Lead Data Scientist

Upwork ($UPWK) is the world’s work marketplace. We serve everyone from one-person startups to over 30% of the Fortune 100 with a powerful, trust-driven platform that enables companies and talent to work together in new ways that unlock their potential.  

Last year, more than $3.8 billion of work was done through Upwork by skilled professionals who are gaining more control by finding work they are passionate about and innovating their careers. 

 As a Lead Data Scientist in Upwork’s Marketplace Dynamics & Data Science team, you will play a critical role in understanding and optimizing the dynamics of the world’s largest work marketplace. Your expertise in data science will help shape strategic executive-level decisions across Supply and Demand dynamics, Macroeconomic and Generative AI influences, Customer behavior / segmentation / lifetime value, and Marketplace efficiency.

This role requires a highly analytical thinker with a deep understanding of predictive modeling, causal inference, and experimentation. You will work cross-functionally with teams in Finance, Product, Engineering, and Marketing to uncover insights, build models, and develop recommendations that drive business growth and marketplace efficiency.

Your Responsibilities:

• Work with large datasets to model marketplace dynamics with econometric and data science foundations.

• Apply technical expertise with quantitative analysis, experimentation, data mining.

• Generate insights on business opportunities arising from AI, macroeconomic shifts, and marketplace liquidity.

• Partner cross-functionally with Analytics, Finance, Marketing, Product, and Engineering.

What it takes to catch our eye:

• Master’s or PhD in Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, Economics, Machine Learning, or a related field.

• 5-8+ years of experience in Data Science, AI/ML, or Econometrics with causal inference / predictive modeling.

• Succinctly communicate data insights into business context for real world business decisioning.

• Build and gain trust with relationships to drive decisions in a consensus manner. 

• Operate, lead and influence in an agile startup environment and high-performing team.

Come change how the world works.

At Upwork, you’ll shape talent solutions for how the world works today. We are a remote-first organization working together to create exciting remote work opportunities for a global community of professionals.  While we have physical offices in San Francisco and Chicago, currently we also support hiring of corporate full-time employees in 15 states in the United States. Please speak with a member of our recruitment team to determine whether you are located in a state in which we are hiring corporate full-time employees. 

Our vibrant culture is built on shared values and our mission to create economic opportunities so that people have better lives. We foster amazing teams, put our community first, and have a bias toward action. We encourage everyone to bring their whole selves to work and grow together through development opportunities, mentorship, and employee resource groups. Oh yeah, we’ve also got amazing benefits.