Duolingo hiring Staff Data Scientist, Economics in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States | LinkedIn (2024)

Our mission at Duolingo is to develop the best education in the world and make it universally available. But we’ve got more left to do — and that’s where you come in!

Duolingo is the world's most popular learning app. Beyond our core learning product, we also offer English proficiency testing with the Duolingo English Test, and are bringing new subjects into the Duolingo app, where people can develop their Math and Music skills.

We’re looking for an outstanding technical leader in economics and data science who specializes in statistical modeling, causal inference, and/or structural analysis to advance data-centric decision-making at Duolingo. The ideal candidate will collaborate closely with executive leadership in Engineering, Finance, Product Management, and DET to develop and deliver metrics, attribution models, and actionable business analyses. They will evangelize scientific methods and influence strategic business decisions, with an appreciation for the behaviors of Duolingo and DET users. They will be a strong advocate and mentor for the Data Science & Analytics team and help advance their learning, creativity, and growth.

We are passionate about educating our users, making fact-based decisions, and finding innovative solutions to complex problems. We offer meaningful work, limitless learning opportunities, and collaboration with world-class minds. Come brighten your life and over half a billion more!

Read about the technical problems our Data Scientist work on What You’ll Do...

• Lead the cycle of translating ideas from concept to production-grade economic models and data science solutions, ensuring long-term viability and robustness.
• Apply advanced analytical methods, structural approaches, causal inference, and/or machine learning to model user behavior, and collaborate with product and engineering teams to develop scalable business frameworks and solutions.
• Understand and lead the process of gathering, extracting, and compiling data across sources via relevant tools (e.g., SQL, R, Python). Independently format, re-structure, and/or validate data to ensure quality.
• Collaborate with data engineers and business intelligence to turn insights into data products (e.g. data pipelines, algorithms, self-service dashboards).
• Effectively communicate findings and insights to executive partners and collaborate with product development teams to integrate them into decision-making.
• Stay informed about advancements in applied economics and statistical methodologies to drive enhancements in internal tooling and methods at Duolingo.
• Provide guidance and mentorship to the Data Science & Analytics team, fostering an environment of excellence, innovation, and collaboration.

What We’re Looking For…

• PhD in Economics, Statistics, Data Science, or a related quantitative field.
• 8 + years of work experience using analytics to solve product or business problems, coding (e.g., Python, R, SQL), querying databases, and economics/statistical modeling.
• Exceptional problem-solving abilities and the capacity to translate complex data into actionable insights.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to collaborate effectively with both technical and non-technical partners.
• Able to relocate to or work in our New York or Pittsburgh office.

Exceptional Candidates...

• Strong experience in developing and implementing an analytic vision to solve business-relevant problems.
• Ability to lead multiple complex work streams and develop partnerships across organizational boundaries.
• Experience with "big data" and cloud computing technologies like Redshift, Hadoop, Hive, BigQuery.
• Effective storytelling ability with experience leading business conversations with senior leadership.
• Experience at a high-growth company that has undertaken an IPO.
• An impressive Duolingo XP or streak!

Why you’ll love working here…

• Language learning opportunities
• Catered in-house lunches and breakfast
• Company-wide Hackathon
• PTO and company holidays
• Frequent company-wide dinners, monthly celebrations, social clubs, and so much more!

We invest in and support our Duos! This role is eligible for a robust compensation package of base salary, equity, and Duolingo’s world-class benefits. The starting base salary range for this role is, $169,700 - $314,100. Actual salary may vary based on level, work experience, performance, and other factors evaluated during the hiring process.

We will do everything we can within reason to make sure that your interview takes place in an environment that fairly and accurately assesses your skills. If you need assistance or accommodation, please contact your recruiter.

Take a peek at how we care for our employees' holistic well-being with our benefits here .

Duolingo is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.

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