Head of Data Science, Nextdoor
Monetization
$199-300k
+ Equity grant
Private social network for neighbours
Open for applications
Private social network for neighbours
501-1000 employees
Open for applications
$199-300k
+ Equity grant
501-1000 employees
Company mission
Nextdoor’s mission is to cultivate a kinder world where everyone has a neighbourhood they can rely on.
Role
Who you are
- 10+ years in data science, product analytics, applied statistics, machine learning, or equivalent experience; advanced degree in a quantitative field strongly preferred
- Hands-on experience in advertising or monetization data science for consumer products (e.g., ads marketplaces, targeting/relevance, measurement, auction dynamics, yield optimization, budgeting/pacing, attribution, or related domains)
- Proven people leadership experience, including hiring and managing a team of data scientists across multiple problem areas, with a track record of growing others and raising team standards
- Strong DS craft fundamentals: expertise in experimentation, measurement, and statistical reasoning; ability to choose the right method for the question and to anticipate pitfalls and bias
- Experience leading complex analyses end-to-end (problem framing → data requirements → analysis/modeling → recommendations → iteration)
- Comfort partnering across the product development spectrum (strategy, ideation, instrumentation, experimentation, and—where appropriate—model development)
- Exceptional communication: ability to explain complex ideas clearly, influence decisions, and write narratives that drive alignment and action
- Appetite for applying AI and emerging tools to increase productivity and reimagine how DS teams deliver impact (without sacrificing rigor and decision quality)
- Eagerness to explore and apply AI and emerging technologies to reimagine how work gets done
What the job involves
- As Nextdoor’s Monetization Data Science Lead (Senior Manager/Director), you will be a co-owner in shaping our monetization strategy and outcomes. You’ll also contribute to the broader senior leadership group by helping connect product strategy, business goals, and data-informed direction
- Your work will directly impact how Nextdoor creates value for businesses of all sizes—from multinational brands to the dry cleaner and babysitter down the street—while balancing advertiser outcomes with neighbor experience and long-term platform health
- The Data Science team operates in a semi-embedded model: data scientists are closely aligned to product pillars and work day-to-day with product, engineering, and business stakeholders to drive decision-making through rigorous measurement, experimentation, and modeling
- In this role, you will be responsible for developing, communicating, and leading execution of the data science strategy across Nextdoor’s monetization products
- This leader will set a high bar for the Data Science craft and team effectiveness—combining strong hands-on technical and business judgment with the ability to scale impact through others
- While people management and growth are key to this role, it is not a pure management position; strong technical and domain expertise are strongly preferred
- You’ll help build a culture where asking the right questions, high velocity, and proactivity in leveraging data are the norm
- This role has the potential to materially influence Nextdoor’s growth trajectory by improving how we identify opportunities, measure progress, and make decisions across monetization
- Owning the monetization DS roadmap: identify the highest-impact opportunities and risks, define clear success metrics, and align stakeholders on priorities
- Raising the bar on DS craft excellence: establish standards for strong analysis, experimentation, and impact-orientedness; provide high-quality review and mentorship; and help the team deliver work that is rigorous, decision-relevant, and well-communicated
- Being a hands-on technical leader: contribute on the framing and execution of the most strategic, ambiguous, and high-leverage problems (e.g., measurement strategy for new products, experiment design standards, causal questions, marketplace dynamics)
- Driving experimentation and measurement: design and evaluate experiments, ensure sound interpretation, and strengthen the end-to-end measurement system (instrumentation, definitions, dashboards, and decision forums)
- Partnering cross-functionally to move strategy forward: serve as a thought partner to Product, Engineering, Sales, and other functions—bringing clarity, structure, and constructive data-informed judgment, especially when tradeoffs are complex
- Building scalable systems and leverage: improve team throughput through reusable frameworks (metric definitions, analysis templates, audience definitions, and tooling) and by reducing repeated, one-off work
- Leading, growing, and developing the team: hire and develop data scientists, create an inclusive and high-performing culture, and ensure strong career growth and performance coaching
- Representing Data Science and a data-informed POV in leadership discussions: communicate clearly to varied audiences—from deep technical reviews to executive narratives—while maintaining rigor and intellectual honesty
Our take
Nextdoor is a private social network that aims to encourage social interaction between neighbours and make people aware of crime in their area.
The social network has had huge success in the United States and has expanded internationally, with Nextdoor now present in more than 242,000 neighbourhoods around the world.
The company's main competition comes from local Facebook groups, which have become less and less popular due to their comparative lack of functionality. Nextdoor's laser focus on building for neighborhoods has helped them to build a better product, and their advertising partnership with Oracle, launched in 2022, will help bring more transparency to Nextdoor's sponsorships.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
8% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (2 rounds)
May 2019
$130.6m
Dec 2017
$79.6m
Total funding: $210.2m
Company benefits
- Monthly wellness stipend
- 12 weeks of parental, family or medical leave
- Global end of year shutdown
- Learning and development stipend
- Work from home opportunities
- Health insurance
Company HQ
Tenderloin, San Francisco, CA
Leadership
Nirav Tolia
(Co-Founder & CEO)Is also an Advisor and Investor in Early Stage digital companies and is the Chairman of Hedosophia. Was also a Guest "Shark" on the television series Shark Tank.
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