Lead Data Scientist

Lead Data Scientist, AdTechChicago, IL (remote); Columbus, OH (remote); Detroit, MI (remote); Kansas City, KS (remote); Madison, WI (remote); Saint Louis, MO (remote)Who Are We?Launch Potato is the discovery and conversion company. We reach tens of millions of people every month through our brands, including FinanceBuzz, All About Cookies, and OnlyInYourState. We turn that attention into real outcomes for our partners, some of the world's leading companies.Our mission: create predictable, high-value customer acquisition at scale by connecting discovery, intent, and performance across category-leading consumer brands in finance, travel, and entertainment.We run profitable and bootstrapped, with a South Florida HQ and a remote-first team across 18 countries.Why Join Us?You own outcomes here, not tasks. We measure work by impact, not activity. The pace is real, and change is constant, so the people who do best turn change into opportunity instead of waiting for it to settle. Feedback runs direct and lands with respect. Ordinary people make themselves extraordinary at Launch Potato.Base salary: $175,000 to $200,000 per year, paid semi-monthlyMust have:Proven experience in digital marketing, performance marketing, or the leadgen industryBuilding adtech algorithms and supporting user acquisition or paid media modeling (highly desired)Strong modeling fundamentals: the ability to build effective models that drive business impactMulti-year, hands-on experience building and deploying ML solutions in the AWS cloudHands-on experience across core technique areas: multi-armed bandit / reinforcement learning, recommendation and ranking systems (content-based, collaborative filtering, hybrid), funnel and monetization optimization, LTV modelingExpert Python and SQLExperience: 5+ years in a hands-on, in-the-weeds applied data science role delivering measurable business impact.Your RoleOwn the full data science engine for a priority vertical, from business problem to deployed model to live ROAS performance, driving measurable revenue and media efficiency. This is a hands-on, in-the-weeds role: you are heavily immersed in the data and the modeling, framing the business problem directly with stakeholders, building and validating the model, handing the ML-engineering last mile to your ML engineering partner, and staying engaged through deployment, monitoring, and performance analysis.You will start focusing on Insurance and Advertiser Quality, with scope that broadens over time. Your primary metric is ROAS.OutcomesOwn the Insurance vertical's primary modeling work end-to-end with measurable ROAS impactDeliver buying models that maintain positive ROAS and qualityDrive lead quality improvements across our portfolio of brands: Messaging, Funnels, Content/Listicles, and more resulting in measurable impact to revenue growthEstablish trusted, direct partnership with vertical business stakeholdersProduce trusted output: validated, documented, low correction burdenIdentify and leverage net-new modeling opportunities the business has not flaggedCompetenciesBusiness-first framing: Starts with the problem and the metric, not the model.Full-stack ownership: Stays engaged from problem definition through deployed performanceProactive communication: Closes loops without being chasedCollaborative: Leans on ML engineering for the last mile rather than working soloCoachable: Seeks feedback and turns it into visible behavior changeCuriosity paired with delivery disciplineNice to havesSophisticated ML at companies where paid digital media is core to the business modelCreative embeddings work: incorporating embeddings of creatives, videos, headlines, and search into paid media modelsInsurance domain experienceCreating state-of-the-art Ad Ranking algorithmsModeling against ad-platform data points (Google, Meta, native)LLMs / deep learning applied to personalization or contentFamiliarity with LookerTotal compensationBase salary is set according to market rates for the nearest major metro and varies based on Launch Potato's Levels Framework. Your compensation package includes a base salary, profit-sharing bonus, and competitive benefits. Launch Potato is a performance-driven company, which means once you are hired, future increases will be based on company and personal performance, not annual cost of living adjustments.Want to accelerate your career? Apply now!Since day one, we've been committed to having a diverse, inclusive team and culture. We are proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity company. We value diversity, equity, and inclusion.We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.