[Hiring] Director, Data Science @DuckDuckGo

Role Description

Working on the Data Science Functional Team, you'll drive product and business impact by:

• Developing data scientists
• Setting clear expectations for them
• Providing hands-on mentorship
• Removing blockers

You will guide and advise multiple data science projects to ensure:

• Projects stay on track
• Timely delivery with maximum impact

These projects will involve:

• Statistical modeling
• Experiment design
• Classifier implementation across our search engine, instant answers, AI, and revenue optimization

You'll collaborate cross-functionally to:

• Validate direction through data
• Build trust in organizational tactics and strategy by consulting on experiments
• Become an expert in our core metrics like searches, installs, and revenue
• Drive improvement of the data pipeline

As a Director, Data Science, you'll help shape our all-in-one privacy solution and join our mission to show the world that protecting your privacy online can be simple.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in data science or ML engineering
• 4+ years leading teams
• Track record of setting multi-team roadmaps
• Ability to adapt swiftly as priorities shift
• Experience driving organizational culture toward data-driven decision-making
• Ability to translate technical tradeoffs and risks clearly for executives and cross-functional stakeholders
• Enjoy coaching experienced data scientists
• Ability to give direct, actionable feedback
• Experience building teams where people do the best work of their careers
• Expert level in deploying and iterating ML and NLP solutions in production
• Deep knowledge of when to reach for which tools, especially in constrained environments
• Production-grade coding skills in Python or a comparable high-level language
• Advanced SQL and query optimization skills
• Familiarity with columnar databases like BigQuery, Clickhouse, Redshift, or Druid
• Strong LLM/AI experience including fine-tuning, LLM-as-judge evaluation, and AI-assisted development
• Ability to design, implement, and analyze experiments across product surfaces using sparse or privacy-constrained data
• Preferred: experience at a consumer-facing tech company where data or analytics is core to the product strategy

Requirements

• Attendance at meetings on camera via video conferencing
• Travel at least two times a year for all-hands meetup and team retreat (each around 4-5 days)
• Flexible work arrangement with no core hours; average full-time commitment of 40 hours per week
• Pass a background check as a condition of joining the team

Compensation

• United States: $263,300 USD annually
• United Kingdom: £183,850 GBP annually
• Canada: C$346,250 CAD annually
• Europe/Rest of World: €214,950 EUR annually

Benefits

• Paid parental leave
• Office setup and co-working allowances

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

DuckDuckGo provides equal work opportunities to all team members and applicants, prohibiting discrimination and harassment of any type.

We want to ensure that our hiring process is accessible. If you need reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process because of a medical condition or disability, please send an email to [email protected] to let us know the nature of your request.

Disclosure Statement: Use of AI in Hiring Process

As part of our commitment to enhancing our recruitment process, we utilize artificial intelligence (AI) technology to assist in reviewing and summarizing job applications and test projects.

• Data Privacy: All information provided in your application will be handled in accordance with our Recruiting Privacy Policy.
• Human Oversight and Accountability: Final evaluations and hiring decisions will be made by our hiring team.
• Transparency: If you have any questions about how AI is used in our recruitment process, please feel free to reach out to us.