Principal Data Scientist

About the role

## About the Role

Zillow Group is seeking a **Principal Data Scientist** to serve as the data science lead for the **Rentals Shopping** pillar, helping improve how millions of renters discover and secure their next home through Zillow's marketplace. This role sits at the center of the rental consumer journey and focuses on rigorous analysis, experimentation, and proactive discovery of business opportunities across the rental shopping funnel, from search through contact and conversion.

As the primary data science partner to product leadership, you will help shape the long-term data strategy and product roadmap for Rentals Shopping. You will lead large-scale analytical and modeling initiatives, elevate statistical and experimentation practices, apply modern AI to data science and user-facing solutions, and provide technical leadership and mentorship to other data scientists.

## Key Responsibilities

• Drive the long-term data strategy for the Rentals Shopping pillar.
• Analyze consumer behavior and market dynamics to identify high-impact growth opportunities.
• Use data science to inform and shape the Rentals Shopping product roadmap.
• Elevate statistical rigor, modeling, and experimentation practices across Rentals.
• Partner with product, engineering, and design leaders to translate complex analysis into actionable product and business strategies.
• Lead analytical and modeling work across areas such as rental search relevance, ranking, personalization, and marketplace efficiency.
• Design and guide robust A/B tests and other experimentation frameworks to measure the impact of new features and optimizations.
• Apply modern AI, including **LLMs and agentic workflows**, to increase data science velocity, improve model quality, and scale intelligent user-facing solutions across the Rentals marketplace.
• Coach and mentor data scientists.
• Provide technical leadership and help resolve complex analytical and modeling challenges.
• Influence senior cross-functional leaders through clear, actionable, executive-ready insights and recommendations.
• Lead execution across partners with significant autonomy and ownership.

## Required Qualifications

• **Ph.D. or Master's degree in a quantitative field**, such as Statistics, Economics, or Computer Science, or equivalent practical experience.
• Substantial experience, typically **8+ years**, in quantitative analysis, advanced modeling, and experimentation at scale in consumer-facing technology environments.
• Expert-level **SQL** skills.
• Expert-level **Python** skills.
• Experience applying statistical modeling, such as **causal inference and time series**, in big data environments.
• Experience working with big data environments such as **Databricks or Snowflake**.
• Proven track record of shaping long-term product roadmaps through data-driven insights.
• Proven ability to drive meaningful business outcomes through data science.
• Ability to influence senior cross-functional leaders.
• Ability to translate complex analysis into clear, executive-ready recommendations and action plans.
• Strong product intuition and ability to make data-informed decisions in fast-changing environments.
• Ability to lead with significant autonomy, set direction, and drive execution across partners.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity in a growing marketplace.

## Preferred Qualifications

• The original job description does not identify additional qualifications as explicitly preferred. Related or transferable experience from non-traditional backgrounds is welcomed.

## Skills & Competencies

• Advanced quantitative analysis
• Statistical modeling
• Causal inference
• Time-series analysis
• Experimentation and A/B testing
• Advanced SQL
• Python
• Big data analytics
• Databricks and Snowflake
• Product analytics
• Consumer behavior analysis
• Marketplace analytics
• Search relevance and ranking
• Personalization
• Marketplace efficiency
• Data-driven product strategy
• AI, LLMs, and agentic workflows
• Executive communication
• Cross-functional influence
• Product intuition
• Strategic thinking
• Mentoring and technical leadership
• Problem-solving in ambiguous environments
• Ownership and initiative

## Education & Experience

**Education:**

• Ph.D. or Master's degree in a quantitative field such as Statistics, Economics, or Computer Science, **or equivalent practical experience**.

**Experience:**

• Substantial experience, typically **8+ years**, in quantitative analysis, advanced modeling, and experimentation at scale in consumer-facing technology environments.
• Experience with statistical modeling in big data environments is required.
• Experience using SQL and Python at an expert level is required.
• Experience with Databricks or Snowflake is required.
• Experience shaping product roadmaps and driving business outcomes through data-driven insights is required.

## Work Arrangement & Schedule

• **Work arrangement:** Remote
• **Employment type:** Full-time
• **Location:** Remote-US
• **U.S. geographic eligibility:** Employees may live in any of the 50 United States, with limited exceptions.
• **Expected weekly hours:** Not specified.
• **Schedule flexibility:** Not specified.
• **Weekend requirements:** Not specified.

## Compensation & Benefits

• **Base salary — California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Washington state, and Washington, DC:** $178,300–$284,700 USD annually.
• **Base salary — Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia:** $169,300–$270,500 USD annually.
• Base pay ranges are location-specific and may not apply to other locations.
• **Equity:** Eligible for equity awards based on factors including experience, performance, and location.
• Actual compensation may vary based on experience, performance, and location.
• Employees will not be paid below the salary threshold for exempt employees in the state where they reside.

## Compliance / Additional Information

• Zillow Group is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive and innovative workplace and considers qualified applicants without regard to legally protected characteristics.
• Candidates with non-traditional backgrounds are encouraged to apply if they have transferable skills or related experience.
• Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered in accordance with applicable state and local law.
• Applicants requiring a disability or special-needs accommodation should contact their recruiter.
• Additional Los Angeles County Fair Chance requirements apply where applicable, including consideration of qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance.