About this role
Data scientists who thrive in ambiguity and enjoy shaping zero-to-one product directions will find a strong fit leading the Meals initiative at Instacart. This high-visibility strategic priority focuses on scaling data systems following the initial minimum viable product launch, requiring deep engagement with metric tracking and iterative experimentation. Team members collaborate closely with product management, engineering, and design to steer engagement, user activations, and reactivations across the platform.
Ownership of the post-MVP data science infrastructure falls directly to this individual, guiding product decisions through rigorous hypothesis definition and statistical analysis. Success in the position demands a solid foundation in consumer-facing product analytics and the ability to translate complex technical findings into actionable business strategies for senior leadership.
What you will do
- Lead data science operations for the Meals initiative, taking ownership of the post-MVP scale-up of data systems and infrastructure.
- Design, build, and maintain metric tracking frameworks to measure the impact of the Meals product on engagement, activation, and reactivation.
- Drive the experimentation strategy from hypothesis definition through analysis and recommendation to guide product decisions.
- Partner closely with product managers, engineers, and designers to align on strategy and communicate data-driven insights.
- Contribute to a zero-to-one initiative at a critical inflection point by helping define what success looks like at scale.
What you need
- Demonstrate proven experience in consumer-facing product data science while partnering closely with product managers, engineering leads, and data engineers.
- Apply a strong data science foundation covering product and data analysis, A/B experimentation, causal inference, and statistical modeling.
- Define key performance indicators and optimize funnels to achieve product-market fit.
- Communicate effectively by synthesizing complex technical findings for senior business and engineering stakeholders.
- Bring at least four years of work experience in a data science or related field.
- Hold a bachelor's degree in a quantitative field such as statistics, computer science, mathematics, economics, or engineering, or possess equivalent practical experience.
Nice to have
- Experience bridging offline evaluation metrics like NDCG, precision, recall, and human evaluation with online experiments and business outcomes.
- Background in causal inference beyond standard A/B tests, including holdouts, difference-in-differences, and quasi-experiments to measure long-term or cross-surface effects.
- Proven impact improving logging, instrumentation, and metric definitions in complex data environments.
- Experience launching new features in new markets or launching zero-to-one initiatives.
Benefits
- Market-competitive compensation with location-based base pay ranges
- New hire equity grant as well as annual refresh grants
- Flex First remote work policy allowing employees to choose where they work
Questions candidates ask
What is the remote work policy for this position?
Instacart operates as a Flex First team where employees have the flexibility to choose where they do their best work, whether from home, an office, or a coffee shop, while staying connected through regular in-person events.
What is the salary range for the role?
The base pay range varies by location, starting at $194,000 to $204,500 USD in CA, NY, CT, and NJ, $185,000 to $195,500 USD in WA, $177,000 to $187,000 USD in select other states, and $161,000 to $170,000 USD in all other states.
What level of experience is required?
Candidates need four or more years of work experience in a data science or related field, alongside proven experience in consumer-facing product data science.