Staff Applied Scientist , Inventory & Marketplace Quality

We are looking for a Lead Staff Data Scientist to join the Marketplace Quality Engineering (MQE) team. MQE is a cross-functional team responsible for the integrity, performance, and trustworthiness of The Trade Desk’s inventory marketplace. We build systems that detect and prevent fraud, measure and improve inventory quality, and optimize marketplace dynamics to deliver better outcomes for advertisers, publishers, and consumers.

In this role, you will provide technical and strategic leadership within MQE by defining data science roadmap and execution plans, owning end-to-end development of advanced modeling, analytical, and measurement systems, and partnering closely with engineering, product, and business leaders to translate complex requirements into trusted, scalable solutions.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Technical Ownership

• Own the data science vision and roadmap for MQE initiatives, aligning technical direction with strategic goals and industry trends.
• Design, build, and productionize statistical and machine learning models to detect fraud, invalid traffic, and low-quality inventory in adversarial, large-scale environments.
• Define and maintain metrics, experimentation procedures, and monitoring systems to ensure long-term performance.
• Develop analytical and explainability frameworks that provide clear visibility into how quality initiatives impact inventory supply, advertiser spend, and marketplace dynamics.

Cross-Functional Impact

• Collaborate with product and business stakeholders to translate analytical insights into clear, defensible decisions and marketplace enforcement strategies.
• Partner closely with engineering to deploy scalable, performant models.
• Anticipate emerging marketplace risks and proactively develop data-driven solutions to protect marketplace integrity.

Leadership & Mentorship

• Act as a staff-level technical leader, setting standards for analytical rigor, model evaluation, and scientific best practices across MQE.
• Mentor and develop data scientists through design reviews, technical guidance, and career coaching.
• Influence technical direction across teams by driving alignment, knowledge sharing, and a culture of high-quality decision-making.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• Advanced degree (MS or PhD) in a quantitative field such as Statistics, Computer Science, Economics, Applied Math, Operations Research, or similar.
• 7+ years of experience working in a DS role that involves bringing products from ideation to production.
• Deep expertise in statistical modeling, machine learning, and large-scale data analysis.
• Strong understanding of experimentation, causal inference, and metric design in complex systems.
• Familiarity with large-scale data and ML tooling (e.g. Spark, distributed training, real-time inference systems).
• Proven ability to lead ambiguous, high-impact projects end-to-end as a senior individual contributor.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to influence across organizational boundaries.
• Experience in programmatic advertising and/or real-time auctions is a plus.
• Track record of mentoring senior data scientists and shaping team-level technical direction is a plus.

CO, CA, IL, NY, WA, and Washington DC residents only: In accordance with CO, CA, IL, NY, WA, and Washington DC law, the range provided is The Trade Desk's reasonable estimate of the base compensation for this role. The actual amount may differ based on non-discriminatory factors such as experience, knowledge, skills, abilities, and location. All employees may be eligible to become The Trade Desk shareholders through eligibility for stock-based compensation grants, which are awarded to employees based on company and individual performance. The Trade Desk also offers other compensation depending on the role such as variable compensation-based incentives and commissions. Plus, expected benefits for this role include comprehensive healthcare (medical, dental, and vision) with premiums paid in full for employees and dependents, retirement benefits such as a 401k plan and company match, short and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, well-being benefits, reimbursement for certain tuition expenses, parental leave, sick time of 1 hour per 30 hours worked, vacation time for full-time employees up to 120 hours thru the first year and 160 hours thereafter, and around 13 paid holidays per year. Employees can also purchase The Trade Desk stock at a discount through The Trade Desk’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan.

The Trade Desk also offers a competitive benefits package. Click here to learn more.

Note: Interns are not eligible for variable incentive awards such as stock-based compensation, retirement plan, vacation, tuition reimbursement or parental leave

At the Trade Desk, Base Salary is one part of our competitive total compensation and benefits package and is determined using a salary range. The base salary range for this role is $137,300—$251,800 USD

As an Equal Opportunity Emp