Lead Data Scientist - UGC

At Scribd Inc. (pronounced “scribbed”), our mission is to spark human curiosity. Join our team as we create a world of stories and knowledge, democratize the exchange of ideas and information, and empower collective expertise through our four products: Everand, Scribd, Slideshare, and Fable.

This posting reflects an approved, open position within the organization.

We support a culture where our employees can be real and be bold; where we debate and commit as we embrace plot twists; and where every employee is empowered to take action as we prioritize the customer.

When it comes to workplace structure, we believe in balancing individual flexibility and community connections.  It’s through our flexible work benefit, Scribd Flex, that employees – in partnership with their manager – can choose the daily work-style that best suits their individual needs. A key tenet of Scribd Flex is our prioritization of intentional in-person moments to build collaboration, culture, and connection. For this reason, occasional in-person attendance is required for all Scribd Inc. employees, regardless of their location.

So what are we looking for in new team members? Well, we hire for “GRIT”. The textbook definition of GRIT is demonstrating the intersection of passion and perseverance towards long term goals. At Scribd Inc., we are inspired by the potential that this can unlock, and ask each of our employees to pursue a GRIT-ty approach to their work. In a tactical sense, GRIT is also a handy acronym that outlines the standards we hold ourselves and each other to.  Here’s what that means for you: we’re looking for someone who showcases the ability to set and achieve Goals, achieve Results within their job responsibilities, contribute Innovative ideas and solutions, and positively influence the broader Team through collaboration and attitude.

About the Role

Scribd’s Data & Analytics team is hiring a Lead Data Scientist to own measurable outcomes across our UGC (User Generated Content) ecosystem for Scribd and Slideshare and help transform our products in the AI era. You’ll translate product goals into a durable metrics strategy, lead strategic bets, and ship meaningful improvements in business results. You’ll also define how we segment target audiences and prioritize investments across user generated content, then prove impact through measurement and experimentation.

Scribd is a differentiated subscription platform with strong organic reach and a vast catalog—hundreds of millions of UGC documents and slides. You’ll build a trusted measurement foundation (north stars, guardrails, and leading indicators) so teams can make fast, reliable decisions that improve user experience and long-term value. You’ll lead high-impact UGC bets end-to-end, especially for AI-driven features, turning ambiguity into crisp hypotheses, experiments, and evaluation frameworks in close partnership with Product, UXR, Design, Engineering, and Content. You’ll surface the “so what” through executive-ready memos that clearly spell out impact, tradeoffs, risks, and what we’ll monitor, helping answer the strategic questions that shape how Scribd and Slideshare best serve their audiences.

What you’ll do:

• Own measurable outcomes for the UGC ecosystem across Scribd and Slideshare; define success criteria and ensure we can prove durable impact on user experience and business results (with and without Ads).

• Build and own the measurement and experimentation standard for UGC (north stars, guardrails, leading indicators, and post-launch validation.) Partner with the Product Analyst on consistent reporting and shared definitions.

• Lead end-to-end experiment design and readouts for complicated UGC initiatives; turn ambiguous questions into testable hypotheses, ensure adequate power/sensitivity, interpret results with rigor, and drive go/no-go recommendations.

• Develop exploratory and diagnostics models (e.g., activation/retention drivers, segment opportunity sizing, targeting) to translate user behavior signals into differentiated product features and experiences, and partner with Engineering/MLE to productionize validated approaches when needed.

• Define evaluation frameworks for AI-driven features/workspace , ensuring performance is assessed across different user segments and audiences (informed by clustering or personalization where appropriate), alongside offline/online alignment, human evaluation where needed, and safeguards against unintended harms

• Support Ads measurement and optimization; partner with the PM to improve CTR while protecting subscription conversion via explicit guardrails and incrementality-aware measurement.

• Shape segmentation and prioritization strategy (intent/verticals, content types, lifecycle states) and ensure it’s usable for product decisions.

