Director of Data Science, Growth

CURRENT ROOT EMPLOYEES - Please apply using the career page in Workday. This career site is for external applicants only.

The Opportunity

We believe that a disruptive insurance company must have a principled quantitative framework at its foundation. At Root, we are committed to the rigorous development and effective deployment of modern statistical machine learning methods to problems in the insurance industry.

At Root, the Quantitative Science team is responsible for the majority of all marketing capital allocation, using quantitative methods to test, maintain, and enhance our marketing strategies across numerous distribution channels. As the head of the Growth Data Science team, you will be at the helm of our exploration and exploitation of the direct marketing space. You will be responsible for optimizing the allocation of our direct marketing budget up and down the marketing funnel.

You will lead and expand a team of data scientists, analysts, and marketing specialists to identify the biggest opportunities, break them down into quantitative problems, and shepherd solutions from R&D into production. You will collaborate with cross-functional leaders across the company from Product, Engineering, and State Management to execute on both operational initiatives and big bets. You will work closely with executive leadership to form long-range strategies that drive profitable growth.

Root is a “work where it works best” company. This means we will support you working in whatever location that works best for you across the US.

Salary Range:  $240,866 - $294,392  (Bonus and LTI eligible)

How You Will Make an Impact

• Lead the Growth Data Science team, overseeing 15 direct, indirect, and dotted-line reports

• Drive continuous improvement of existing marketing strategies while spearheading rapid testing and rigorous measurement of novel marketing strategies and channels

• Build strong relationships with cross-functional partners to identify current challenges and shape future strategic initiatives

• Collaborate with Engineering partners to develop roadmaps and align on the prioritization of key platforms and initiatives

• Craft and deliver communication that drives clarity, awareness, and alignment with executive leadership

• Lead medium- and long-term planning for the team, including annual planning and quarterly OKR setting

• Maintain a high standard of operational excellence across the team

• Maintain a high standard of performance on the team by providing coaching and continuous feedback

• Maintain relationships with third-party marketing data vendors and channel partners

• Facilitate large-scale opportunities for coaching and education across the organization

What You Will Need to Succeed

• Advanced degree in a quantitative discipline (PhD preferred) and 8+ years of applying advanced quantitative techniques to problems in industry

• 4+ years of experience in a leadership role, with an extensive track record of leading high-performing data science teams

• Ability to inspire team members and influence cross-functional partners to mobilize around critical business initiatives

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills: communicates effectively with technical, non-technical, and executive audiences

• Multi-threading: maintains up to date knowledge of multiple intersecting initiatives and ensures that they are on track

• Ownership mentality: takes the initiative to identify, champion, and execute on the highest impact work

• Ability to consider problems from first principles, with the instinct to use expertise and prior experience to guide but not dictate the solution

• Preferred but not required:

  • Insurance industry experience

  • Full funnel marketing experience: developing, executing, and measuring the impact of targeted, data-driven marketing strategies

Don’t meet every single requirement?

Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Root, Inc., we are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway!

Join us

At Root, we judge people based on the merit of their work, not who they are. If you are passionate about what this role entails and solving real problems, we encourage you to apply. We want to learn about you and what you can add to our team.

Who we are

We’re harnessing the power of technology to revolutionize insurance. Using machine learning and mobile telematic platforms, we’ve built one of the most innovative FinTech companies in the world. And we’re just getting started.

What draws people to Root

Our success is in large part due to our unwavering standards in hiring. We recognize that our products are only as good as the people building and promoting them. We want individuals who find solutions by going through the cycle of ideation to implementation with curiosity, rigor, and an analytical lens. Ask anyone who works here and you’ll hear similar reasons for why they joined:

Autonomy—for assertive self-starters, the opportunities to contribute are limitless.

Impact—by challenging the way it’s always been done, we solve problems that have a big impact on our business.

Collaboration—we encourage rich discussion and civil debate at every turn.

People—we are inspired by the collection of crazy-smart people around us.