---
title: 'Senior Data Scientist at Haystack News'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-data-scientist-haystack-news-fort-lauderdale-8rm05xe8efvf'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-12'
---

# Senior Data Scientist at Haystack News

- **Company:** Haystack News
- **Location:** Fort Lauderdale, FL
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-03-17
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-12
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/haystacknews/6c767efa-8158-401d-8f7e-0279e95122f0

## Job description

[Haystack News](http://haystack.tv/), the number one destination for news on streaming platforms, is looking for a Sr Data Scientist to join our team. Haystack is trusted by over 30 million viewers and is among the fastest-growing TV news companies in the world. Join our team at Haystack News as a Senior Data Scientist and become a pivotal force in redefining user experiences through cutting-edge algorithm enhancements. In this role, you'll leverage your advanced statistical analysis, modeling, causal inference, experimental design (A/B testing) and data analytics expertise to drive substantial improvements in user engagement and retention, directly impacting our product's success. This is an exceptional opportunity to showcase your robust problem-solving capabilities and to thrive in a collaborative environment, working alongside a team of passionate professionals dedicated to innovation and excellence. Be part of a dynamic workplace where your contributions make a meaningful difference and help shape the future of news consumption.

## MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

- PhD or M.S. in Computer Science, Mathematics, Electrical Engineering, Statistics, Economics or Operations Research with 5+ years of professional experience in data science, machine learning or related quantitative field
- 3+ years of professional experience with large-scale online ranking/recommender systems (for news feeds, shopping, ads, music, etc).
- Deep expertise in statistical inference and experimental design: hypothesis testing, power/sample size calculations, variance reduction, etc.
- Proficiency in causal inference methods to measure product impact.
- Proven ability to translate offline analysis into product decisions and measurable improvements in online metrics.
- Fluency in the Python analytics stack (pandas, NumPy), statistical modeling (statsmodels or scikit-learn) and machine learning packages such as LightGBM and XGBoost.
- Strong experience with SQL (e.g. postgres, snowflake, etc).

## PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

- Experience working on consumer-facing products with millions of users.
- Hands-on experience with orchestration/transformation tools (e.g. dbt and Airflow).
- Experience with deep learning and being familiar with tools such as PyTorch or TensorFlow.
- Hands-on development of products/tools incorporating GenAI, LLMs, RAG, and/or Agents.

## RESPONSIBILITIES

- Build statistical and machine learning models to improve content discovery and user engagement.
- Work closely with ML engineers to translate models and insights into production systems.
- Have curiosity and apply analytical skills to dive deep into data to find key insights that would impact the business.
- Apply causal inference methods to understand the impact of potential product changes.
- Define and build new ML features using text and multimodal embeddings and GenAI.
- Validate offline learnings with online outcomes through AB testing. Design, execute, and analyze experiments to prove product change attribution.

## About Haystack News

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Haystack News provides a free, personalized video news streaming service that aggregates content from over 400 local, national, and global channels, using AI and editorial curation to deliver a custom newscast.
- **Entity Type**: Private (venture-backed)
- **Headquarters**: San Francisco, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2014 (some sources indicate 2013) [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/haystack-tv), [pitchbook.com](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/98433-10)
- **Founders**: Daniel Barreto (Co-Founder & CEO) and Ish Harshawat (Co-Founder) [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/haystack-tv)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Consumer Services / Broadcasting / Personalized News Aggregation
- **Target customers**: B2C (consumers seeking free, ad-supported news) and B2B (local news stations seeking wider distribution and monetization)
- **Mission or purpose statement**: “To get you the info you want and need—the news equivalent of the proverbial needle in a haystack—without wasting your time on things that don't matter to you.” [haystack.tv](https://www.haystack.tv/about-us)

## Products & Services
- **[My Headlines]**: A personalized newscast that pulls from topics, sources, and locations selected by the user, combining AI-driven recommendations with editorial curation.
- **[Newsline]**: An interactive news ticker that displays local headlines, weather, stock data, and top stories across business, entertainment, science, and technology.
- **[Live News]**: Live streaming of breaking news from local, national, and global channels.
- **[Channel Guide]**: Curated channels for deep dives into topics like weather, international news, entertainment, and business.
- **[Haystack News Premium]**: An ad-free subscription tier for $4.99/month (with a 30-day free trial) that removes commercials from the experience.

