Principal Data Scientist

We are looking for a Principal Data Scientist to serve as the statistical voice of the Data Science organization. This person will make Databricks smarter and more data-driven at the highest levels of leadership , translating the full power of data science into clear, actionable narratives for our CEO, C-suite, and Board of Directors.

Our vision is simple: data drives every Databricks decision and action. To get there, we need a world-class statistician and communicator , someone who can bridge the gap between deep analytical rigor and executive decision-making. This is a pure IC role with company-wide influence: no direct reports, maximum leverage.

As a Principal Data Scientist, you will:

• Translate complex data science findings into clear, actionable narratives for the CEO, C-suite, and Board of Directors , ensuring data science insights directly inform the company's most critical decisions.
• Serve as the company's chief statistical voice and the final quality backstop for analytical rigor in high-stakes executive decisions. Advance the state-of-the-art in how Databricks applies statistical methods to business problems.
• Raise the communication bar across the entire Data Science organization by setting standards, coaching teams, and co-authoring key executive-facing deliverables. Make every DS team better at telling their story.
• Produce deep strategic analyses on revenue, platform health, operational efficiency, and competitive positioning , the kind of synthesized, judgment-rich insight that AI cannot autonomously create.
• Partner with engineering VPs, product leaders, and executive staff to embed a data-driven decision-making culture across the company. Be the trusted analytical advisor in rooms where critical decisions are made.
• Represent Databricks externally as a data science thought leader at industry conferences, in publications, and in the broader statistical community. Build an external identity that attracts world-class talent.
• Define and evolve company-wide scientific methodologies , experimentation frameworks, forecasting systems, causal inference approaches , to match and push industry state-of-the-art.

To be successful in this role, you will need:

• 15+ years of experience in data science, statistics, or quantitative research spanning industry and/or academia.
• Proven track record of presenting statistical and data science concepts to C-suite and Board-level audiences, with measurable impact on executive decision-making.
• Broad expertise across data science disciplines: experimentation, causal inference, forecasting, optimization, and machine learning.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication , the ability to make complex statistical concepts intuitive and compelling for non-technical executives.
• Track record of upleveling teams: setting analytical standards, mentoring senior data scientists, and improving org-wide output quality.
• Experience at the intersection of statistics and large-scale technology or data platforms.
• Ph.D. in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, or a related quantitative field.