Staff Applied Scientist

A home is the biggest investment most people make, and yet, it doesn’t come with a manual. That’s why we’re building the only app homeowners need to effortlessly manage their homes —  knowing what to do, when to do it, and who to hire. With Thumbtack, millions of people care for what matters most, and pros earn billions of dollars through our platform. And as one of the fastest-growing companies in a $600B+ industry — we must be doing something right. 

We are driven by a common goal and the deep satisfaction that comes from knowing our work supports local economies, helps small businesses grow, and brings homeowners peace of mind. We’re seeking people who continually put our purpose first: advocating for pros and customers, embracing change, and choosing teamwork every day.

At Thumbtack, we’re creating a new era of home care. If making an impact and the chance to do good inspires you, join us. Imagine what we’ll build together. 

Thumbtack by the Numbers

• Available nationwide in every U.S. county
• 85 million projects started on Thumbtack
• 11 million 5-star reviews and counting
• Pros earn billions on our platform
• 1000+ employees 
• $3.2 billion valuation (June, 2021) 

About the Applied Science Team

We’re looking for applied scientists with deep expertise in machine learning, optimization, building data products, and/or statistics. As part of a small product team you will have full ownership over your domain, so you should be a person who dreams big, then executes well.  

At Thumbtack, the Applied Science team is responsible for a wide variety of problems spanning machine learning, statistics, and computer science:

• Improve customer and service provider matching. Matching and optimization algorithms are fundamental to Thumbtack’s product: we now service millions of matches per week. Identifying better matches between customers and service providers has an incredible impact on the experience of customers and professionals transacting on our platform.
• Model complex relationships in the presence of many confounding factors. Predictive modeling problems are everywhere across our product. Our team works to scope, design and implement machine learning models to support Thumbtack’s product and marketing.
• Characterize marketplace dynamics. Thumbtack’s marketplaces consist of thousands of active markets across our service categories and U.S. cities. Via exploratory data analysis and experimental design, our team works to understand trends and behaviors within these markets.
• Build a healthy marketplace. We evolve and manage the monetization mechanics of our marketplace, including defining the parameters that affect the prices we charge.

Challenge

Our team is at the forefront of a massive amount of user data. We need to think a lot about scaling as well as how to provide experiences for a wide set of users that we don’t necessarily know a ton about immediately. We are building experiences into our apps to onboard, engage, and re-engage our users and are constantly experimenting to produce delightful and consistent user experiences.

We are looking for someone with deep expertise in applying scientific techniques to marketplace growth and marketing problems. Our challenges include building systems to optimize our marketing spend to bring more customers to the marketplace, targeting our pro and customer acquisition efforts to ensure better outcomes for customers and pros and healthy marketplace growth, and building personalized experiences to engage and retain our customers and professionals.

Responsibilities

• Lead and execute applied science initiatives with a strong focus on business impact.
• Architect, deploy, and maintain production-level machine learning systems.
• Design experiments, analyze data, and draw insights to drive product and marketing strategies.
• Work with a variety of data types: structured, unstructured, observational, and experimental.
• Collaborate with product, engineering, marketing, and economics teams to apply robust statistical practices.
• Balance speed and scientific rigor when developing and delivering solutions.
• Provide technical mentorship and guidance to other applied scientists

What you’ll need

If you don’t think you meet all of the criteria below but still are interested in the job, please apply. Nobody checks every box, and we’re looking for someone excited to join the team.

• Deep expertise in machine learning techniques.
• Proficiency in coding distributed systems, debugging, and optimizing Python-based systems.
• Strong foundation in probability, statistics, experimental design, and causal inference.
• Proven experience in mentoring and supporting other applied scientists.
• Ability to craft and execute technical roadmaps that align with business objectives.
• Exceptional problem-solving skills, with a focus on delivering impactful projects.
• Excellent communication skills for engaging with cross-functional teams of varying technical backgrounds.

Bonus points if you have

• Advanced knowledge in code parallelization, probability, statistics, predictive modeling, and optimization.
• Experience working in growth or marketing science within a marketplace environment.
• Familiarity with large-scale distributed systems and production grade Gen AI workflows. 
• A Ph.D. in a relevant field

Thumbtack is a virtual-first company, meaning you can live and work from any one of our approved locations across the United States, Canada or the Philippines.* Learn more about our virtual-first working model here.

#LI-remote

Benefits & Perks

• Virtual-first working model coupled with in-person events
• 20 company-wide holidays including a week-long end-of-year company shutdown
• Library (optional use collaboration & connection hub) in San Francisco
• WiFi reimbursements 
• Cell phone reimbursements (North America) 
• Employee Assistance Program for mental health and well-being 

Learn More About Us

• Life @ Thumbtack Blog   
• Virtual First Working Model
• Follow us on LinkedIn  
• Meet the pros who inspire us

Thumbtack embraces diversity. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and do not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, age, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, military or veteran status, genetic information, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, provincial, state, or local law. We also will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, consistent with applicable law. 

Thumbtack is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation for a medical condition or disability during any part of the application process, please contact: [email protected]. 

If you are a California resident, please review information regarding your rights under California privacy laws contained in Thumbtack’s Privacy policy available at https://www.thumbtack.com/privacy/ .