Data Scientist

About The Company Philo is an innovative startup dedicated to transforming the television viewing experience. With a focus on delivering a seamless and personalized entertainment platform, Philo offers a service that allows users to watch their favorite shows across multiple devices with intelligent search, discovery features, and effortless sharing. The company values a people-first culture, emphasizing collaboration, transparency, and diversity. Headquartered in San Francisco with additional offices in New York and Cambridge, MA, Philo is backed by prominent investors including NEA, HBO, Discovery, AMC, A&E, and Viacom. The leadership team includes industry veterans from Facebook, Meraki, and HBO, committed to building a dynamic and inclusive environment where innovation thrives.

About The Role We are seeking a highly experienced Lead Data Scientist specializing in Growth and Performance Marketing to join our team. In this pivotal role, you will spearhead the development of advanced marketing measurement systems, establish rigorous methodologies for growth analytics, and mentor our data science team to deliver impactful solutions. Your expertise will directly influence customer acquisition strategies, lifetime value optimization, and marketing spend efficiency. You will collaborate closely with marketing, finance, and product teams to connect marketing investments with tangible business outcomes. This role demands a strategic thinker with a passion for driving data-driven growth, a deep understanding of attribution models, and the ability to implement scalable measurement frameworks that support Philo’s expansion and success.

Qualifications

• 10 years of professional experience in data science or analytics, with proven proficiency in Python, SQL, or R and statistical modeling techniques.
• 3 years of leadership experience managing marketing analytics or growth data science teams.
• Deep expertise in marketing attribution methodologies including Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM), Multi-touch Attribution (MTA), and incrementality testing.
• Strong knowledge of Bayesian methods for hierarchical modeling and ridge regression.
• Experience in building and deploying large-scale marketing measurement systems.
• Proficiency in customer lifetime value (CLV) modeling and cohort-based forecasting.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate complex insights into actionable strategies for marketing teams.
• Strong business acumen, with the ability to connect marketing metrics to financial and business outcomes.
• Experience with tools such as Robyn and custom attribution solutions.
• Familiarity with privacy-preserving measurement techniques (e.g., differential privacy, data clean rooms) is a plus.
• Knowledge of modern martech stacks and CDP platforms is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the roadmap for marketing and growth science initiatives at Philo, setting best practices and standards.
• Lead the development of comprehensive marketing measurement frameworks combining MMM, MTA, and incrementality testing to provide a unified view of marketing effectiveness.
• Partner with marketing leadership and executive stakeholders to optimize marketing spend allocation and improve Return on Ad Spend (RoAS).
• Establish and promote methodological standards for marketing measurement, including causal inference techniques.
• Build and refine models for Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) and Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) optimization.
• Mentor and coach data scientists on advanced attribution techniques, analytics best practices, and emerging trends.
• Develop and maintain scalable marketing attribution models utilizing tools like Robyn and custom solutions.
• Lead geo-experimentation and matched market testing initiatives to validate measurement approaches.
• Create self-service dashboards and tools for real-time marketing performance monitoring.
• Collaborate with finance teams on budgeting, forecasting, and financial modeling related to marketing efforts.
• Advocate for data-driven decision-making processes across growth strategies and channel optimizations.
• Represent the data science team in strategic discussions related to marketing and growth initiatives.

Benefits

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans for employees and their families.
• 401(k) retirement plan with employer matching contributions.
• Up to 20 weeks of fully paid parental leave.
• Unlimited paid time off for vacation and sick leave.
• Annual vacation bonus of $2,000 to encourage taking time off.
• Annual professional development and educational assistance of $5,250.
• Home office and TV stipends totaling $1,250 annually during the first year.
• Bonus of $500 per month (up to $6,000/year) for employees working at least three days per week in-office, along with transit and parking benefits.
• Free Gympass subscription providing access to a wide range of gyms, classes, and wellness programs.
• Supportive and flexible work environment that values work-life balance and autonomy.

Equal Opportunity

Philo is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive environment for all employees. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected status under applicable laws. We believe that diversity enhances our innovation and success, and we actively seek to create a workplace where everyone can thrive and contribute their best work.