Senior Data Scientist II - Ads Optimization

Canada - Remote (ON, AB, BC, or NS Only) · Remote · CAD 192,000-202,500 / year · 6+ years experience · Full-time · Remote · Posted Sep 28, 2026

At a glance

As a Senior Data Scientist on Instacart's Ads Optimization team, you will drive analytics, experimentation, and algorithmic strategy for a $1B+ ads business.
You will operate at the intersection of data science, economics, and production systems to build and ship solutions impacting revenue and advertiser outcomes.
Your work covers the full research-to-production loop, including problem framing, modeling, experimentation, measurement, and iteration.

Own the analytics and experimentation strategy for pacing, targeting, and related optimization areas, driving measurable improvements in advertiser outcomes and platform efficiency.
Design and build intelligent pacing algorithms and budget allocation systems grounded in adaptive control and model-predictive control techniques, deployed in high-throughput production environments.
Lead end-to-end experimentation across optimization systems by designing experiment frameworks, diagnosing complex or conflicting signals, and translating results into actionable recommendations for Product and Engineering leadership.
Apply causal inference, statistical modeling, and ML techniques to optimize how ad spend is distributed across time and auction opportunities while balancing user experience, advertiser goals, and platform revenue.
Present findings and strategic recommendations to leadership across Product, Engineering, and Data Science.
Serve as a thought leader and technical anchor in the Ads Optimization space, setting the analytical standard and mentoring peers across the team.
Collaborate with the Ads Product and Sales teams to gather advertiser feedback and inform optimization priorities.

Proven experience in ads optimization at an ad tech company with hands-on work in pacing, targeting, budget allocation, or related systems.
Strong data science foundation: product and data analysis, A/B experimentation, causal inference, and statistical modeling.
Experience shipping optimization systems into production, including real measurement and iteration in live environments.
Excellent communication skills, with the ability to synthesize complex technical findings for senior business and engineering stakeholders.
6+ years of work experience in a data science or related field.

Experience collaborating directly with an ads product or sales team, or with advertisers, to shape product and algorithmic priorities.
Background in budget-constrained allocation methods, adaptive control, or model-predictive control in production systems.

Flex First team providing employees flexibility to choose where they do their best work from home, an office, or a coffee shop.