Sr Data Scientist

The Company\n\nPayPal has been revolutionizing commerce globally for more than 25 years. Creating innovative experiences that make moving money, selling, and shopping simple, personalized, and secure, PayPal empowers consumers and businesses in approximately 200 markets to join and thrive in the global economy. \n\nWe operate a global, two-sided network at scale that connects hundreds of millions of merchants and consumers. We help merchants and consumers connect, transact, and complete payments, whether they are online or in person. PayPal is more than a connection to third-party payment networks. We provide proprietary payment solutions accepted by merchants that enable the completion of payments on our platform on behalf of our customers.\n\nWe offer our customers the flexibility to use their accounts to purchase and receive payments for goods and services, as well as the ability to transfer and withdraw funds. We enable consumers to exchange funds more safely with merchants using a variety of funding sources, which may include a bank account, a PayPal or Venmo account balance, PayPal and Venmo branded credit products, a credit card, a debit card, certain cryptocurrencies, or other stored value products such as gift cards, and eligible credit card rewards. Our PayPal, Venmo, and Xoom products also make it safer and simpler for friends and family to transfer funds to each other. We offer merchants an end-to-end payments solution that provides authorization and settlement capabilities, as well as instant access to funds and payouts. We also help merchants connect with their customers, process exchanges and returns, and manage risk. We enable consumers to engage in cross-border shopping and merchants to extend their global reach while reducing the complexity and friction involved in enabling cross-border trade. \n\nOur beliefs are the foundation for how we conduct business every day. We live each day guided by our core values of Inclusion, Innovation, Collaboration, and Wellness. Together, our values ensure that we work together as one global team with our customers at the center of everything we do \u2013 and they push us to ensure we take care of ourselves, each other, and our communities.\n\nJob Summary:\n\nWe are looking for a Senior Data Scientist to drive insights and optimization across merchant integrations and checkout experiences. This role sits at the intersection of data science, software systems, and AI, requiring a strong understanding of APIs/SDKs, user behavior, and experimentation. \n \nYou will analyze and improve end-to-end merchant and user journeys, design robust experiments, and leverage modern AI techniques to enhance insights and decision-making.\n\nJob Description:\n\nEssential Responsibilities: \n\n * Lead the development and implementation of advanced data science models.\n * Collaborate with stakeholders to understand requirements.\n * Drive best practices in data science.\n * Ensure data quality and integrity in all processes.\n * Mentor and guide junior data scientists.\n * Stay updated with the latest trends in data science.\n\n\n\nMinimum Qualifications:\n\n * 3+ years relevant experience and a Bachelor\u2019s degree OR Any equivalent combination of education and experience.\n\n\n\nAdditional Responsibilities \u0026 Preferred Qualifications:\n\n## Key Responsibilities\n\n * Analyze and optimize merchant integration performance, focusing on: Checkout conversion User behavioral lifecycle Merchant interactions with payment solutions\n\n * Develop deep understanding of API- and SDK-based integrations to evaluate performance and identify friction points\n\n * Design and execute experimentation frameworks: A/B testing Causal inference models Incrementality measurement\n\n * Define and track key performance metrics (KPIs) across user and merchant journeys\n\n * Partner with product, engineering, and business teams to translate data insights into actionable improvements\n\n * Build scalable data models and pipelines to support analytics and experimentation\n\n * Apply modern AI techniques (e.g., LLMs) to enhance: User behavior analysis Data interpretation Internal tooling and workflows\n\n\n\n\n## Required Skills \u0026 Qualifications\n\n### Domain \u0026 Systems Understanding\n\n * Experience working with API-driven systems and SDK integrations\n\n * Ability to analyze end-to-end product flows, especially in web or mobile checkout environments\n\n * Strong understanding of user behavior and funnel analysis\n\n\n\n\n### Data Science \u0026 Statistical Expertise\n\n * Strong foundation in: Probability and statistics Hypothesis testing