Principal Data Scientist

About the Principal Data Scientist at Headspace

We are seeking an innovative, strategic, and impact-driven Principal Data Scientist to lead the evolution of data science across our care delivery and marketplace ecosystem. This role sits at the intersection of forecasting, experimentation, and workforce optimization strategy, enabling high-quality, accessible mental healthcare at scale. You will be designing analytical frameworks, developing data science products, and uncovering insights that power Headspace’s mission to provide lifelong mental health support.

You will shape how Headspace forecasts demand and supply, optimizes marketplace performance, and measures clinical and coaching outcomes. Working with leaders across Product, Care, Operations, Finance, Engineering, and Marketing, you will design and deploy advanced analytical solutions that influence business strategy and member experience. This is a high-impact leadership role for a seasoned data scientist who combines deep technical expertise, strong business intuition, and a passion for improving mental health outcomes.

What you will do

• Own and evolve end-to-end demand and supply forecasting at macro and shift levels for care services (coaching, therapy, psychiatry), incorporating behavioral, operational, and external drivers.
• Develop high-accuracy forecasting models to support new product launches and partnerships (e.g., large-scale enterprise or channel launches).
• Identify and translate drivers of demand variability into actionable operational levers that improve capacity planning and resource allocation.
• Build forecasting and shift optimization systems that integrate multi-modal data sources (including B2B/enterprise signals) to ensure reliable predictions and scalable recommendations.
• Enable marketplace leaders with data-driven insights to optimize access, capacity, and fulfillment performance.
• Partner with cross-functional leaders to define and track key marketplace metrics, including access (e.g., time-to-appointment), utilization, and network health.
• Define and standardize clinical and coaching outcome metrics (e.g., PHQ, GAD, PSS) and ensure they are reliably captured and reported.
• Lead the development of end-to-end measurement frameworks for care journeys, ensuring high data quality and instrumentation completeness.
• Apply causal inference and statistical modeling to evaluate engagement and long-term member outcomes.
• Partner with stakeholders to translate outcome insights into product, clinical, and operational improvements.
• Build and scale data products, forecasting pipelines, and decision-support tools that enable self-service insights and automation.
• Collaborate with Data Engineering and BI to define robust data models, metric definitions, and reporting layers.
• Translate complex models into intuitive dashboards and tools for business and operational stakeholders.
• Act as a thought leader in forecasting, experimentation, and decision science, raising the bar for analytical rigor and contributing to ROI dashboards.
• Drive new uses of AI in analytics and forecasting.
• Mentor and develop data scientists and analysts, strengthening capabilities in communication, stakeholder influence, and technical execution.
• Communicate complex findings clearly to executive and non-technical audiences, driving alignment and action as a member of the Care marketplace leadership team.

What you will bring

Required Skills

• 8+ years of well-rounded analytics and data science experience, ideally with exposure to Digital Health, high-growth SaaS, and/or Mental Health industries in rapid growth environments.
• 6+ years of experience partnering directly with executive leadership and product leaders, aligning analytics and data science with strategic goals.
• Proven experience building and deploying forecasting models, optimization solutions, and decision frameworks in complex, real-world environments.
• Strong expertise in statistical modeling, causal inference, and experimentation.
• 6+ years of experience owning and managing data products while driving their strategic utilization to create business impact.
• 4+ years of progressive experience in healthcare analytics (preferred).
• 7+ years of expertise in big data technologies (e.g., Redshift, S3, Databricks, Datalakes, Spark).
• Advanced skills in SQL and Python, with Looker, Tableau, Amplitude, Statsig for event-based deep dives and advanced analytics also preferred.
• Bachelor\'s or master\'s degree in computer science, statistics, mathematics, or a related quantitative field.

Location: This role is open to candidates across the US, with preferred locations in San Francisco, CA (hybrid), New York City, NY (remote), and Seattle, WA (remote). Candidates must permanently reside in the US full-time.

If your primary residence is in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, this role follows a hybrid model with 3 days per week in office for in-person collaboration. Recruiter will share more details.

Pay & Benefits

The anticipated base salary range for this full-time position is $162,000-$225,000 plus equity and benefits. For candidates based in San Francisco, New York City, or Seattle, a separate salary range of $207,000-$258,750 applies, consistent with location-based compensation philosophy.

Salary ranges are based on job, level, and location and reflect the lowest to highest geographic markets where we are hiring for this role in the United States. Individual compensation within this range is determined by location and factors such as experience, skills, and education. Your recruiter will provide more details on the specific salary range for your location during the hiring process.

Headspace offers a Total Rewards package including base salary, stock awards, comprehensive healthcare, wellness stipend, retirement match, Headspace membership, parental leave, and more. Additional details will be provided during recruitment.

About Headspace

Headspace exists to provide every person access to lifelong mental health support. We combine evidence-based content, clinical care, and innovative technology to help millions get support that is effective, personalized, and accessible whenever and wherever they need it.

We live our values daily: Make the Mission Matter, Iterate to Great, Own the Outcome, and Connect with Courage. These values guide our decisions, collaborations, and culture as we work to redefine mental health care.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging

Headspace is committed to a safe, welcoming work environment free of discrimination. We strive to create a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone can thrive and contribute meaningfully. We are an equal opportunity employer and prohibit unlawful discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, parental status, disability, age, veteran status, or any other status protected by law. We respect EEOC laws and are dedicated to fostering diversity across our workplace.

Applicants with disabilities may be entitled to reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act and related laws. If you need assistance completing any forms or participating in the application process, please inform our Talent team using the provided form.

Headspace participates in the E-Verify program. All member records are protected according to our Privacy Policy. We take care to avoid dual relationships and ethics concerns; if you have previously received coaching or clinical services at Headspace, you may need to wait until care is complete before applying for a position, and accommodations or adjustments may be made as needed during the process.

For how we use the personal information you provide as part of the application process, please see Headspace applicant notice.