Staff Data Scientist (Pricing)

Role

GoFundMe is seeking a Staff Data Scientist (Pricing) as a senior individual contributor driving science, strategy, experimentation, and AI deployment for pricing and yield optimization. The role combines economics, behavioral science, experimentation, and machine learning to optimize donation conversion, donation amounts, and donor experience.

Location and Work Arrangement

• The posting lists San Diego and San Francisco, California.
• Candidates considered must be located in the San Francisco Bay Area and work in the office three times per week.

Responsibilities

• Own donation pricing and amount optimization end-to-end, including analytical strategy, modeling frameworks, and success metrics that balance conversion, donation amounts, and long-term donor trust.
• Apply economic theory, behavioral science, and machine learning to understand donor decisions, estimate elasticity, and predict responses to product design and choice architecture.
• Model sparse, indirect behavioral signals such as navigation, hesitation, context, device, and timing to detect shifts in intent beyond transactions.
• Build adaptive models using experimentation signals, feedback loops, and reinforcement concepts such as contextual bandits and sequential decision-making where appropriate.
• Partner with Product and Engineering on robust experimentation and measurement frameworks that support causal-aware, interpretable models safe to deploy at scale.
• Incorporate external datasets, including macroeconomic indicators, seasonality, and regional or temporal signals.
• Translate economic and behavioral analyses into deployable models, product recommendations, and measurable business impact.
• Communicate insights to senior leaders through clear storytelling and influence pricing and donation strategy.
• Set best practices for modeling rigor, validation, monitoring, and iteration; mentor data scientists and elevate pricing science.

Qualifications

• Either a Ph.D. in Economics, Applied Economics, or a closely related quantitative field, demonstrating applied research and practical modeling ability, or at least eight years of industry experience in data science, applied economics, pricing, marketplace optimization, or monetization at a high-tech digital company, with a track record of owning and scaling pricing or decisioning systems.
• Deep experience applying economic reasoning, causal inference, and behavioral modeling to real-world decisions.
• Ability to own ambiguous, high-impact problems and deliver measurable outcomes.
• Strong foundations in econometrics, causal inference, and behavioral modeling, with deep understanding of price elasticity, choice modeling, and decision science.
• Experience modeling noisy, sparse, or non-transactional behavioral data and designing and interpreting experiments and causal signals.
• Familiarity with reinforcement learning, bandits, or adaptive optimization concepts.
• Advanced Python and SQL proficiency, including pandas, NumPy, scikit-learn, and PyMC/Stan or equivalent, for building, validating, and iterating on complex analytical workflows.
• Demonstrated ability to use modern AI tools and coding agents to accelerate research, prototyping, and model productionization.
• Experience designing or applying LLM-based or AI-assisted solutions to complex decisioning problems beyond basic prompting, such as unstructured feature extraction, simulation, experimentation, or model orchestration.
• Exceptional data storytelling, ability to influence product and executive decisions, and leadership without formal authority.

Preferred Qualifications

• Consumer pricing, marketplace, or digital payments/donations experience.
• Experience partnering with engineering to productionize models and AI-driven systems, including live monitoring, evaluation, and iteration.
• Familiarity with Snowflake, Databricks, and experimentation infrastructure; model versioning and validation experience is a plus.
• Strong data visualization, documentation, and presentation skills emphasizing executive-ready clarity.

Compensation and Benefits

• Annual U.S. base salary: $179,500–$269,500 for this full-time role.
• Geolocation differentials may increase pay; compensation also varies with skills, experience, education, and training.
• Equity; healthcare, dental, vision, and life insurance; and a 401(k) savings program.
• Financial assistance for hybrid work and family planning, generous parental leave, flexible time off, and mental health and wellness resources.
• Learning, development, recognition, employee resource groups, and volunteering programs.

Application and Hiring Notices

• For application or interview accommodations, contact accommodationrequests@gofundme.com.
• Submitting an application constitutes agreement to processing applicant data as described in GoFundMe's applicable candidate privacy notice.
• For NYC jobs and remote jobs associated with the NYC office only, GoFundMe uses Metaview to assist evaluation of application materials. Its use began March 10, 2026, and it has undergone an independent audit. Final hiring decisions are made by GoFundMe employees. Applicants may request an alternative selection process or accommodation at accommodationrequests@gofundme.com.