Back to jobs

Senior Data Scientist, Causal Inference

San Francisco, CA or Remote US

Discord is used by over 200 million people every month for many different reasons, but there’s one thing that nearly everyone does on our platform: play video games. Over 90% of our users play games, spending a combined 1.5 billion hours playing thousands of unique titles on Discord each month. Discord plays a uniquely important role in the future of gaming. We are focused on making it easier and more fun for people to talk and hang out before, during, and after playing games.

Discord is looking for an experienced, proactive, and self-driven Senior Causal Inference Data Scientist to join our Experimentation Platform team.

The Experimentation Platform puts data at the heart of the company’s decision-making and growth by enabling rapid and accurate product experimentation. Discord runs hundreds of experiments on any given day, turning experiment results into business decisions. At the same time, we are taking a fresh look at our platform, and planning to rebuild parts of it from scratch to take it to the next level. As a Causal Inference Data Scientist on this team, you will ensure that the statistical underpinnings of this rebuild are sound, that experimenters are able to design experiments with high rigor, and that Discord makes the best business decisions on the basis of these experiments. We are a small and quickly growing team; by joining us as an early team member, you will be presented with significant leadership opportunities as we evolve.

Our team directly impacts the strategy and roadmaps that improve Discord for its more than 200M (and many more future) users! If helping make Discord an even better place to hang out with your friends sounds like an exciting challenge - we'd love to chat with you! Check out our blog about how our team informs strategy & innovation at Discord here!

What You'll Be Doing

  • Provide statistical expertise in the rebuilding of the experimentation platform, ensuring that all statistical choices, methodologies, and frameworks are sound and aligned with best practices in causal inference and experimental design.
  • Collaborate closely with engineering and product teams during the platform rebuild to define and implement robust statistical methods that improve the reliability and scalability of experimentation at Discord.
  • Lead initiatives to educate and train cross-functional teams on best practices in experimentation design, statistical methodologies, and causal inference, ensuring a deep understanding of the principles that drive sound decision-making under uncertainty.
  • Develop and deliver engaging workshops, training sessions, and educational materials that demystify complex statistical concepts and promote data-driven decision-making across the company.
  • Empower our Data Science team (50+ members) to use more rigorous causal inference methods.
  • In addition to consulting within the wider Data Science team (50+ members), lead and conduct causal inference research of your own on important Discord priorities.

You Will Thrive In This Role If

  • PhD in a quantitative field (e.g. Statistics, Economics, Political Science, Psychology, etc.) and 4+ years of experience designing, implementing and analyzing experiments or causal inference projects.
  • Ability to critically evaluate and recommend statistical approaches and methodologies that enhance the integrity of experimentation frameworks during platform development and rebuild phases.
  • Proven experience in designing and validating statistical methodologies for experimentation platforms or similar systems, with a focus on ensuring the accuracy and reliability of experimental results.
  • Strong passion for education and the ability to communicate complex statistical and experimental design concepts clearly and effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Demonstrated experience in developing and delivering training programs or educational content related to experimentation, causal inference, or statistical analysis, with a track record of fostering a culture of data literacy within an organization.
  • Proficient with Python, SQL, R, and other statistical programming languages.

Bonus Points

  • Interest in conducting literature reviews, translating and championing best scientific practices to a wide range of functions across the company.
  • Track record in using causal inference methods that translated into business decisions and outcomes.
  • Experience in autonomously leading cross functional projects and influencing cross functional partners.
  • Passion for Discord or gaming.
  • Causal inference related publications.

#LI-Remote

The US base salary range for this full-time position is $183,000 to $201,000 + equity + benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role and level. Within the range, individual pay is determined by additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and do not include equity, or benefits.

Why Discord? 

Discord plays a uniquely important role in the future of gaming. We're a multiplatform, multigenerational and multiplayer platform that helps people deepen their friendships around games and shared interests. We believe games give us a way to have fun with our favorite people, whether listening to music together or grinding in competitive matches for diamond rank. Join us in our mission! Your future is just a click away!

Check out our inclusion, diversity and purpose efforts, company principles, or learn more about the Life @ Discord experience!

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Select...
Select...

Education

Select...
Select...
Select...

Demographic Questions for Discord

We’d like to know a little more about you. Answering is completely voluntary, but we'll be forever grateful since the information will help us evaluate and improve our recruitment, diversity and belonging efforts. Whether or not you choose to answer the questions will not affect your job application with us. Any information you submit here will be kept secure, pseudonymized, confidential and completely separate from your personal data and job application. By answering this survey, you consent to our processing of your responses for the purposes listed above. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us. 

Self-identification categories:

  • Gender Identity: A person's internal perception of their gender and how they label themselves (may or may not correspond to gender assigned at birth).
  • Race/Ethnicity: A person’s racial or ethnic identity. 
  • Sexual Orientation: A person's sexual identity in relation to the gender to which they are attracted.
  • Disability: A person who has a physical or mental impairment which substantially, or occasionally, limits one or more of their major life activities. 
  • Military Service: A person who has spent time serving in any branch of the military (may be retired or active).
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Discord’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.