Senior Economist, Specialized Selection

Amazon is looking for an outstanding Senior Economist to help build next generation selection/assortment systems. On the Specialized Selection team within the Supply Chain Optimization Technologies (SCOT) organization, we own the selection to determine which products Amazon offers in our fastest delivery programs. We build tools and systems that enable our partners and business owners to scale themselves by leveraging our problem domain expertise, focusing instead on introspecting our outputs and iteratively helping us improve our ML models rather than hand-managing their assortment. We partner closely with our business stakeholders as we work to develop state-of-the-art, scalable, automated selection.

Our team is highly cross-functional and employs a wide array of scientific tools and techniques to solve key challenges, including supervised and unsupervised machine learning, non-convex optimization, causal inference, natural language processing, linear programming, reinforcement learning, and other forecast algorithms. Some critical research areas in our space include modeling substitutability between similar products, incorporating basket awareness and complementarity-aware logic, measuring speed sensitivity of products, modeling network capacity constraints, and supply and demand forecasting.

We're looking for a candidate with a background in experiment design and causal analysis to lead studies related to selection and speed. Potential projects include understanding the short-term and long-term customer impact of assortment changes across different speed.

As an Senior Economist, you'll build econometric models using our world-class data systems and apply economic theory to solve business problems in a fast-moving environment. You will work with software engineers, product managers, and business teams to understand the business problems and requirements, distill that understanding to crisply define the problem, and design and develop innovative solutions to address them.

To be successful in this role, you'll need to communicate effectively with product and tech teams, and translate data-driven findings into actionable insights. You'll thrive if you enjoy tackling ambiguous challenges using the economics toolkit and identifying and solving problems at scale. We have a supportive, fast-paced team culture, and we prioritize learning, growth, and helping each other continuously raise the bar.

Key job responsibilities
- Lead data-driven econometric studies to create future business opportunities
- Consult with stakeholders in Selection and other teams to help solve existing business challenges
- Independently identify and pursue new opportunities to leverage economic insights
- Advise senior leaders and collaborate with other scientists to drive innovation
- Support innovative delivery program growth worldwide
- Write business and technical documents communicating business context, methods, and results to business leadership and other scientists
- Serve as a technical lead and mentor for junior scientists, ensuring a high science bar
- Serve as a technical reviewer for our team and related teams, including document and code reviews

Basic Qualifications

- PhD in economics or equivalent
- Experience in econometrics (e.g., program evaluation, forecasting, time series, panel data, or high dimensional problems), economic theory, and quantitative methods
- Experience in building statistical models using R, Python, STATA, or a related software
- Experience in industry, consulting, government or academic research
- Familiar with various experimental designs and their applications

Preferred Qualifications

- Experience working with software developers and product managers
- Experience in developing and executing an analytic vision to solve business-relevant problems
- Experience with machine learning models
- 5+ years of applying scientific methods to business problems and products experience

Amazon is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or other legally protected status. For individuals with disabilities who would like to request an accommodation, please visit https://www.amazon.jobs/en/disability/us.

Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several US geographic markets. The base pay for this position ranges from $143,300/year in our lowest geographic market up to $247,600/year in our highest geographic market. Pay is based on a number of factors including market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Amazon is a total compensation company. Dependent on the position offered, equity, sign-on payments, and other forms of compensation may be provided as part of a total compensation package, in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits. For more information, please visit https://www.aboutamazon.com/workplace/employee-benefits. This position will remain posted until filled. Applicants should apply via our internal or external career site.