Senior Data Scientist - SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA (Little Italy)

Position Overview

Motionworks, a leader in population intelligence, is seeking a Senior Data Scientist – Urban Mobility and Location Intelligence to lead methodology development for its core population modeling systems. In this applied research and modeling role, you will design, defend, and validate statistical models that convert millions of devices’ travel behaviors into robust population-level insights. This on-site role (3+ days per week) is based in San Diego, California (Little Italy). Salary Range: $200k-$240k.

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. This position is not eligible for employer-sponsored work visas.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and validate Bayesian inference models to extrapolate observed location data to unobserved populations.
• Develop methods to distinguish personal travel from commercial delivery patterns in ambiguous GPS traces.
• Build statistical frameworks for handling varying data quality and penetration rates across geographies.
• Create defensible models for trip purpose inference, stay-point detection, and behavioral segmentation.
• Write concise technical documentation to explain methodologies to internal stakeholders and clients.
• Prototype approaches that engineering teams can productionize using Python, SQL, or other cloud-native tools.
• Recommend new data acquisitions and validation techniques to improve model performance.

Required Qualifications

• 8-10 years of applied experience with large-scale location, mobility, or behavioral data OR a Master's/PhD complemented by demonstrated applied work in transportation/retail analytics.
• Proven expertise working with messy, real-world datasets—handling hundreds of millions of records with imperfect data quality and sparse observations.
• Strong statistical foundations: ability to derive likelihood functions, articulate model assumptions, and defend methodological choices with mathematical rigor.
• Expertise in Bayesian inference, including experience with hierarchical models, prior specification, and uncertainty quantification.
• Proficiency in Python (e.g., NumPy, pandas, scikit-learn, statsmodels, PyMC or similar systems) and SQL for complex queries and data exploration in BigQuery/Spark environments.
• Domain intuition regarding urban mobility and an ability to interpret when outcomes align with or contradict transportation theories.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience at a technology company addressing mobility or logistics challenges at a global scale.
• Familiarity with travel behavior concepts such as trip chaining, mode choice, and origin-destination modeling.
• GIS/geospatial analysis skills including proficiency with PostGIS, H3, or spatial joins.
• Exposure to travel survey data from sources like NHTS or household travel surveys.

Benefits & Perks

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents.
• PTO: Two weeks in the first year and four weeks thereafter.
• Holidays: 14 holidays and flex holidays.
• 401(k) plan.
• Employee equity.