Senior Applied Scientist, Search & Matching

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, including:

Improving 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.

Modeling 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.

Characterizing 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.

Building a healthy marketplace. We evolve and manage the monetization mechanics of our marketplace, including defining the parameters that affect the prices we charge.

The challenge

We are looking for someone with deep expertise in applying scientific techniques to consumer products. This person will work on our search experience, our ranking and matching algorithms, and the end-to-end hiring experience for users of our marketplace. We need to bring homeowners and service professionals together in matches that work for both sides, where the skills of professionals match with the project needs of homeowners, and where scheduling and pricing align to make these successful jobs done. We need to make the most of all the information we know about projects and professionals in a seamless user experience that guides and informs homeowners.

What you'll do

• Initiate and drive applied science initiatives to completion, with a focus on the business impact of those projects
• Architect and deploy machine learning systems and algorithms to production
• Design and execute experiments, collect and analyze data to characterize our product and marketing
• Analyze a wide variety of data: structured and unstructured, observational and experimental
• Collaborate with engineers, data scientists, and economists to use sound statistical practices
• Maintain the right balance between speed of execution and scientific rigor when designing solutions
• Technical mentorship of other applied scientists

In order to be successful, you must bring

• Expert knowledge of machine learning techniques, particularly as applied to search, ranking, and matching problems
• Experience with NLP techniques, including familiarity with modern LLM designs and tools
• Ability to effectively read, write, and debug code in programming languages such as Python
• Good knowledge of probability and statistics, including experimental design, optimization, and causal inference
• Experience with technical mentorship of other applied scientists
• Demonstrated ability to create and drive technical and impactful roadmaps for the business, and lead seamless execution
• Ability to break down complex problems rigorously and understand the tradeoffs necessary to deliver impactful projects
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively to cross functional partners of various technical levels

Expected salary ranges

• For candidates living in San Francisco / Bay Area, San Jose, New York City, or Seattle metros, the expected salary range for the role is currently $212,500 - $275,000.
• For candidates living in Austin, TX or Washington DC metros or in California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, or Washington states, the expected salary range for the role is currently $191,250 - $247,500.
• For candidates living in all other US locations, the expected salary range for this role is currently $180,625 - $233,750.

Actual offered salaries will vary and will be based on various factors, such as calibrated job level, qualifications, skills, competencies, and proficiency for the role.