Sr. Data Scientist

At Acorns, our mission is to look after the financial best interests of the up-and-coming, beginning with the empowering, proud step of micro-investing. How do we accomplish our mission? Our values.

Lead With Heart - With compassion, integrity, and tenacity, inspire yourself and others to move past all previous thresholds of possibility

Make Bold Decisions - We are creating a new world. Be optimistic, adventurous, and courageous. Leap fearlessly into the future

Always Build Trust - Say what you mean, mean what you say, and do what you say you’re going to do. We are all owners. We are one team

Never Stop Growing - Change IS the constant. Stay hungry and curious. Be relentless in the pursuit of progress

Find a way - Never settle, no excuses, nothing is impossible. Just make it happen

Our values guide us, and our mission drives us. Come join us and help deliver financial wellness for the whole family, putting the tools of wealth-making into everyone’s hands.

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Senior Data Scientist ( Media Mix Modeling Focused ) | Acorns

Acorns is looking for a strategic and detail-oriented Senior Data Scientist with deep expertise in marketing science to help shape the way we acquire and retain customers. At Acorns, we believe solving problems with data is both an art and a science. Our Data Scientists are not only technical experts - they are also skilled collaborators and communicators. You’ll join a high-impact team focused on solving meaningful problems that directly influence both our customers’ experiences and our business outcomes.

In this role, you’ll lead the development and maintenance of Marketing Mix Models (MMM), design and analyze incrementality tests, and optimize cross-channel advertising spend to maximize ROI and drive sustainable growth. Your work will play a critical role in ensuring that every marketing dollar is invested efficiently to attract and retain our most loyal customers.

You bring a strong command of the algorithms and data techniques required to model and optimize marketing investments across various channels. Your insights will guide strategic decisions and help the business achieve its growth and return-on-investment goals.

Acorns is a remote-first organization, offering the flexibility to work remotely while providing optional access to office space in Irvine, CA.

What you will do at Acorns:

• Develop a deep understanding of Acorns’ products, data infrastructure, and how data supports our product and marketing strategies.
• Ramp up on existing data science tools, processes, and methodologies, including Media Mix Modeling, geoholdout experiments, and incrementality testing.
• Own and enhance our existing MMM solutions, ultimately leading the end-to-end lifecycle from model development through implementation.
• Lead the design and execution of data science projects, including the creation of technical design documents and model packages ready for deployment.
• Conduct rigorous data investigations to uncover insights, identify causal relationships, and inform future experimentation.
• Evaluate and recommend appropriate modeling techniques to solve business problems effectively and efficiently.
• Perform code reviews and support best practices across data science projects, driving continuous improvement and code quality.
• Mentor junior team members by providing guidance, feedback, and opportunities for learning through project collaboration.
• Stay current with advancements in data science by bringing new research, tools, and ideas to the team, and actively contribute to technical discussions.

What you will bring to Acorns:

• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, Physics, Operations Research, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in marketing science, econometrics, or related analytical roles.
• Hands-on experience developing and implementing Marketing Mix Models and designing incrementality and causal inference tests.
• Strong foundation in causal inference, econometrics, and experimental design.
• Proficiency with Bayesian modeling, time series analysis, and machine learning techniques.
• Familiarity with marketing analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Facebook Analytics) and advertising ecosystems, including programmatic buying.
• Proficiency in at least one programming language such as Python, R, Java, Scala, Spark, or C.
• Experience working in Databricks or Jupyter Notebooks, and version control systems like GitHub.
• Skilled at manipulating large datasets and generating meaningful features that capture key data interactions.
• Ability to rigorously test data science solutions (validation, backtesting, unit tests) and monitor performance post-deployment.
• Capable of completing end-to-end model development, including data validation, sampling, feature generation and selection, defining model performance metrics, and evaluating results.
• Adept at comparing modeling approaches and articulating trade-offs in complexity, accuracy, and scalability.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to distill actionable insights from data.
• Effective communicator with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to cross-functional stakeholders in Engineering, Product, and Marketing.
• Deep empathy for our customers’ financial lives and a passion for building personalized products and services that meet their needs.
• Hunger to deliver game-changing products
• Exceptional drive and precision in delivery
• A belief that your work is tied to your life's mission
• Optimistic about the potential of societal change
• Bonus: Experience applying Media Mix Modeling within the financial services industry.

You are not expected to have experience with all listed requirements. If you feel passionate about Acorns' mission, vision, and values, please apply.

What we offer:

• Competitive salary and stock options
• A comprehensive benefits package for you and your family
• Flexible work location, hours, and paid time off
• 401(k) matching
• Monthly Acorns account contribution & GoHenry account for your family
• Mindfulness and Financial Wellness resources, Headspace and Addition Wealth
• Acorns Career Development Program (Ongoing training sessions, development plans, development check-ins, Cornerstone’s online training platform)
• Roots Leadership Program for Emerging Leaders
• Community week onsite gatherings and various virtual events
• Talented and motivated team members who care deeply about one another, our mission, and our customers.
• The rare opportunity to create a new world. We inspire one another every day to do meaningful work that solves big societal challenges.

About Acorns:

Acorns is a financial wellness app that helps everyday people and families save and invest money for the long term. Since 2014, Acorns has grown into a global company with multiple life-stage products serving the needs of kids, teens, adults, and parents. Named one of Time’s “World’s Best Brands of 2024,” Acorns has helped over 14 million people save & invest over $25 billion dollars, much of it from spare change and small amounts.

Compensation Information:

The pay range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be between $180,500 and $195,000/year; however, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including equity grants, and discretionary cash bonus awards in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits (including 401(k) eligibility and various paid time off benefits, such as vacation, sick time, and parental leave), dependent on the position offered. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.

If hired, employee will be in an “at-will position” and the Company reserves the right to modify base salary (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, Company or individual department/team performance, and market factors.

Work Authorization:

Acorns participates in E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. For more information about E-Verify, please visit www.e-verify.gov