Senior Data Science Manager, User Growth

About the role

You will set the analytical vision and roadmap for User Growth data science, ensuring the team's work aligns tightly with company-level priorities and pillar-level goals. You will lead a team of 6 to 10 data scientists, building a culture of professional growth, intellectual rigor, creative problem-solving, and impactful shipping. You will support and evolve the practice of embedding Data Scientists within product development teams while maintaining strong stakeholder connection and function cohesion. You will own the design, execution, and interpretation of experiments and analyses that drive decisions on user acquisition, activation, retention, and reengagement. You will develop and maintain user growth forecasting systems, partnering with Finance and Product to deliver credible, timely forecasts of key growth metrics. You will drive business intelligence strategy within Growth, including the metrics layer, self-serve dashboards, and analytical infrastructure. You will translate complex analytical findings into clear narratives for senior leadership and cross-functional partners to influence strategic decisions. You will collaborate across organizational boundaries with Product Management, Engineering, Design, Marketing, and Finance to elevate every phase of product development.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Set the analytical vision and roadmap for User Growth data science, aligning team priorities with company-level goals.
• Lead a team of 6 to 10 data scientists, building a culture of professional growth, intellectual rigor, creative problem-solving, and shipping impact.
• Grow the team over time by attracting and hiring outstanding talent at all levels from junior to senior.
• Support and evolve the practice of embedding Data Scientists within product development teams while maintaining strong stakeholder connection.
• Own the design, execution, and interpretation of experiments and analyses that drive decisions on user acquisition, activation, retention, and reengagement.
• Improve and advocate for methodological standards that ensure reliable learning from every test and analysis.
• Develop and maintain user growth forecasting systems, delivering credible, timely forecasts of key growth metrics to Finance and Product.
• Drive business intelligence strategy within Growth, including metrics definitions, self-serve dashboards, and analytical infrastructure.
• Translate complex analytical findings into clear narratives for senior leadership and cross-functional partners.
• Influence strategic decisions through a combination of technical depth, effective communication, and data-driven storytelling.
• Collaborate across organizational boundaries with Engineering, Product, Design, Marketing, and Finance.
• Partner closely with cross-functional leadership to ensure data science work supports pillar-level objectives.
• Establish data practices that enable the team to operate efficiently and scale their impact over time.
• Mentor data scientists across staff and junior levels, coaching career development and expanding team capabilities.

Requirements

• Experience using data science and analytics to solve product and business problems in a high-growth environment.
• Experience managing 5+ person data science teams and leading through influence and clear communication.
• A graduate degree in Data Science, Statistics, Economics, or a related quantitative field, or equivalent demonstrated expertise in formal analytical techniques.
• Applied industry experience using causal inference, experimentation, and/or machine learning models in messy real-world settings.
• Proven ability to build, lead, and grow a high-performing data science team with a track record of hiring well and developing people across levels.
• Strong understanding of forecasting, statistical modeling, and experimental design, with the ability to communicate tradeoffs to non-technical stakeholders.
• Demonstrated experience driving business intelligence and data infrastructure initiatives that enable data fluency across organizations.
• Comfort working with ambiguous, fast-moving problems while maintaining rigor in analysis and decision-making.

Nice to have

• Experience working in education, edtech, or consumer internet products with network effects.
• Background in mobile app ecosystems and user behavior analysis at scale.
• Familiarity with Duolingo's product suite and engagement mechanics.

Practical notes

Full-time position located in New York, NY. This role reports to the Head of Data Science & Analytics. Compensation details are provided as a range reflecting target base pay, target bonus, and equity grant value. Travel is not expected for this role. No specific visa sponsorship details are listed in the source materials.