Senior Staff Data Scientist, Guest & Host Marketplace AI

Details

Airbnb is seeking a Senior Staff Data Scientist to join the Guest Data Science team. This role will use AI and causal inference to understand user behavior, detect underlying intent, and build data products that provide compelling and personalized guest experiences across the marketplace.

Responsibilities

• Develop methodologies to identify and evaluate the preferences important to every guest throughout the online discovery funnel.
• Shape data strategy to drive guest conversion and regular engagement across Airbnb's Homes, Experiences, and Services business verticals.
• Collaborate closely with Product to identify in-product optimizations and shape UX design architecture for guest navigation.
• Analyze granular user action and sequence datasets to understand how guests navigate and re-engage with the app.
• Partner with Product and Engineering to develop technical frameworks and science leadership for detecting revealed preferences and quantifying online friction.
• Write code for prototypes that detect and quantify guest preference taxonomies using AI toolkits.
• Iteratively develop data frameworks, models, and related artifacts.
• Evaluate assumptions and the effectiveness of derived guest preferences by measuring and validating hypotheses linked to guest actions and engagement.
• Set up experiments and data feedback loops to maintain continuous impact.
• Present findings and recommendations to leadership audiences to inform strategy and cross-functional deliverables.

Requirements

• Expertise in causal inference with marketplace experience.
• Preferred 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 Master's degree.
• Strong communication skills with cross-functional partners in Product, Engineering, and Design.
• Expertise in at least one programming language for data analysis, such as Python or R, and familiarity with SQL.
• Experience developing proof-of-concept prototypes.
• Passion for AI and a learner's mindset toward large language models and dynamic systems.
• Ability to succeed in both collaborative and independent work environments.
• Demonstrated engagement with the technical community.

Location and Work Policy

This position is US remote eligible. The role may include occasional work at an Airbnb office or attendance at offsites, as agreed with the manager. The employee must live in a state where Airbnb, Inc. has a registered entity.

Compensation

The base pay range is $224,000–$280,000 USD per year. The role may also be eligible for bonus, equity, benefits, and Employee Travel Credits.