• Drive cross-functional alignment and executive ready decision memos. Make tradeoffs, risks, and monitoring plans explicit, and raise the bar on measurement quality across Product, UXR, and Engineering.

• Mentor and raise the analytics bar by reviewing analyses, setting best practices, and building a culture of rigorous, business-grounded measurement.

What you’ll need:

• 8+ years of experience in Data Science with demonstrated shipped impact (subscription business/consumer products/UGC a plus)

• Strong Python and SQL; comfort working with Spark and large-scale data.

• Deep fluency in experiment design and measurement

• Strong product sense and executive communication, able to drive alignment in ambiguous, cross-functional environments.

Nice to have:

• Experience evaluating LLM/AI systems in production ( such as quality signals, human eval, safety/abuse considerations)

• Familiarity with causal inference methods beyond AB tests

At Scribd, your base pay is one part of your total compensation package and is determined within a range. Our pay ranges are based on the local cost of labor benchmarks for each specific role, level, and geographic location. San Francisco is our highest geographic market in the United States. In the state of California, the reasonably expected salary range is between $153,000 [minimum salary in our lowest geographic market within California] to $239,000 [maximum salary in our highest geographic market within California].

In the United States, outside of California, the reasonably expected salary range is between $126,500 [minimum salary in our lowest US geographic market outside of California] to $227,000 [maximum salary in our highest US geographic market outside of California].

In Canada, the reasonably expected salary range is between $160,500 CAD[minimum salary in our lowest geographic market] to $212,500 CAD[maximum salary in our highest geographic market].

We carefully consider a wide range of factors when determining compensation, including but not limited to experience; job-related skill sets; relevant education or training; and other business and organizational needs. The salary range listed is for the level at which this job has been scoped. In the event that you are considered for a different level, a higher or lower pay range would apply. This position is also eligible for a competitive equity ownership, and a comprehensive and generous benefits package.

Are you currently based in a location where Scribd Inc.
Employees must have their primary residence in or near one of the following cities. This includes surrounding metro areas or locations within a typical commuting distance:

United States:

Atlanta | Austin | Boston | Dallas | Denver | Chicago | Houston | Jacksonville | Los Angeles | Miami | New York City | Phoenix | Portland | Sacramento | Salt Lake City | San Diego | San Francisco | Seattle | Washington D.C.

Canada:

Ottawa | Toronto | Vancouver

Mexico:

Mexico City

Benefits, Perks, and Wellbeing at Scribd Inc.

*Benefits/perks listed may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Scribd Inc. and the geographical location where you work.

• Healthcare Insurance Coverage (Medical/Dental/Vision): 100% paid for employees

• 12 weeks paid parental leave

• Short-term/long-term disability plans

• 401k/RSP matching

• Onboarding stipend for home office peripherals + accessories

• Learning & Development allowance

• Learning & Development programs

• Quarterly stipend for Wellness, WiFi, etc.

• Mental Health support & resources

• Free subscription to the Scribd Inc. suite of products

• Referral Bonuses

• Book Benefit

• Sabbaticals

• Company-wide events

• Team engagement budgets

• Vacation & Personal Days

• Paid Holidays (+ winter break)

• Flexible Sick Time

• Volunteer Day

• Company-wide Employee Resource Groups and programs that foster an inclusive and diverse workplace.

• Access to AI Tools: We provide free access to best-in-class AI tools, empowering you to boost productivity, streamline workflows, and accelerate bold innovation.

Want to learn more about life at Scribd? www.linkedin.com/company/scribd/life

We want our interview process to be accessible to everyone. You can inform us of any reasonable adjustments we can make to better accommodate your needs by emailing [email protected] about the need for adjustments at any point in the interview process.

Scribd Inc. is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We encourage people of all backgrounds to apply, and believe that a diversity of perspectives and experiences create a foundation for the best ideas. Come join us in building something meaningful.