Applied Scientist, Housing Market Forecasting

About the team

Join our dynamic team, leveraging a comprehensive database of over 100 million homes, transactions, and users to predict and analyze housing market trends.

As an Applied Scientist specializing in traditional econometrics and machine learning with a focus on time series and hierarchical forecasting, you will play a critical role in shaping our understanding and forecasting of the housing market.

About the role

As an Applied Scientist you will actively participate in Collaborative Forecast Development: Work alongside other applied scientists, data scientists and economists to develop hierarchical forecasts for the housing market at various regional levels:

• Feature Extraction: Identify economic and demographic driving forces of housing market growth across regions and extract features that predict housing market trends 1 to 2 years in the future.

• Model Deployment: Collaborate closely with the engineering team to deploy models into production environments.

• Forecast Production: Contribute to monthly forecast production, communicating forecast performance and the housing market outlook to business partners and senior leadership team.

• Scenario Modeling: Develop scenario models that capture a wide range of housing market outcomes and contribute to a company-wide stress-testing framework.

This role has been categorized as a Remote position. “Remote” employees do not have a permanent corporate office workplace and, instead, work from a physical location of their choice, which must be identified to the Company. U.S. employees may live in any of the 50 United States, with limited exceptions.

In addition to a competitive base salary and benefits, this position is also eligible for equity awards based on factors such as experience, performance and location.

Who you are

• Keen Housing Market Observer: Strong interest and understanding of the housing market and the economic factors that influence it.

• Innovative Problem Solver: Passionate about working on innovative solutions to time series, panel data, and hierarchical forecasting problems, conducting independent research, and applying research methods to real-world problems.

• Technical Proficiencies:

  • Strong foundation in traditional econometric methods and modern machine learning techniques.

  • Proficient in data cleaning, preprocessing, and feature engineering for time series data. Experience with large-scale datasets and familiarity with distributed computing frameworks such as Spark.

  • Ability to design and implement robust model evaluation and validation strategies, including cross-validation and backtesting. Experience with metrics for time series forecasting accuracy and performance assessment.

  • Proficient in software development best practices and version control systems (e.g., Git).

  • Proficient in cloud-based platforms and tools for deploying and monitoring machine learning models.

• Communication Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, capable of conveying complex concepts to a broad audience.

• Experience: 2+ years of proven experience working in time series/spatial forecasting space.

• Educational Background: Master’s or PhD degree in Mathematics, Statistics, Economics, Econometrics, Physics, Earth Sciences, or a related scientific field 

Get to know us

At Zillow, we’re reimagining how people move—through the real estate market and through their careers. As the most-visited real estate platform in the U.S., we help customers navigate buying, selling, financing and renting with greater ease and confidence. Whether you're working in tech, sales, operations, or design, you’ll be part of a company that's reshaping an industry and helping more people make home a reality.

Zillow is honored to be recognized among the best workplaces in the country. Zillow was named one of FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For® in 2025, and included on the PEOPLE Companies That Care® 2025 list, reflecting our commitment to creating an innovative, inclusive, and engaging culture where employees are empowered to grow.

No matter where you sit in the organization, your work will help drive innovation, support our customers, and move the industry—and your career—forward, together.

Zillow Group is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive, innovative environment with the best employees. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please contact your recruiter directly.

Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with applicable state and local law.

Los Angeles County applicants: Job duties for this position include: work safely and cooperatively with other employees, supervisors, and staff; adhere to standards of excellence despite stressful conditions; communicate effectively and respectfully with employees, supervisors, and staff to ensure exceptional customer service; and follow all federal, state, and local laws and Company policies. Criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship with some of the material job duties of this position. These include the duties and responsibilities listed above, as well as the abilities to adhere to company policies, exercise sound judgment, effectively manage stress and work safely and respectfully with others, exhibit trustworthiness and professionalism, and safeguard business operations and the Company’s reputation. Pursuant to the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.