and experimentation Causal inference and experimental design\n\n * Proven experience designing and analyzing A/B tests and observational studies\n\n\n\n\n### AI / Modern Data Science Tools\n\n * Experience with: Prompt engineering for LLM-based applications RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) architectures Vector databases (e.g., Pinecone, Weaviate, FAISS, Chroma) Frameworks such as LangChain, LlamaIndex, or similar\n\n\n\n\n### Programming \u0026 System Design\n\n * Strong proficiency in Python\n\n * Experience with: ML/AI frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, Hugging Face) Data processing (Pandas, NumPy, Spark) Backend/API development (FastAPI or similar)\n\n * Solid understanding of distributed systems and scalable architecture\n\n\n\n\n## Preferred Qualifications\n\n * Experience in payments, e-commerce, or platform ecosystems\n\n * Familiarity with merchant onboarding or integration workflows\n\n * Experience working with large-scale behavioral data\n\n * Exposure to LLMOps or production AI systems\n\n\n\n\n## What Success Looks Like\n\n * Improved checkout conversion and user engagement metrics\n\n * Clear identification of integration bottlenecks and optimization opportunities\n\n * Statistically rigorous insights that drive product and business decisions\n\n * Effective use of AI tools to accelerate analysis and innovation\n\n\n\n\nSubsidiary:\n\nPayPal\n\nTravel Percent:\n\n0\n\n-\n\nThe base pay for this role will depend on where you work and the relevant experience and expertise you bring. The expected range of pay for this role by location is:\n\nPrimary Location | Pay Range:\n\nSan Jose, California | ($143,500.00 - $212,850.00 Annually)\n\nAdditional Location(s) | Pay Range:\n\nNo other locations are assigned to this requisition currently.\n\nAdditional compensation for this role may include an annual performance bonus, equity, or other incentive compensation, as applicable.\n\nPayPal does not charge candidates any fees for courses, applications, resume reviews, interviews, background checks, or onboarding. When making an application directly, we will never ask you to share passwords, one-time passcodes (OTP), or verification codes. Any such request is a red flag and likely part of a scam. All communication regarding your application will come from official PayPal email domains. If you suspect fraudulent activity, please report it immediately. To learn more about how to identify and avoid recruitment fraud please visit https://careers.pypl.com/contact-us. \n\nFor the majority of employees, PayPal\u0027s balanced hybrid work model offers 3 days in the office for effective in-person collaboration and 2 days at your choice of either the PayPal office or your home workspace, ensuring that you equally have the benefits and conveniences of both locations.\n\nOur Benefits:\n\nAt PayPal, we\u2019re committed to building an equitable and inclusive global economy. And we can\u2019t do this without our most important asset-you. That\u2019s why we offer comprehensive, choice-based programs, to support all aspects of personal wellbeing\u2014physical, emotional, and financial\u2014delivering meaningful value where it matters most. We strive to create a flexible, balanced work culture with a holistic approach to benefits, including generous paid time off, healthcare coverage for you and your family, and resources to create financial security and support your mental health.\n\nWho We Are:\n\nClick Here to learn more about our culture and community.\n\nCommitment to Diversity and Inclusion \n\nPayPal provides equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. In addition, PayPal will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. If you are unable to submit an application because of incompatible assistive technology or a disability, please contact us at [email protected].\n\nBelonging at PayPal:\n\nOur employees are central to advancing our mission, and we strive to create an environment where everyone can do their best work with a sense of purpose and belonging. Belonging at PayPal means creating a workplace with a sense of acceptance and security where all employees feel included and valued. We are proud to have a diverse workforce reflective of the merchants, consumers, and communities that we serve, and we continue to take tangible actions to cultivate inclusivity and belonging at PayPal.\n\nAny general requests for consideration of your skills, please Join our Talent Community. \n\nWe know the confidence gap and imposter syndrome can get in the way of meeting spectacular candidates. Please don\u2019t hesitate to apply.\n