Senior Lead Data Scientist

Starbucks is seeking a Senior/Lead Decision Scientist to drive data-informed strategy across our global coffeehouse business. In this role, you'll translate complex data into clear insights that improve customer experience, store operations, and digital engagement. You'll design experiments, develop predictive and prescriptive models, and build dashboards that guide leaders in merchandising, pricing, and loyalty initiatives. Partnering with cross-functional teams, you'll define metrics, validate hypotheses, and tell compelling data stories. You'll mentor junior analysts, champion data quality and governance, and help shape a culture of evidence-based, ethical decision-making at scale.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and execution of experiments and A/B tests to optimize customer experience, pricing, and promotions.
• Develop predictive and prescriptive models to support demand forecasting, personalization, and store operations.
• Translate complex data into clear, actionable insights and narratives for business and executive stakeholders.
• Build and maintain dashboards, reports, and self-service analytics tools for cross-functional teams.
• Define and refine key performance metrics for digital, retail, and loyalty initiatives.
• Collaborate with product, marketing, operations, and finance to identify and prioritize analytics opportunities.
• Ensure data quality, governance, and proper use of data across projects.
• Mentor and guide junior analysts and data scientists on best practices and frameworks.
• Evaluate and implement new analytical methods, tools, and data sources to enhance decision-making.
• Champion a culture of ethical, evidence-based decision-making aligned with Starbucks values.

Required Skills

• Data science
• Statistical analysis
• A/B testing and experimentation
• Predictive modeling
• Machine learning
• SQLPython or RData visualization (Tableau/Power BI)
• Data storytelling and communication
• Business intelligence and reporting