**Type**: All offerings are delivered as a free (ad-supported) or subscription-based streaming service available on mobile devices, smart TVs, streaming devices, and the web. [haystack.tv](https://www.haystack.tv/)

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Annual Revenue of approximately **$2.3 million** (linkedin.com) | Total Funding of **$4.5 million** across three rounds:
  - Seed Round (2015-04-07): $1.7M, 10 investors
  - Seed Round (2017-02-14): $800K
  - Venture Round (2018-09-04): $2.0M, 4 investors
  (Note: PitchBook lists 20 total investors) [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/haystack-tv), [pitchbook.com](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/98433-10)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Investors not named in available data; partners include 400+ news channels such as ABC News, CBSN, Cheddar, CBC, Bloomberg, CNET, and Euronews. [haystack.tv](https://www.haystack.tv/), [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/haystack-tv)
- **Growth Signals**:
  - **Employees**: 27 (LinkedIn) vs. 32 (PitchBook) – headcount declined ~5.6% YoY, but active job postings have increased 60% YoY, suggesting renewed hiring. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/haystack-tv), [pitchbook.com](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/98433-10)
  - **Newsline launch**: A notable recent feature that introduces an interactive ticker with stock data, weather, and headlines.
  - **Global presence**: Operations across the US, Peru, Dominican Republic, Canada, and Chile.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Personalization at scale**: Combines AI/big data with human editorial curation to create a tailored news experience from 400+ channels – a differentiator from single-channel apps or purely algorithmic feeds.
- **Free, high-quality access**: No subscription required for core service, supported by ads; premium tier removes ads without restricting content.
- **Broad platform availability**: Works on mobile, smart TVs, streaming devices, and the web, giving users flexibility.
- **Local-to-global blend**: Aggregates local news stations alongside major networks, filling a gap for cord-cutters who want both hyperlocal and national/international coverage.

## Strategic Focus
- **Monetization growth**: Balancing ad-supported free tier with a growing premium subscription model.
- **Content partnerships**: Expanding the pool of 400+ channels, especially local stations, to differentiate from larger competitors (e.g., Pluto TV, LiveNews).
- **Feature innovation**: Continuing to enhance interactive elements like Newsline to increase engagement and time spent.
- **Audience expansion**: Targeting cord-cutters and younger demographics who prefer streaming news over traditional TV news.

## Why Work Here
- **High employee satisfaction**: Rated 5.0/5.0 on employer review sites (4 reviews) with top marks for work-life balance (5.0), culture (5.0), compensation (4.6), and career growth (5.0). [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/haystack-tv)
- **Remote/hybrid flexibility**: Some roles are remote (e.g., Weekend News Editor – Eastern Time), and the team is distributed across the US, Peru, Latin America, and Canada.
- **Small, impactful team**: With ~27-32 employees, new hires can directly shape product decisions and company direction.
- **Open roles** (as of mid-2025): Data Engineer, Machine Learning Engineer, UX Designer, Product/UX Designer, Growth Analytics & Operations Lead, Head of Marketing, Programmatic Ad Partnerships Manager, Weekend News Curator & Engagement Editor, Weekend News Editor, and more. [jobs.ashbyhq.com](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/haystacknews)
- **Culture**: Fast-moving, mission-driven – focused on making trusted news accessible and personalized. Known as “Haystack TV, Inc.” with a global, cross-functional team.

## Sources
1. [jobs.ashbyhq.com](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/haystacknews) – Careers page
2. [haystack.tv/about-us](https://www.haystack.tv/about-us) – About Haystack News
3. [haystack.tv](https://www.haystack.tv/) – Main site & FAQ
4. [linkedin.com/company/haystack-tv](https://www.linkedin.com/company/haystack-tv) – LinkedIn company page
5. [pitchbook.com/profiles/company/98433-10](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/98433-10) – PitchBook profile (2026)

## Other roles at Haystack News

- [Growth Analytics & Operations Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/growth-analytics-operations-lead-haystack-news-san-francisco-76g81sdvkx1a) — San Francisco, CA
- [Head of Growth Marketing](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-growth-marketing-haystack-news-fort-lauderdale-kvr4kc9favd9) — Fort Lauderdale, FL
- [Head of Growth Marketing](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-growth-marketing-haystack-news-san-francisco-7w5vdp94s27z) — San Francisco, CA
- [Weekend News Editor (Part-Time, Remote – Eastern Time)](https://feeny.ai/job/weekend-news-editor-part-time-remote-eastern-time-haystack-news-remote-awxnby65sr1k)
- [UX Designer](https://feeny.ai/job/ux-designer-haystack-news-lima-wpxc040jx8rp) — Lima, Peru
- [Product Designer](https://feeny.ai/job/product-designer-haystack-news-lima-vm2krcr268sj) — Lima, Peru
- [Growth Analytics & Operations Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/growth-analytics-operations-lead-haystack-news-fort-lauderdale-4s2cn5wh81zc) — Fort Lauderdale, FL
- [Head of Marketing](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-marketing-haystack-news-fort-lauderdale-4mc6rfndhyxv) — Fort Lauderdale, FL
- [Head of Marketing](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-marketing-haystack-news-san-francisco-3zw0mh7nqd18) — San Francisco, CA
- [Data Scientist](https://feeny.ai/job/data-scientist-haystack-news-lima-w9tjf7edf0s6) — Lima, Peru