Remote opportunity at
InstacartSenior Data Scientist I - Meals
Instacart is looking for a Senior Data Scientist I to spearhead the Meals initiative, which stands as a primary strategic focus for the company through 2027.…
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About This Role
Instacart is looking for a Senior Data Scientist I to spearhead the Meals initiative, which stands as a primary strategic focus for the company through 2027. This position centers on expanding data science infrastructure following the initial minimum viable product launch, utilizing rigorous metric tracking and experimentation. The selected professional will steer user engagement, user activation, and user reactivation efforts for this high-visibility, zero-to-one project. Working hand-in-hand with cross-functional partners…
Job Description
Instacart is looking for a Senior Data Scientist I to spearhead the Meals initiative, which stands as a primary strategic focus for the company through 2027. This position centers on expanding data science infrastructure following the initial minimum viable product launch, utilizing rigorous metric tracking and experimentation. The selected professional will steer user engagement, user activation, and user reactivation efforts for this high-visibility, zero-to-one project. Working hand-in-hand with cross-functional partners in Product, Engineering, and Design, the role helps define long-term success at scale for a major product area.
This opportunity is ideal for experienced data professionals with a background in consumer-facing products, strong statistical modeling capabilities, and a history of driving product decisions through A/B testing and experimentation. Instacart operates under a Flex First framework, meaning employees have the freedom to select their preferred working environment, whether that is a home office, a corporate office, or a local coffee shop, while maintaining connection through regular in-person events.
Instacart delivers essential grocery and household items to millions of users while offering earning opportunities for personal shoppers. The position offers location-based compensation tiers across the United States alongside new hire equity grants and annual equity refresh grants. Qualified candidates must meet a multi-year experience threshold in data science and hold a relevant quantitative university degree or equivalent practical background.
Responsibilities
- Lead the data science efforts for the Meals initiative by managing the post-MVP scale-up of systems and infrastructure.
- Build, design, and maintain metric tracking frameworks to evaluate the impact of the Meals feature on activation, engagement, and reactivation.
- Manage the experimentation strategy by handling everything from hypothesis creation to analysis and final recommendations.
- Collaborate directly with Product Managers, Designers, and Engineers to align on product strategy and share data insights.
- Contribute to a zero-to-one initiative at a crucial development stage to establish long-term success metrics at scale.
Requirements
- At least 4 years of professional experience working in data science or a closely related discipline.
- Demonstrated background in consumer-facing product data science alongside product managers, data engineers, and engineering leads.
- Strong foundational skills encompassing product analysis, statistical modeling, A/B experimentation, and causal inference.
- Proven history of defining KPIs and optimizing product funnels to achieve product-market fit.
- Exceptional communication skills capable of translating intricate technical findings for senior business and engineering leaders.
Qualifications
- A bachelor's degree in a quantitative discipline such as Mathematics, Computer Science, Statistics, Economics, or Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
- Familiarity connecting offline evaluation metrics like NDCG, precision, recall, and human review with online experiments and business results.
- Experience applying causal inference methods beyond standard A/B testing, including holdouts, difference-in-differences, and quasi-experiments.
- Demonstrated success in improving metric definitions, instrumentation, and data logging within complex environments.
- Background in launching brand-new features in fresh markets or developing zero-to-one initiatives.
Core Skills
Benefits
- Flex First remote work policy allowing employees to choose whether to work from home, an office, or a coffee shop.
- Market-competitive base pay scaled according to permanent geographic work location.
- Eligibility for a new hire equity grant.
- Eligibility for annual equity refresh grants.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the remote work policy for this position?
This role is remote under Instacart's Flex First model, allowing employees to choose where they work best, whether from home, an office, or a coffee shop, while staying connected through regular in-person events.
What is the salary range for this Senior Data Scientist role?
Base pay depends on permanent geographic location. For US-based candidates, ranges are $194,000 to $204,500 for CA, NY, CT, and NJ; $185,000 to $195,500 for WA; $177,000 to $187,000 for OR, DE, ME, MA, MD, NH, RI, VT, DC, PA, VA, CO, TX, IL, and HI; and $161,000 to $170,000 for all other states.
What are the minimum education and experience requirements?
Candidates must have four or more years of work experience in data science or a related field, along with a bachelor's degree in a quantitative discipline or equivalent practical experience.
Are there additional financial incentives besides base pay?
Yes, this role is eligible for a new hire equity grant as well as annual equity refresh grants.
Sample Interview Questions
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