Microsoft

Senior Data Scientist

Microsoft$119K — $234K *
Enterprise Technology
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Doctorate or equivalent experience in Data Science or related fields with 1+ years of data science experience.
  • Master's with 3+ years or Bachelor's with 5+ years of relevant experience in data science.
  • Expertise in managing large datasets and applying statistical techniques for reporting purposes.
  • Preferred advanced degree with significant data science experience in areas like yield management or pricing optimization.
  • Deep understanding of Azure pricing, cloud economics, and customer workflows.

Responsibilities

  • Analyze large-scale revenue and capacity datasets using Python, SQL, or KQL to find pricing opportunities.
  • Develop and assess statistical methods and machine-learning models for resource allocation.
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define objectives and align analytics work with business goals.
  • Design experiments to test optimization strategies, ensuring robust metrics and interpretations.
  • Create and present dashboards and narratives that translate data analysis into actionable insights.
  • Stay updated with trends in AI and cloud economics to inform optimization techniques.
  • Mentor junior data scientists through reviews and best practices sharing.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive healthcare coverage.
  • Retirement savings plans with employer match.
  • Professional development opportunities and mentorship programs.
  • Flexible work arrangements to maintain work-life balance.
Full Job Description
Overview

We are seeking a Senior Data Scientist to lead end-to-end yield optimization initiatives for Azure infrastructure (e.g., virtual machines, storage). In this role, you will frame ambiguous business problems, translate revenue, hardware, and capacity data into actionable insights, and guide decisions that balance resource utilization, cost efficiency, and customer experience. You will apply analytics, machine learning, causal inference, and visualization to recommend strategies, influence cross-functional decisions, and measure business outcomes. Your work will inform decisions like how we price new products, how we use prices to encourage certain customer behaviors, what promotions we create, etc.

Responsibilities

Data Analysis
  • Write efficient, readable code in Python, SQL, KQL, or similar languages to prepare and analyze large-scale revenue, hardware, and capacity datasets, leveraging distributed data-processing systems to identify pricing and yield opportunities.

Modeling & Yield Optimization
  • Select, develop, and validate appropriate statistical and machine-learning approaches for resource allocation and pricing, assessing methodological limitations and both statistical and business significance.

Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Partner with business planning, engineering, product management, and finance teams to define objectives, prioritize analytical work, and align yield strategies with business goals.
  • Influence decisions through evidence, communicate trade-offs, and drive alignment on success measures and implementation.

Experimentation & A/B Testing
  • Own experiment design and impact measurement for optimization hypotheses, including success metrics, guardrails, and interpretation of results.
  • Build causal inference models (e.g., difference-in-differences, synthetic control) when randomized experiments are not feasible.
  • Estimate demand elasticity and customer substitution effects.

Insights & Decision Influence
  • Develop decision-relevant metrics, dashboards, and compelling narratives that translate analyses into actionable recommendations.
  • Present findings and analytical limitations to technical and executive audiences, build stakeholder support, and guide decisions on key yield initiatives.

Thought Leadership
  • Stay current with industry trends in AI, cloud economics, and optimization techniques.
  • Provide mentorship through code reviews, innovation, and sharing best practices.

Business Acumen
  • Apply understanding of Azure pricing, cloud economics, and customer workflows to shape actionable recommendations and explain business trade-offs.

Embody our culture and values.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications
  • Doctorate in Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Econometrics, Economics, Operations Research, Computer Science, or related field AND 1+ year(s) data-science experience (e.g., managing structured and unstructured data, applying statistical techniques and reporting results)
    • OR Master's Degree in Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Econometrics, Economics, Operations Research, Computer Science, or related field AND 3+ years data-science experience (e.g., managing structured and unstructured data, applying statistical techniques and reporting results)
    • OR Bachelor's Degree in Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Econometrics, Economics, Operations Research, Computer Science, or related field AND 5+ years data-science experience (e.g., managing structured and unstructured data, applying statistical techniques and reporting results)
    • OR equivalent experience.

Preferred Qualifications
  • Doctorate in Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Econometrics, Economics, Operations Research, Computer Science, or related field AND 3+ years data-science experience (e.g., managing structured and unstructured data, applying statistical techniques and reporting results)
    • OR Master's Degree in Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Econometrics, Economics, Operations Research, Computer Science, or related field AND 6+ years data-science experience (e.g., managing structured and unstructured data, applying statistical techniques and reporting results)
    • OR Bachelor's Degree in Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Econometrics, Economics, Operations Research, Computer Science, or related field AND 8+ years data-science experience (e.g., managing structured and unstructured data, applying statistical techniques and reporting results)
    • OR equivalent experience.
  • Experience with yield or revenue management, pricing optimization, or cloud resource allocation.


Data Science IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $119,800 - $234,700 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $160,200 - $261,000 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

About Microsoft

Microsoft is an American multinational corporation that develops, manufactures, licenses, supports, and sells a range of software products and services. Microsoft’s devices and consumer (D&C) licensing segment licenses the Windows operating system and related software, Microsoft Office for consumers, and the Windows Phone operating system. The company’s computing and gaming hardware segment provides Xbox gaming and entertainment consoles and accessories, second-party and third-party video games, and Xbox Live subscriptions; surface devices and accessories; and Microsoft PC accessories. Its phone hardware segment offers Lumia smartphones and other non-Lumia phones. Its D&C segment provides Windows Store, Xbox Live transactions, and Windows phone store; search advertising; display advertising; Office 365 Home and Office 365 Personal; first-party video games; and other consumer products and services as well as operating retail stores. Microsoft’s commercial licensing segments license server products, including Windows Server, Microsoft SQL Server, Visual Studio, System Center, and related Client Access Licenses (CALs); Windows Embedded; Windows operating system; Microsoft Office for business, including Office, Exchange, SharePoint, Lync, and related CALs; Microsoft Dynamics business solutions; and Skype. Its commercial segment offers enterprise services, including premier support services and Microsoft consulting services; commercial cloud comprising Office 365 Commercial, other Microsoft Office online offerings, Dynamics CRM Online, and Microsoft Azure; and other commercial products and online services. The company markets and distributes its products through original equipment manufacturers, distributors, and resellers, as well as online.

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Learn more about Microsoft
Size
181,000 employees
Market Cap
$1,762.4 billion
Industry
Net Income
$51.3 billion
Founded
1975
5 Year Trend
+15.5%
Revenue
$153.2 billion
NASDAQ

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