metrics & Drive Measurement: Establish clear KPIs for acquisition, activation, retention, and LTV; ensure rigorous and consistent measurement across markets and teams.
• Champion Data-Driven Culture: Elevate the role of data science in shaping business strategy and mentor the next generation of data science leaders at Airwallex.

Who You Are

• Experienced Growth Leader: 10+ years in data science, analytics, or applied ML, including 5+ years leading teams at scale in top-tier tech, fintech, or growth-driven businesses.
• Deep Growth Expertise: Proven track record of using data science to drive customer acquisition, funnel optimization, personalization, and retention in high-growth B2B products.
• Technical Depth: Strong background in analytics, statistical modeling, causal inference, experimentation design, and proficiency with Python/R, SQL, and cloud-based data platforms.
• Strategic Operator: Comfortable navigating business trade-offs, prioritizing initiatives for outsized growth impact.
• Cross-Functional Influencer: Skilled at partnering with Product, Engineering, and Marketing leaders to align on shared goals.
• Builder Mindset: Thrives in fast-scaling environments with high ambiguity and is excited to build teams, systems, and best practices from the ground up.
• Communication: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills with the ability to influence executive-level stakeholders and translate complex model results into actionable business insights.

Applicant Safety Policy: Fraud and Third-Party Recruiters
To protect you from recruitment scams, please be aware that Airwallex will not ask for bank details, sensitive ID numbers (i.e. passport), or any form of payment during the application or interview process. All official communication will come from an @airwallex.com email address. Please apply only through careers.airwallex.com or our official LinkedIn page.
Airwallex does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firms/recruiters. Airwallex will not pay any fees to search firms/recruiters if a candidate is submitted by a search firm/recruiter unless an agreement has been entered into with respect to specific open position(s). Search firms/recruiters submitting resumes to Airwallex on an unsolicited basis shall be deemed to accept this condition, regardless of any other provision to the contrary.
Equal opportunity
Airwallex is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and anyone seeking employment at Airwallex is considered based on merit, qualifications, competence and talent. We don't regard color, religion, race, national origin, sexual orientation, ancestry, citizenship, sex, marital or family status, disability, gender, or any other legally protected status when making our hiring decisions. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.
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