Principal Data Scientist, Marketing Measurement

About Upstart

At Upstart, we’re united by a mission that matters: to radically reduce the cost and complexity of borrowing for all Americans. Every day, we bring creativity, experimentation, and advanced AI to reshape access to credit, helping millions move forward financially with clarity and confidence.

As the leading AI lending marketplace, we partner with banks and credit unions to expand access to affordable credit through technology that’s both radically intelligent and deeply human. Our platform runs over one million predictions per borrower using more than 3,000 signals, powering smarter, fairer decisions for millions of customers. But the numbers only hint at the impact. Every idea, every voice, and every contribution moves us closer to a world where credit never stands between people and their financial progress.

We’re proudly digital-first, giving most Upstarters the flexibility to do their best work from wherever they thrive, alongside teammates across 80+ cities in the US and Canada. Digital-first doesn’t mean distant. We’re intentional about in-person connection through team onsites, planning sessions, and moments that spark creativity and trust. And whether you choose to work primarily from home or collaborate in-person from one of our offices in Columbus, Austin, the Bay Area, or New York City, you’ll have the support to work in the way that works best for you.

If you’re energized by tackling meaningful problems, excited to innovate with purpose, and motivated by work that truly matters, we’d love to hear from you.

The Team: 

Marketing Science sits within Upstart's Growth, Product, and Ops Analytics team and partners with growth marketing on every channel that brings borrowers to Upstart: direct mail, paid search and social, video, mobile, email, brand campaigns, and lending partnerships. Our job is to tell the business which of those dollars are working, and then help decide where the next one goes.

As our Marketing Measurement lead, you'll own how Upstart answers some key questions about its marketing spend. What did each channel actually cause? How should credit be shared across the touches a borrower saw before applying? Where should next quarter's budget go? The answers decide whether a dollar of spend buys a funded loan or takes credit for one that would have arrived anyway.

We're looking for a data scientist with deep experience in causal inference and marketing measurement to be the measurement partner for our marketing, finance, and product leaders, and the person they trust to say when the evidence is strong enough to move the budget.

How you’ll make an impact

• Guide incrementality measurement across our marketing channels, working with the analysts who run tests in each channel on design and interpretation, so the team knows what each channel causes rather than what it gets credit for
• Apply causal inference methods when a clean test isn't feasible, so budget decisions still rest on causal evidence
• Build and maintain the attribution approach that splits credit across direct mail, digital, partnerships, and email, including channels where a borrower never clicks anything
• Turn measurement results into spend allocation recommendations that marketing and finance use to plan budgets
• Use marketing mix models alongside experiments and attribution, and work out which to trust when they disagree
• Automate recurring measurement reporting, so your time goes to interpretation and recommendations
• Mentor analysts across the team and review their measurement work

Minimum Qualifications 

• 8+ years of experience in data science or a related quantitative role, much of it spent measuring marketing or growth spend
• Hands-on experience designing and analyzing incrementality tests, and a solid grasp of causal inference beyond standard A/B testing
• Working knowledge of marketing mix modeling and multi-touch attribution, including where each one breaks down
• Strong Python and SQL skills
• A track record of measurement work that changed how a marketing budget was spent
• Clear communication with technical and non-technical audiences, and the judgment to push back when the evidence doesn't support the plan
• Good judgment about when a result is solid enough to act on and when it needs another test
• Ability to work independently, scope your own projects, and drive them end to end in ambiguous situations

Preferred Qualifications

• An exceptional candidate will also have:

  • A PhD or master's degree in statistics, economics, computer science, or another quantitative field
  • Familiarity with AI tools that speed up analysis and reporting

Position location This role is available in the following locations: Remote

Travel requirements As a digital first company, the majority of your work can be accomplished remotely. The majority of our employees can live and work anywhere in the U.S but are encouraged to to still spend high quality time in-person collaborating via regular onsites. The in-person sessions’ cadence varies depending on the team and role; most teams meet once or twice per quarter for 2-4 consecutive days at a time.

#LI-REMOTE

#LI-MidSenior

At Upstart, your base pay is one part of your total compensation package.  The anticipated base salary for this position is expected to be within the below range. Your actual base pay will depend on your geographic location–with our “digital first” philosophy, Upstart uses compensation regions that vary depending on location. Individual pay is also determined by job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

In addition, Upstart provides employees with target bonuses, equity compensation, and generous benefits packages (including medical, dental, vision, and 401k).

At Upstart, your base pay is one part of your total compensation package.  The anticipated base salary for this position is expected to be within the below range. Your actual base pay will depend on your geographic location–with our “digital first” philosophy, Upstart uses compensation regions that vary depending on location. Individual pay is also determined by job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

In addition, Upstart provides employees with target bonuses, equity compensation, and generous benefits packages (including medical, dental, vision, and 401k).

What you'll love

At Upstart, our benefits for full-time employees are designed to support your health, financial well-being, family, and personal growth. Here’s what you can expect:

• Competitive compensation, including base pay, bonus opportunities, and annual equity grants that vest quarterly 
• Retirement benefits to help you plan for the future, including a 401(k) or Group Retirement Savings Plan with a company match of $2 for every $1 contributed, up to $15,000 annually (USD in the US, CAD in Canada)
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) with discounted stock purchase options for eligible employees (US only)
• Comprehensive health coverage designed to support you and your family, including medical, dental, vision, and wellness resources for US and supplemental health coverage for Canada.
• Health Savings Account contributions from Upstart for eligible plans (US only)
• Income protection benefits, including life insurance and disability coverage for added financial security
• Paid time off, sick leave, and company holidays, in line with local requirements
• Paid family and parental leave to support caregiving and major life moments (duration varies by country)
• Family-centered benefits to support fertility, parenthood, and caregiving needs
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offering mental health support and life-centered resources
• Financial wellness resources, including access to financial planning tools and a financial concierge service (US Only)
• Annual wellness allowance to support your physical and emotional well-being and personal development, based on what matters most to you
• Annual productivity allowance to invest in relevant tools and resources you need to do your best work, no matter where you work from
• Connection and community through team events, all-company updates, and employee resource groups (ERGs)
• Onsite perks, including catered lunches and fully stocked micro-kitchens when working from one of our offices in the Bay Area, Austin, Columbus, and New York City

For roles based in Canada, please note that we are not currently able to hire in Quebec.

Upstart is a proud Equal Opportunity Employer. Just as we are dedicated to improving access to affordable credit for all, we are committed to inclusive and fair hiring practices.

If you require reasonable accommodation in completing an application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please email candidate_accommodations@upstart.com

https://www.upstart.com/candidate_privacy_policy