Senior Research Data Scientist

Our Data Science team is a high-impact research team actively shaping the future of TV, using Big Data to build and enhance the user experience on the Roku streaming platform. Our production-ready machine learning models and statistical solutions optimize the user experience across all of Roku's core business models and products, and our scientists engage closely with business, product, and engineering leaders to make material and measurable impacts on the success and growth of the platform.

As a Senior Research Data Scientist on Roku's Data Science team, you will lead the development of a best-in-class causal inference platform that measures and optimizes the true incremental impact of customer actions, product features, and business interventions on long-term outcomes. Partnering with the Customer Growth organization, you will build the methods and systems that enable Roku to make high-confidence decisions from observational data when randomized experiments are not feasible.

You will own the full lifecycle of causal measurement—from gathering business requirements and defining estimation approaches, to partnering with Engineering to productionize scalable causal pipelines and communicating findings to senior leadership. Your work will directly inform growth, retention, and monetization strategy across the platform, making this role ideal for an applied economist or econometrician who excels at the intersection of rigorous research and production engineering. This is someone equally comfortable deriving identification strategies and building estimators on terabyte-scale data.

For Massachusetts Only - The estimated annual base salary for this position is between $181,200 - $229,500. Compensation packages are based on factors unique to each candidate, including but not limited to skill set, certifications, and specific geographical location. This role is eligible for health insurance, equity awards, life insurance, disability benefits, parental leave, wellness benefits, and paid time off.

Design, build, and productionize a causal inference platform that standardizes how Roku measures the incremental impact of customer actions and business decisions

Research and implement causal estimation methods, including heterogeneous treatment effects, tailored to Roku's data and business questions

Build long-term outcome frameworks that enable impact projection from limited observation windows

Develop diagnostic and validation standards at scale to ensure credibility of causal estimates

Leverage AI to create counterfactual scenarios and build tools that help users run, understand, and act on causal estimates correctly

Work cross-functionally with Data Engineering, Product Management, and Core Analytics to translate business questions into well-defined causal problems and deploy production-ready solutions

Contribute to the technical vision of the Data Science team and the broader research agenda across causal inference, predictive modeling, and experimentation

PhD in Economics, Econometrics, Statistics, or a closely related quantitative field with a strong emphasis on causal inference

10+ years of experience applying causal inference and machine learning methods to real-world problems, with a demonstrated track record of measurable impact

Deep expertise in observational causal methods such as propensity score matching, Double Machine Learning, doubly robust estimation, instrumental variables, and difference-in-differences

Experience building reusable causal inference tools or platforms beyond one-off analyses

Proficiency with Spark, Ray, SQL, Python, and ML frameworks such as scikit-learn, XGBoost, and LightGBM

Experience with terabyte- or petabyte-scale datasets in distributed computing environments

Strong communication skills with the ability to translate econometric findings into clear business recommendations

Technology industry experience; connected TV, streaming, or advertising experience is a plus

Roku fosters an inclusive and collaborative environment where teams generally work in the office Monday through Thursday. Fridays are generally flexible for remote work, except for employees whose specific roles or assigned office location require five days' a week attendance.

Roku welcomes applicants of all backgrounds and provides reasonable accommodations and adjustments in accordance with applicable law. If you require reasonable accommodation at any point in the hiring process, please direct your inquiries to EmployeeRelations@Roku.com .

Roku is a great place for people who want to work in a fast-paced environment where everyone is focused on the company's success rather than their own. We try to surround ourselves with people who are great at their jobs, who are easy to work with, and who keep their egos in check. We appreciate a sense of humor. We believe a fewer number of very talented folks can do more for less cost than a larger number of less talented teams. We're independent thinkers with big ideas who act boldly, move fast and accomplish extraordinary things through collaboration and trust. In short, at Roku you'll be part of a company that's changing how the world watches TV.

We have a unique culture that we are proud of. We think of ourselves primarily as problem-solvers, which itself is a two-part idea. We come up with the solution, but the solution isn't real until it is built and delivered to the customer. That penchant for action gives us a pragmatic approach to innovation, one that has served us well since 2002.

To learn more about Roku, our global footprint, and how we've grown, visit https://www.weareroku.com/factsheet .

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