Senior Staff Data Scientist

Quizlet • Full-time • Hybrid in San Francisco, California, United States • $230,000 - $314,000 / year • 21h ago

Fast Facts

Join Quizlet as a Senior Staff Data Scientist to lead the technical direction of our data science team, driving strategic analytics and empowering product initiatives that enhance our AI-powered learning tools.

Responsibilities: Define and execute a strategic analytical roadmap, define core business metrics, identify growth levers through deep analyses, foster a culture of data-driven decision making, and provide mentorship to the data science team.

Skills: Proficiency in data science and statistical analysis techniques, data processing frameworks (e.g., Spark, Flink), SQL, and Python for data analysis; strong analytical and strategic mindset.

Qualifications: B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in a quantitative field with 8+ years of relevant industry experience, along with a history of mentoring senior talent in data science.

Location: Onsite position in San Francisco, CA, requiring three days in the office per week.

Compensation: $230000 - $314000 / Annually

About Quizlet:

At Quizlet, our mission is to help every learner achieve their outcomes in the most effective and delightful way. Our $1B+ learning platform serves tens of millions of students every month, including two-thirds of U.S. high schoolers and half of U.S. college students, powering over 2 billion learning interactions monthly.

We blend cognitive science with machine learning to personalize and enhance the learning experience for students, professionals, and lifelong learners alike. We’re energized by the potential to power more learners through multiple approaches and various tools.

Let’s Build the Future of Learning

Join us to design and deliver AI-powered learning tools that scale across the world and unlock human potential.

About the Team:

The Data Science team's core objective is to distill actionable intelligence from our vast datasets, directly influencing Quizlet's trajectory. We are in the process of a strategic realignment, sharpening our focus on data quality and the development of sophisticated AI-powered analytical tools. As the team’s technical lead, you will be pivotal in this evolution, partnering with executive leadership to define and evangelize a focused set of key business and product metrics.

About the Role:

Quizlet is seeking a visionary Senior Staff Data Scientist to spearhead our mission of translating raw data into a strategic roadmap that guides our product and company. As the technical cornerstone of the Data Science team, you will be instrumental in cultivating a culture of analytical rigor and empowering the organization with democratized insights.

As a Sr. Staff Data Scientist, you will serve as the technical authority for the team. Your primary responsibility will be to conduct in-depth analyses to unearth the most critical levers that drive our core metrics. Your insights will be the bedrock of our product initiatives, and you will be accountable for forecasting and measuring the impact of these initiatives on business outcomes. Your work will directly empower our product teams to transform Quizlet into a personalized, AI-driven learning coach that boosts user engagement, retention, and monetization. You will provide mentorship to a high-performing team of data scientists, fostering a culture of innovation and high-impact execution.

We’re happy to share that this is an onsite position in our San Francisco office. To help foster team collaboration, we require that employees be in the office a minimum of three days per week: Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday and as needed by your manager or the company. We believe that this working environment facilitates increased work efficiency, team partnership, and supports growth as an employee and organization.

In this role, you will:

Architect and Execute a Strategic Analytical Roadmap: You'll define and drive the technical roadmap for data science at Quizlet, directly enabling key business metrics such as Engaged Learners and Revenue Growth
Define and Evangelize Core Metrics: Collaborate with executive leadership and cross-functional teams, including Product, Consumer Engineering, Marketing, and Finance, to establish, instrument, and champion a concise set of core business and product metrics
Identify and Quantify Growth Levers: Conduct comprehensive, deep-dive analyses to identify and quantify the controllable input metrics that have the most significant influence on our core business outcomes
Champion Technical Excellence and Mentorship: Set the technical direction for the data science team, providing guidance and mentorship to foster a culture of analytical rigor, innovation, and impactful execution
Drive Impact Accountability: Be accountable for the accuracy of forecasts and the precise measurement of the impact of identified levers on business outcomes
Cross-Functional Partnership and Influence: Work in close partnership with leaders in Product, Applied AI, and Data Engineering to realize a shared vision of an AI-powered learning experience. Influence the broader engineering organization by establishing best practices for data analysis, experimentation, and insight generation

What you bring to the table:

A B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in a quantitative field such as Statistics, Economics, Computer Science, or a related discipline
8+ years of industry experience in data science or a related analytical role, with a proven track record of leveraging data to drive critical business decisions
Demonstrated experience in setting the technical direction for a data science team and achieving consensus on complex and ambiguous analytical challenges
Deep technical expertise in modern data science and statistical analysis techniques, including proficiency with data processing frameworks (e.g., Spark, Flink), and advanced knowledge of SQL and Python for data analysis
A history of successfully mentoring and developing senior talent in the field of data science
A robust product-oriented and strategic mindset, with the ability to translate high-level business needs into a clear and actionable analytical framework

Bonus points if you have:

Experience in leveraging data to support Generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), or agentic systems
A background in the EdTech or consumer mobile industry
A track record of significant contributions to open-source projects in the data science, analytics, or MLOps communities

Compensation, Benefits & Perks:

Quizlet is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Salary transparency helps to mitigate unfair hiring practices when it comes to discrimination and pay gaps. Total compensation for this role is market competitive, including a starting base salary of $230,000 - $314,000, depending on location and experience, as well as company stock options
Collaborate with your manager and team to create a healthy work-life balance
20 vacation days that we expect you to take!
Competitive health, dental, and vision insurance (100% employee and 75% dependent PPO, Dental, VSP Choice)
Employer-sponsored 401k plan with company match
Access to LinkedIn Learning and other resources to support professional growth
Paid Family Leave, FSA, HSA, Commuter benefits, and Wellness benefits
40 hours of annual paid time off to participate in volunteer programs of choice

Why Join Quizlet?

🌎 Massive reach: 60M+ users, 1B+ interactions per week

🧠 Cutting-edge tech: Generative AI, adaptive learning, cognitive science

📈 Strong momentum: Top-tier investors, sustainable business, real traction

🎯 Mission-first: Work that makes a difference in people’s lives

🤝 Inclusive culture: Committed to equity, diversity, and belonging

We strive to make everyone feel comfortable and welcome!

We work to create a holistic interview process, where both Quizlet and candidates have an opportunity to view what it would be like to work together, in exploring a mutually beneficial partnership.

We provide a transparent setting that gives a comprehensive view of who we are!

In Closing:

At Quizlet, we’re excited about passionate people joining our team—even if you don’t check every box on the requirements list. We value unique perspectives and believe everyone has something meaningful to contribute. Our culture is all about taking initiative, learning through challenges, and striving for high-quality work while staying curious and open to new ideas. We believe in honest, respectful communication, thoughtful collaboration, and creating a supportive space where everyone can grow and succeed together.”

Quizlet’s success as an online learning community depends on a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

As an equal opportunity employer and a tech company committed to societal change, we welcome applicants from all backgrounds. Women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply. Come join us!

To All Recruiters and Placement Agencies:

At this time, Quizlet does not accept unsolicited agency resumes and/or profiles.

Please do not forward unsolicited agency resumes to our website or to any Quizlet employee. Quizlet will not pay fees to any third-party agency or firm nor will it be responsible for any agency fees associated with unsolicited resumes. All unsolicited resumes received will be considered the property of Quizlet.

#LI-FT