Lyft · 2 weeks ago
Staff Applied Scientist, Tech Lead, Rider Applied AI
San Francisco County, CA
Full-time
Hybrid
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
$176K/yr - $220K/yr
5+ years expLyft is a company focused on serving and connecting its users, and they are seeking a Staff Applied Scientist to enhance the Rider experience through advanced AI techniques. In this role, you will lead a team to develop machine learning solutions that optimize user interactions and drive revenue growth while collaborating with various teams to implement these innovations.
AppsMobile AppsRide SharingSoftwareTaxi ServiceTransportation
Responsibilities
Own complex, open-ended problem spaces. Translate vague business problems into concrete mathematical objectives
Lead multiple high-impact Machine Learning and AI initiatives that powers rider core product experience. Drive algorithmic innovation by introducing new techniques
Partner deeply with Product, Design and Engineering to define technical vision for how AI will transform Lyft rider experience
Design, develop, and deploy advanced machine learning, optimization, and decisioning algorithms for large-scale real-time inferences, balancing scientific rigor with practical engineering constraints
Establish robust evaluation frameworks, defining offline metrics, calibration checks, counterfactual methods, experiment designs, and long-term measurement strategies to ensure model correctness and system stability
Build reusable modeling infrastructure, libraries, and best practices, enabling faster iteration and higher modeling quality across the broader Rider Science and Engineering teams
Mentor and guide junior/mid-level scientists, serving as a technical advisor on modeling design, experimentation, code quality, and scientific reasoning
Qualification
Required
Master's or PhD in Machine Learning, Computer Science, Optimization, Statistics, Engineering, Applied Mathematics, or a related quantitative field; or equivalent high-impact industry experience
5+ years of applied science or machine learning experience, with a track record of deploying production models that drive measurable business outcomes
Experienced in owning multi-project modeling scope across ambiguous problem spaces and integrating work across engineering, product, and data science partners
Strong proficiency in Python, ML frameworks and distributed data systems
Experienced in defining and executing offline and online evaluation strategies, including experiment design, counterfactual analysis, and diagnostics for system failures
Strong technical leadership skills — able to align partners, influence technical architecture, challenge assumptions, and guide cross-team modeling decisions
Experience in mentoring other scientists, elevating technical quality, and improving modeling/analysis standards across the team
Excellent communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex modeling concepts, system trade-offs, and scientific reasoning to both technical and business stakeholders
Benefits
Great medical, dental, and vision insurance options with additional programs available when enrolled
Mental health benefits
Family building benefits
Child care and pet benefits
401(k) plan to help save for your future
In addition to 12 observed holidays, salaried team members have discretionary paid time off, hourly team members have 15 days paid time off
18 weeks of paid parental leave. Biological, adoptive, and foster parents are all eligible
Subsidized commuter benefits
Lyft Pink - Lyft team members get an exclusive opportunity to test new benefits of our Ridership Program
Company
Lyft
Lyft is a leading ride-hailing service offering car rentals, bike, and scooter-sharing through its mobile app for convenient transportation.
5001-10000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Lyft has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (137)
2024 (100)
2023 (132)
2022 (287)
2021 (266)
2020 (281)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$5.76BKey Investors
FidelityMagna InternationalCapitalG
2025-09-03Post Ipo Debt· $450M
2024-02-21Post Ipo Debt· $400M
2021-02-01Post Ipo Equity
Leadership Team
David Risher
Chief Executive Officer
Erin Brewer
Chief Financial Officer
Recent News
2026-01-05
2026-01-03
Company data provided by crunchbase