Senior Applied Economist - Advertising Technology

Introduction to the Team
Expedia Technology teams partner with our Product teams to create innovative products, services, and tools to deliver high-quality experiences for travelers, partners, and our employees. A singular technology platform powered by data and machine learning provides secure, differentiated, and personalized experiences that drive loyalty and traveler satisfaction.

We are seeking an Economist to join our high-performing Advertising Technology team to drive rigorous, data-driven decisions across auction design, ad relevance, incrementality measurement, and marketplace optimization. This role sits at the intersection of economic theory, applied statistics, econometric modeling, experimentation, and large-scale ad systems, influencing how ads are ranked, priced, and evaluated in production.

You will work closely with Data Science, Machine Learning, Engineering, Product, and Operations to translate statistically and economically sound analysis into scalable marketplace improvements.

In this role, you will:

• Analyze and improve ad auction mechanisms (pricing, bidding, pacing) and model advertiser behavior to balance revenue, ROI, relevance, and user experience
• Define and evaluate ad relevance signals using statistical and econometric methods to ensure incentive-aligned metrics
• Design and analyze incrementality and causal experiments (geo tests, holdouts, switchbacks) to measure true lift and avoid cannibalization
• Build and validate econometric and causal models to understand marketplace dynamics, pricing, and long-term health
• Conduct advanced data analysis to inform product strategy, policy decisions, and marketplace optimization
• Collaborate cross-functionally with product, engineering, and ML teams to drive experimentation and data-driven decisions at scale
• Communicate clear, actionable insights to technical and non-technical stakeholders

Minimum Qualifications

• Master's or PhD in Economics, Applied Economics, Econometrics, Statistics, Operations Research, or a related quantitative field
• Solid foundation in microeconomic theory and game theory, with the ability to model strategic behavior
• Strong background in applied statistics and econometric modeling
• Proficiency in Python or R with strong SQL skills to work with large-scale, noisy, real-world data
• Hands-on experience with statistical modeling (linear, GLM, panel data), causal inference techniques, hypothesis testing, and uncertainty quantification
• Strong analytical thinking and a passion for empirical, data-driven research to explore and answer complex questions
• Familiarity with AI-driven systems, tools, or workflows and applying AI/ML concepts to real world products.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly convey complex quantitative analysis, methodologies, and insights to diverse stakeholders

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in advertising, auctions, ranking, or marketplace platforms
• Experience with incrementality measurement in production environments
• Track record of delivering actionable insights from experimental design, causal inference, or large-scale data analysis.
• Demonstrated leadership in designing, implementing, and scaling AI/ML-enabled solutions that improve business outcomes.
• Expertise in integrating generative AI tools to enhance economic modeling, scenario analysis, or forecasting applications.
• Background in e-commerce, travel, or large-scale marketplaces

The total cash range for this position in Seattle is $184,500.00 to $258,000.00. Employees in this role have the potential to increase their pay up to $295,000.00, which is the top of the range, based on ongoing, demonstrated, and sustained performance in the role.

Starting pay for this role will vary based on multiple factors, including location, available budget, and an individual's knowledge, skills, and experience. Pay ranges may be modified in the future.

Benefits and perks

Expedia Group offers benefits and perks designed to support employees and their families, including medical, dental, and vision coverage, paid time off, an Employee Assistance Program, wellness and travel reimbursement, travel discounts, and International Airlines Travel Agent Network (IATAN) membership. Learn more about life at Expedia Group at https://careers.expediagroup.com/life.

Accommodation requests

Expedia Group is committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruiting experience. If you need an accommodation or adjustment due to a disability during the application or recruiting process, please submit a request at https://expedia.service-now.com/askeg?id=job_accommodation.

Important notice

Employment opportunities and job offers at Expedia Group will always come from Expedia Group's Talent Acquisition and hiring teams. Never share sensitive personal information unless you are confident of the recipient. Expedia Group does not extend job offers via email or messaging tools to individuals with whom we have not made prior contact. Our email domain is [redacted].com. The official place to find and apply for roles is https://careers.expediagroup.com/jobs/.