Senior Staff Data Scientist, Guest Funnel

Details

Guest Experience at Airbnb is responsible for Search and Discovery, Merchandising, and the end-to-end online experience from top-of-funnel discovery through post-booking engagement. This role sits on the Guest Data Science team and will lead technical and scientific efforts to use AI and causal inference to understand guest behavior, detect underlying intent, and build data products that provide personalized discovery and improved guest conversion across Homes, Experiences, and Services.

Responsibilities

• Develop deep understanding of how guests navigate and re-engage with the app via analysis, research, and granular user action and sequence datasets.
• Partner with product and engineering to drive technical frameworks and scientific leadership exploring paradigms for detecting revealed preferences and quantifying online frictions.
• Build prototypes and write code to detect and quantify taxonomies of guest preferences via iterative development of data frameworks, models, and artifacts derived from AI toolkits.
• Evaluate assumptions and efficacy of derived guest preferences via measurement and validation linked to online guest action and engagement; set up experiments and data feedback loops to ensure continuous impact.
• Present findings and recommendations to leadership and cross-functional audiences to inform product and UX strategy.

Requirements

• Causal inference expertise with marketplace experience.
• Preferred domain experience in search, UX discovery, and personalized evidence systems.
• Advanced degree in Computer Science, Statistics, Econometrics, or a related field.
• 9+ years of industry experience with a PhD (or 12+ years with a Masters).
• Strong communication skills with cross-functional partners in product, engineering, and design to enable data-driven product development focused on user experience.
• Expert in at least one programming language for data analysis (Python or R) with familiarity in SQL; comfortable developing proof-of-concept prototypes.
• Passion for AI and a learner’s mindset toward LLMs and dynamic systems.
• Proven ability to work both collaboratively and independently, with a track record of engagement in the technical community.

Location & Work Policy

• This position is US - Remote Eligible. It may include occasional work at an Airbnb office or attendance at offsites as agreed with your manager. You must live in a U.S. state where Airbnb, Inc. has a registered entity (some states are excluded).

Benefits

• Base pay range: $224,000 — $280,000 USD (base pay depends on factors such as training, transferable skills, work experience, business needs, and market demands).
• Role may be eligible for bonus, equity, benefits, and Employee Travel Credits.