Principal Data Scientist, Growth Analytics

Who We Are
Second Dinner is an award-winning independent game development studio. Just how many awards, you ask? A whopping 22 in total so far… Including Mobile Game of the Year from both The Game Awards and DICE, Best Strategy Game from IGN, and the prestigious Apple Design Award for Innovation. Yes, that's a lot of awards! But these accolades don't magically materialize, they're a testament to the amazing folks who make up our studio. You could be the next addition to our award-winning team! Continue reading to find out more.
For our debut game, MARVEL SNAP, we've partnered with Marvel (Trust us, we had to pinch ourselves too!). We've got other SUPER FUN (but still secret) projects in the works and this role is a chance to be a part of something new, and special at the company. As a remote-first company, we value diversity and encourage applications from everyone who can bring something unique to the table.
Our Team
At Second Dinner, we believe that with great people and a great environment, we can create great games and player experiences. The Data & AI team is at the center of that — we turn player data into insight, and insight into action. Our team spans analytics, data science, data engineering, and AI/ML, and we work closely with every part of the company to help make smarter decisions faster.
We care deeply about the quality of our data, the rigor of our analysis, and finding the most impactful questions to answer. At the same time, we keep a close eye on what's new — whether that's the latest in AI tooling, experimentation methodology, or game analytics — and we're always looking for ways to apply it. The work here is collaborative, fast-moving, and directly tied to how Second Dinner grows and what our players experience.

Your Role
We are seeking a Principal Data Scientist, Growth Analytics to help scale the growth engine behind Marvel Snap and future Second Dinner titles. This role will report into the VP, Data & AI. Partnering closely with our Growth team, you will turn data into faster, smarter acquisition decisions — building the measurement systems, predictive models, and analytical frameworks that power sustainable player growth across multiple games.
We move at startup speed and are looking for someone experienced and scrappy who can help scale our self-publishing analytics capabilities from one title to many while ensuring Second Dinner remains an industry leader in performance marketing.

What You’ll Do:

• Shape UA Measurement Strategy: Define and evolve the analytical framework for how Second Dinner evaluates paid growth — including measurement methodology, attribution philosophy, and the roadmap for predictive capabilities. Your work will directly inform budget allocation, channel strategy, and how aggressively we scale acquisition across markets.

• Drive Paid User Acquisition Performance: Collaborate with the Director of Growth to optimize campaigns across channels. Surface trends, flag risks, and accelerate decisions through sharp analysis and scalable tooling (reports, dashboards).

• UA Performance Deep Dives & Analysis: Scope and execute UA analysis across key dimensions to uncover insights that inform media mix, geo strategy, and budget decisions.

• Build & Deploy Predictive Models: Design, train, and deploy models that predict cohort LTV, payback periods, and ROAS — informing how aggressively we invest across channels and geographies. Own the full lifecycle from feature engineering through production deployment, and clearly communicate model performance and limitations so insights translate into confident spend decisions.

• Measurement, Attribution & Data Quality: Own the measurement and attribution framework across platforms (AppsFlyer, Firebase, Meta), ensuring reliable signals for evaluating channel performance. Monitor attribution windows, event quality, and fraud signals to ensure accurate measurement. Validate performance data across UA systems and marketer-operated platforms, acting as the first line of QA on the UA side and escalating discrepancies to Data Engineering as needed.

• Incrementality & Experimentation: Design and execute incrementality tests, geo lift studies, and media mix analyses to validate the true impact of UA spend — going beyond last-touch attribution to build a more complete picture of channel contribution across platforms and titles. Establish a rigorous experimentation framework that informs how Second Dinner scales investment with confidence.

• Establish & Evangelize Measurement Best Practices: As the senior-most analytics voice on the Growth team, define the standards for how Second Dinner measures, attributes, and evaluates UA performance — and ensure those standards scale as we expand to additional titles. Serve as an internal resource and thought partner for analysts and data scientists across the organization, raising the bar on analytical rigor and building a culture where data-driven decision-making is the norm.

• Collaborate Cross-Team: Partner with Product Analytics and Data Engineering to interpret business performance and ensure reliable measurement across acquisition and product funnels.

What You’ll Need:

(Even if you don’t check every box. If this role excites you, we’d still love to hear from you!)

• 7+ years in growth analytics, UA data, or marketing performance roles (mobile or gaming strongly preferred)

• Strong understanding of marketing channels (Meta, Google, ASA, DSPs), and how media buying connects to attribution, ROAS, LTV, and optimization

• Experience building cohort-based analysis to guide geo, channel, and budget decisions

• Hands-on with attribution platforms (e.g., AppsFlyer, Adjust, or Singular), including event setup, SKAN, and postback QA

• Proficiency in building dashboards and visualizations to track UA performance, pacing, and results using tools like Tableau, Looker, or similar

• Fluent in SQL and Python, with experience using both for analytical workflows and model development

• Experience with cloud data platforms (e.g., Snowflake, Redshift, Databricks) and data libraries such as pandas, Spark.

• Strong QA instincts and a bias toward proactive data validation and troubleshooting

• Able to communicate data insights clearly across teams and identify opportunities in ambiguous situations

Nice to Have, But Not Necessary:

• Experience in a mobile-first UA or analytics role, with additional exposure to cross-platform or PC titles a plus

• Practical use of AI tools or agentic workflows to automate analysis, improve reporting, or experiment with creative analytics approaches

• Familiarity with privacy-constrained measurement frameworks (SKAN 4.0+, Privacy Sandbox) and strategies for maintaining signal quality as platform-level attribution erodes
  

The total compensation for this position includes a new hire offer base salary range of $180,000 - $200,000 USD + equity + comprehensive benefits + potential for discretionary performance bonuses.
Individual pay within this salary range may span multiple levels within the discipline and is determined by assessed job-related skills, experience, relevant education or training. It also factors in market demands and business needs. The disclosed range is not adjusted based on location and may be subject to change or modification based on business needs in the future. Your recruiter can answer any questions about new hire total compensation during the hiring process.

An overview of the benefits and perks at Second Dinner:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance plans with Second Dinner paying 100% of premiums for employees and 75% for dependents for many plans

• 401(k) contribution with no waiting period

• 16 weeks paid parental leave with no waiting period

• Home office improvement bonus

• Paid Vacation & Sick time

• Up to 10 BetterHelp sessions covered each benefits plan year

• Remote-first with core overlap hours between 10AM and 4PM PT

• Company Summer Holiday shutdown (week of July 4)

• Company Winter Holiday shutdown (Dec 25-Jan 1)

• Company Events - In-person all-hands gathering, and virtual events throughout the year

We are an equal opportunity employer that places high value on diversity and inclusion. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, age, disability status, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military status, or veteran status.
You must be legally authorized to work and reside in the United States. We do not sponsor visas or support employment outside the U.S. for this role.