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Lead Data Scientist

Role overview

Summary

This role is for a Lead Data Scientist at Mercury Insurance, focusing on identifying growth opportunities and optimizing strategies through data-driven solutions. You will collaborate with various teams to drive measurable business value and mentor junior data scientists, contributing to the overall growth of the organization.

Qualifications

  • BS in STEM majors is required.
  • 7+ years of experience in data science, machine learning, or growth analytics.
  • Expert-level SQL and Python, and experience in modern data and ML ecosystems.
  • Experience in growth-focused data science, including paid marketing optimization and experimentation.
  • Preferred: Solid communication skills to simplify complex concepts for non-technical partners.

Responsibilities

  • Work directly with Marketing, Sales, and CX leaders to diagnose business challenges and define analytical roadmaps.
  • Develop rigorous analyses, models, and frameworks to optimize customer acquisition and retention.
  • Build scalable machine learning solutions that improve growth efficiency and ROI.
  • Translate complex data insights into clear, actionable recommendations for decision-making.

Key facts

Hard skills

Other skills

  • Communication
  • Problem Solving

About the company

Mercury Insurance logo

Mercury Insurance

  • Insurance
  • Large
  • 5,001–10,000
At Mercury, we have been guided by our purpose to help people reduce risk and overcome unexpected events for more than 60 years. We are one team with a common goal to help other others. Everyone needs insurance and we can’t imagine a world without it. Our team will encourage you to grow, make time to have fun, and work together to make great things happen. We are an award-winning company, and we owe that to our amazing team! We care about our people, and we mean it. We reward our talented professionals with a competitive salary, bonus potential, and a variety of benefits to help our team members reach their health, retirement, and professional goals. Mercury was founded in 1961 by George Joseph, Mercury’s Founder and Chairman. Back in the 50s, everyone paid the same rate, regardless of their driving record. Joseph decided he could create a new system by developing an insurance company that used different factors to create fair and equitable rates for a variety of drivers. “We called our company Mercury, because I wanted us to be fast and nimble, just like the Roman God of business and merchants,” says Joseph. “He was also responsible for delivering good news to people on Earth, which is exactly what we do for Mercury customers every day.” We, Mercury Insurance (NYSE-MCY), are a leading independent broker and agency writer of automobile insurance in California and one of the fastest growing automobile insurers in the nation. We were ranked as the fourth largest private passenger automobile insurer in California, with over $4.5 billion in total assets, 4,500 team members, and 8,000 independent agents. We started by providing comprehensive coverage options for auto and expanded our offerings into home, condo, renters, and business insurance, as well as mechanical protection. We operate through a network of local, independent agents in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Texas and Virginia.

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Job description

Overview: Position Summary:

We are looking for an experienced Lead Data Scientist to join our Growth Data Science team at Mercury Insurance. In this role, you will partner closely with our Marketing, Sales, and Customer Experience organizations to identify growth opportunities, optimize acquisition and engagement strategies, and deliver scalable, data-driven solutions. You will act as a thought leader—bring deep technical expertise, strong business intuition, and the ability to drive measurable business value through automated, domain-specific AI solutions.

Geo-Salary Information:

An in-person interview may be required during the hiring process

State specific pay scales for this role are as follows:

$XX to $XX (NJ, NY, WA, HI, AK, MD, CT, RI, MA)

$XX to $XX (NV, OR, AZ, CO, WY, TX, ND, MN, MO, IL, WI, FL, GA, MI, OH, VA, PA, DE, VT, NH, ME)

$XX to $XX (UT, ID, MT, NM, SD, NE, KS, OK, IA, AR, LA, MS, AL, TN, KY, IN, SC, NC, WV)

In CA: Typical hiring range is $$139,713 - $218,302

The expected base salary for this position will vary depending on a number of factors, including relevant experience, skills and location.

Responsibilities:

Essential Job Functions:

  • Work directly with Marketing, Sales, and CX leaders to diagnose business challenges, define analytical roadmaps, and drive growth strategies.
  • Develop rigorous analyses, models, and frameworks to optimize customer acquisition, lifecycle engagement, and retention.
  • Build scalable machine learning solutions (e.g., targeting, segmentation, uplift modeling, LTV prediction) that improve growth efficiency and ROI.
  • Drive acquisition, retention, and monetization through data-driven experimentation and modeling. 
  • Translate complex data insights into clear, actionable recommendations that influence decision-making at all levels of the organization.
  • Collaborate with engineering teams to productionize models and analytics pipelines with high reliability and performance.
  • Familiar with state of art AI solutions in Data Science domain and mentor Jr. data scientists.
  • Drive best practices in experimentation, measurement, and growth analytics across the company.

#LI-DS1

Qualifications: Education:
  • BS in STEM majors is required. MS/Ph.D. is preferred.

Experience:

  • 7+ years of experience in data science, machine learning, or growth analytics, with a track record of delivering business impact.

Knowledge and Skills:

  • Expert-level SQL and Python, and experience working in modern data and ML ecosystems.
  • Experiences in growth-focused data science (e.g., paid marketing optimization, attribution, funnel diagnostics, experimentation, user segmentation).
  • Design and lead complex A/B/n testing frameworks, including multi-armed bandits and causal inference models to measure impact in ambiguous environments.
  • Hands-on experience building and deploying production ML models.
  • Experience in fine-tuning Generative AI (LLMs) for domain-specific applications is a plus.
  • Solid communication skills—able to simplify complex concepts for non-technical partners and good storytelling skills. 
  • Ability to operate in "zero-to-one" problem spaces where clear ground truths may not exist.
  • Strong product and business intuition; comfortable partnering with senior-level stakeholders.
  • Experience in a consumer, fintech, SaaS, or marketplace environment is a plus.
About the Company:

Why choose a career at Mercury?

At Mercury, we have been guided by our purpose to help people reduce risk and overcome unexpected events for more than 60 years. We are one team with a common goal to help others. Everyone needs insurance and we can’t imagine a world without it.

Our team will encourage you to grow, make time to have fun, and work together to make great things happen. We embrace the strengths and values of each team member. We believe in having diverse perspectives where everyone is included, to serve customers from all walks of life.

We care about our people, and we mean it. We reward our talented professionals with a competitive salary, bonus potential, and a variety of benefits to help our team members reach their health, retirement, and professional goals.

Learn more about us here: https://www.mercuryinsurance.com/about/careers

Perks and Benefits:

We offer many great benefits, including:

  • Competitive compensation
  • Flexibility to work from anywhere in the United States for most positions
  • Paid time off (vacation time, sick time, 9 paid Company holidays, volunteer hours)
  • Incentive bonus programs (potential for holiday bonus, referral bonus, and performance-based bonus)
  • Medical, dental, vision, life, and pet insurance
  • 401 (k) retirement savings plan with company match
  • Engaging work environment
  • Promotional opportunities
  • Education assistance
  • Professional and personal development opportunities
  • Company recognition program
  • Health and wellbeing resources, including free mental wellbeing therapy/coaching sessions, child and eldercare resources, and more

Mercury Insurance is an equal opportunity employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

Mercury is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities who need assistance with the application and/or employment consideration process. If you require an accommodation, you may contact us by sending an e-mail to recruiting@mercuryinsurance.com. Please include your name, contact information, and a description of your requested accommodation in your message.

Pay Range: USD $118,664.00 - USD $230,619.00 /Yr.

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