Data Science Manager

  East Coast, US

Prolific

Prolific is not just another player in the AI space—we are the architects of the human data infrastructure that's reshaping the landscape of AI development. In a world where foundational AI technologies are increasingly commoditized, it's the quality and diversity of human-generated data that truly differentiates products and models.

The Role

Prolific for AI is a high-growth, greenfield vertical building the infrastructure behind human-aligned AI. As Data Science Manager, you'll build and lead the data science and analytics function for this vertical - setting strategy, hiring the team, and partnering with commercial, product, and ops stakeholders to drive measurable impact. You'll define what great looks like, then build the team and systems to deliver it.

What you'll be doing

Build & Lead the Team

• Hire, develop, and retain a high-performing team of Data Scientists and Analysts
• Set clear expectations for technical quality — rigorous causal inference, well-designed experiments, principled modelling — and coach the team to meet them
• Define ways of working, prioritisation, and how the team interfaces with commercial and product stakeholders

Drive Commercial Growth through Data

• Ensure your team delivers analytics that fuel the Prolific for AI Sales and Ops functions: pipeline health, forecasting, customer health, and retention signals
• Act as a senior data thought partner to commercial leadership — translating business questions into analytical problems and outcomes into decisions

Own the Experimentation Standard

• Set and hold the bar for how your team designs, runs, and interprets experiments — going beyond basic A/B testing toward rigorous causal inference and algorithmic work
• Partner with Product to make experimentation a core capability across the vertical, not just a tool

Ensure Data Quality at Scale

• Lead your team to build scalable frameworks that guarantee high-quality AI training and evaluation data for Prolific's frontier lab partners
• Establish governance: clear rules, repeatable checks, and shared standards that Product and Engineering can build against
• Be hands-on in the early phase — contributing technically where needed — then transition to technical oversight and mentorship as the team matures

What you'll bring 

• Proven track record leading data science or analytics teams — you've hired, developed, and held a high technical bar
• Technically deep enough to set direction, review work critically, and earn credibility with strong ICs — not just manage process
• Expertise in experimentation and causal inference; you know the difference between a well-designed study and a convincing-looking one
• Ability to translate ambiguous, high-stakes business problems into structured analytical work
• Strong stakeholder influence — you can align Product, Eng, Ops, and Commercial without direct authority
• Bonus: experience with AI data pipelines, RLHF, or human-in-the-loop evaluation systems

The job spec is a guideline and we are always looking for the best people—we encourage you to apply even if you feel like you don’t meet all the requirements.

Why Prolific is a great place to work

We've built a unique platform that connects researchers and companies with a global pool of participants, enabling the collection of high-quality, ethically sourced human behavioural data and feedback. This data is the cornerstone of developing more accurate, nuanced, and aligned AI systems.

We believe that the next leap in AI capabilities won't come solely from scaling existing models but from integrating diverse human perspectives and behaviors into AI development. By providing this crucial human data infrastructure, Prolific is positioning itself at the forefront of the next wave of AI innovation—one that reflects the breadth and the best of humanity.

Working for us will place you at the forefront of AI innovation, providing access to our unique human data platform and opportunities for groundbreaking research. Join us to enjoy a competitive salary, benefits, and remote working within our impactful, mission-driven culture.

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