Staff Data Scientist

Company At a Glance

OpenX is focused on unleashing the full economic potential of digital media companies. We do this by making digital advertising markets and technologies that are designed to deliver optimal value to publishers and advertisers on every ad served across all screens.

At OpenX, we have built a team that is uniquely experienced in designing and operating high-scale ad marketplaces, and we are constantly on the lookout for thoughtful, creative executors who are as fascinated as we are about finding new ways to apply a blend of market design, technical innovation, operational excellence, and empathetic partner service to the frontiers of digital advertising.

OpenX is seeking a Staff Data Scientist to join our Data Science team. Our exchange processes hundreds of billions of ad requests daily and generates petabytes of data, requiring advanced machine learning, deep learning, and modern AI techniques delivered through scalable platforms to create value for customers.

A Staff Data Scientist is a senior technical leader whose impact spans multiple teams and business domains. In this role, you will solve complex marketplace problems, set technical direction for your domain, architect major ML systems, mentor other scientists, and partner with engineering and product leaders on data-driven strategy.

Problems at this level include auction and marketplace optimization, bidding and yield strategy, relevance and prediction systems at exchange scale, causal measurement of marketplace changes, and capabilities for training, validating, and monitoring ML systems in production.

The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in applied machine learning, strong judgment in selecting methods for business problems at scale, and a track record of translating business needs into high-impact data science solutions.

Key Responsibilities

• Technical Leadership & Architecture

• Architect robust, scalable, and maintainable ML systems for broad use across the exchange, spanning training pipelines, real-time inference, validation, and monitoring

• Serve as a go-to expert in deep learning and related advanced data science domains, with the breadth to guide method selection across adjacent areas

• Lead the evaluation and adoption of new AI/ML modeling techniques, frameworks, and research advancements relevant to OpenX’s marketplace problems

• Define and evolve technical standards and best practices within their domain, influencing broader adoption across the organization

• Execution & Strategy:

• Identify and lead high-impact, cross-team data science initiatives, such as improving bidding strategies, building new prediction systems, or redesigning experimentation frameworks

• In partnership with engineering and product leadership, drive the data science roadmap for a product area or platform capability

• Partner with product managers and commercial stakeholders to translate marketplace problems into data science solutions with measurable business outcomes

• Solve novel, ambiguous problems requiring innovation in methodology, algorithms, or feature engineering

• Mentorship & Influence:

• Mentor and develop senior data scientists, helping them grow toward broader technical leadership

• Raise the skills, impact, and scientific rigor of teams around them through guidance, architectural patterns, and strategic direction

• Communicate technical strategy and build consensus for complex decisions across senior leadership and cross-functional teams

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Data Science, Machine Learning, Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, Operations Research, or related technical field with 6+ years of relevant industry experience; OR M.S./B.S. with 8+ years of relevant experience and a demonstrated track record of leading cross-team technical strategy and delivering organization-level impact
• Deep expertise in deep learning and broad fluency across the modern ML toolkit, with strong familiarity with optimization methods; additional experience in areas such as causal inference or experimentation design is a plus
• Proven ability to architect and deliver complex, production-grade ML systems that operate at scale
• Strong track record of nurturing DS/ML projects to maturity with significant business impact, including supporting and improving those systems beyond initial deployment
• Mastery of probability and statistics, especially techniques that scale to massive datasets
• Strong Python and SQL skills; experience with ML frameworks such as TensorFlow or PyTorch
• Strong communication and presentation skills, including proficiency in conveying complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences
• Track record of cross-team technical leadership and mentorship of senior data scientists and technical partners

Desired Characteristics

• Experience developing, evaluating, or optimizing bidding algorithms for RTB environments.
• Experience working with a cloud platform like GCP/AWS/Azure, with emphasis on GCP and the Vertex AI platform
• Experience with ML pipeline and orchestration tools such as TFX, Kubeflow, or Airflow
• Familiarity with other programming languages such as Java and Go
• Experience working in digital media, marketing technology, or advertising technology — especially in marketplace, auction, or exchange systems
• Track record of setting technical standards or best practices adopted beyond a single team
• Experience representing data science capabilities or strategy in cross-functional forums

$195,500 - $218,500 a year

OpenX VALUES

Our five company values form a solid bedrock serving to define us as a group and guide the company. Our values remind us that how we do things often matters as much as what we do.

WE ARE ONE

We are one team. There are no exceptions. We are a group of strong and diverse individuals unified by a shared mission. We embrace challenges and win together as a team. We respect and care about our colleagues and cultivate an inclusive culture

WE ARE CUSTOMER CENTRIC

We innovate on behalf of our customers. We understand, respect, and listen carefully to our customers. We build great products to solve our customers’ problems. We manage our customers’ expectations clearly and honestly. We are a trusted partner to all of our customers - we act with integrity at all times. We care.

OPENX IS OURS

We are all owners of OpenX

We all have a voice to improve OpenX

We stake our personal and professional reputations on the excellence of our work

We are not interested in just "doing our jobs"; we take ownership to drive results

WE ARE AN OPEN BOOK

We understand and respect what each of us does. We are eager to teach and share what we know with others, both internally and externally. We are eager to learn from others and we ask questions internally and externally.

WE EVOLVE FAST

We take responsible risks and own and learn from our mistakes. We recognize and repeat success. We actively seek out and provide constructive feedback. We adapt quickly and embrace change. We tackle growth and learning with real urgency. We are endlessly curious.

OpenX TRAITS

Our three traits capture what makes a great team member at OpenX.

HUMBLE

Ideal team players are humble and demonstrate integrity. They put the team's success above their own, share credit generously, and value collective achievements. They are self-assured, open to coaching, and committed to continuous learning.

DRIVEN

Ideal team players are results-driven and motivated. They are curious, always seeking more to do, learn, and take on. As proactive problem-solvers, they take initiative without needing external motivation. They continuously think about the next steps and opportunities for improvement.

SMART

Ideal team players are smart and possess the intellectual acumen to understand the complexities of our organization and industry. They are interpersonally intelligent, good communicators, and exemplify sound judgment in their interactions across the company to foster a collaborative environment.

OpenX is committed to equal employment opportunities.

It is a fundamental principle at OpenX not to discriminate against employees or applicants for employment on any legally-recognized basis including, but not limited to: age, race, creed, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, sex, disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, genetic information, military or veteran status, marital status, gender identity/transgender status, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical condition, and other protected characteristic as established by law.

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Effective Date of the Privacy Policy: November 21, 2024