Senior Data Scientist, Autonomous Vehicles

At Lyft, our purpose is to serve and connect. We aim to achieve this by cultivating a work environment where all team members belong and have the opportunity to thrive.
The future of Lyft is a hybrid network, where autonomous vehicles and human drivers serve riders side by side on one platform. That future has already started. In September 2026, Lyft riders in Nashville were matched with Waymo autonomous vehicles on the Lyft app for the first time, a milestone years in the making. Through Flexdrive, Lyft manages the depots, charging and maintenance that keep autonomous fleets on the road. Our partnerships now span Waymo in Nashville, May Mobility in Atlanta and Baidu in Europe, with more on the way.
We are early, and the playbook for running a hybrid marketplace at scale hasn't been written yet. You will help write it.
The Global Growth organization is charting the future of Lyft's growth beyond North American rideshare's core products. This includes our premium Luxury modes and Livery drivers, building a unified Lyft presence internationally, and bringing Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) to riders domestically and abroad. As the Staff Data Scientist for AV, you will be the science leader for one of the most strategic bets at the company. You will set the vision for how we measure, optimize and grow autonomous rides on Lyft, and you will shape the strategy behind which partners we work with, which markets we enter and which products we build to win.
This is a high-visibility role with direct exposure to Lyft's executive team and to our AV partners. You will work closely with engineering, product, operations, policy and partnership leaders, act as the bridge to our central marketplace science teams, and represent Lyft science in working sessions with partner teams. You will also have the opportunity to grow and define the AV science function as it scales.
The ideal candidate is a thought leader who pairs deep technical rigor with strong business judgment. You are as comfortable designing an experiment or building a causal model as you are walking a senior leader through a recommendation. In this role, you will help us tackle problems such as:
Hybrid matching:
When a rider requests a ride, how should the marketplace decide between an AV and a human driver, and how does that choice affect wait times, AV utilization and driver earnings?
Incrementality:
What is the true incremental value of an AV ride to Lyft, beyond the ride itself, and how do we translate partner metrics into Lyft's topline?
Rider trust and adoption:
What makes a rider choose, trust or opt out of an autonomous ride, and how should the product experience earn that trust?
Partnership performance:
What shared metrics and service quality guardrails should define success with each AV partner, and how do we use them to improve the product together?
Expansion strategy:
Which markets, partners and use cases (such as airports) should we launch next, how large is each opportunity, and what does it take to win?
Fleet economics:
How do depot, charging and maintenance decisions shape AV availability, and where does Lyft's fleet operations model create the most value?
The global picture:
How does our autonomous roadmap fit with international expansion and our premium modes?
Responsibilities:
Set the multi-year science vision and roadmap for AV at Lyft, and align engineering, product and partnership leaders around it
Define the metrics framework for AV success, including incrementality, service quality and rider experience, and drive it into partner reviews and executive reporting
Design and lead experiments and causal analyses on AV products, from rider onboarding to matching to post-ride experience
Partner with central marketplace science teams to shape matching, pricing and supply models that work for a hybrid network
Build the market sizing and business cases that guide where Lyft launches AVs next
Represent Lyft science with AV partners and turn joint data into product improvements
Mentor data scientists and analysts across Global Growth and help build the AV science team
Experience:
Advanced quantitative background: Master's or PhD in Economics, Statistics, Operations Research, Applied Math, Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent high-impact industry experience
7+ years in applied data science or applied science, with a track record of work that changed product direction or business strategy
Deep, hands-on experience with causal inference and experimentation, including experiment design in two-sided marketplaces, counterfactual analysis and measuring incrementality
Experience setting the technical direction for a product area and influencing roadmaps across multiple teams
Experience presenting to senior executives and external partners, and turning complex analysis into clear decisions
Strong proficiency in Python and SQL
Nice to have: experience in autonomous vehicles, robotics, mobility, logistics or delivery;
optimization or marketplace modeling;
fleet operations or unit economics;
international market expansion
SkillsAbility to think strategically about complex, unstructured problems and turn them into a clear science roadmap
Ability to choose the right method for the decision, and to explain the trade-off between rigor and speed
Ability to break down large, messy datasets, including data shared by external partners, and synthesize inputs from multiple sources
Ability to craft a compelling story and concisely present recommendations to technical and non-technical audiences, including senior leadership
Ability to lead, influence and inspire others without formal authority in a fast-moving and ambiguous environment
Strong product and user experience sense, with real curiosity about how riders experience a new technology
Entrepreneurial self-starter who takes ownership, spots opportunities early and does what it takes to drive results
Benefits:
Extended health and dental coverage options, along with life insurance and disability benefits
Mental health benefits
Family building benefits
Child care and pet benefits
Access to a Lyft funded Health Care Savings Account
RRSP plan with company match to help save for your future
In addition to provincial observed holidays, salaried team members are covered under Lyft's flexible paid time off policy. The policy allows team members to take off as much time as they need (with manager approval). Hourly team members get 15 days paid time off, with an additional day for each year of service
Lyft is proud to support new parents with 18 weeks of paid time off, designed as a top-up plan to complement provincial programs. Biological, adoptive, and foster parents are all eligible.
Subsidized commuter benefits and Lyft ride credits
Lyft is committed to creating an inclusive workforce that fosters belonging. Lyft believes that every person has a right to equal employment opportunities without discrimination because of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, family status, disability, pardoned record of offences, or any other basis protected by applicable law or by Company policy. Lyft also strives for a healthy and safe workplace and strictly prohibits harassment of any kind. Accommodation for persons with disabilities will be provided upon request in accordance with applicable law during the application and hiring process. Please contact your recruiter if you wish to make such a request.
Lyft highly values having employees working in-office to foster a collaborative work environment and company culture. This role will be in-office on a hybrid schedule - Team Members will be expected to work in the office at least 3 days per week, including on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Lyft considers working in the office at least 3 days per week to be an essential function of this hybrid role. Your recruiter can share more information about the various in-office perks Lyft offers. Additionally, hybrid roles have the flexibility to work from anywhere for up to 4 weeks per year. #Hybrid
The expected base pay range for this position in the Toronto area is CAD $136,000 - CAD $170,000, not inclusive of potential equity offering, bonus or benefits. Salary ranges are dependent on a variety of factors, including qualifications, experience and geographic location. Your recruiter can share more information about the salary range specific to your working location and other factors during the hiring process.
Lyft may use artificial intelligence to screen applicants, however, Lyft employees make the ultimate selection and hiring decisions.
This job fills an existing vacancy.
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