--- title: 'Staff Data Scientist at DuckDuckGo' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/staff-data-scientist-duckduckgo-remote-e6603g0t3bjg' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-04' --- # Staff Data Scientist at DuckDuckGo - **Company:** DuckDuckGo - **Location:** Remote - **Compensation:** $222k - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** remote - **Posted:** 2026-08-19 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-04 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/duck-duck-go/9c381171-f346-4d7a-876a-509fe046760f ## Job description ## WHO WE ARE Hi, we're DuckDuckGo, the online protection company and remote-first team of 300+ on a mission to raise the standard of trust online. Founded in 2008 and profitable since 2014, annual revenue now exceeds $100m USD and millions use our browser on on Mac https://spreadprivacy.com/introducing-duckduckgo-for-mac/, Windows https://spreadprivacy.com/windows-browser-open-beta/, iOS https://spreadprivacy.com/duckduckgo-privacy-browser-ios14/, and Android https://spreadprivacy.com/introducing-app-tracking-protection/, our search engine https://duckduckgo.com/, and the DuckDuckGo subscription https://duckduckgo.com/pro. We also offer private, useful, and optional AI, including Duck.ai https://duck.ai/, which lets you chat privately with ChatGPT, Claude, and other AIs, all in one place. Our culture https://duckduckgo.com/how-we-work of trust, inclusivity, and empowered project management underpins everything we do, where each team member takes full ownership of their projects, from scoping and execution to postmortem. If you're seeking end-to-end ownership of your work, you've come to the right place! ## YOUR TEAM AND ROLE Working on the Data Science Functional Team, you'll drive product and business impact through improving our search engine ranking and results. Recent projects include: 1. Improving first-phase ranking quality and precision without sacrificing latency 2. Developing new lexical-matching and document-authority signals 3. Expanding our search evaluations to measure relevancy readiness and surface ranking blindspots 4. Investigating LLMs for feature generation and ranking Our data meets rigorous privacy standards and is necessarily sparse, so you'll need to think creatively to surface actionable insights in an evidence-first culture where quantitative rigor is the baseline, not the exception. ## ABOUT YOU - You have 10+ years of experience in Data Science, with 2+ years at Staff, Principal, or Director level, and a track record of leading high-complexity projects from scoping to production with minimal direction. - You are comfortable advising others on complex data science work. - You can develop strategies for ambiguous, complex data science problems and turn them into a series of well-defined projects. - You have hands-on experience deploying ML in production, developing NLP solutions, and in AI-assisted development. - You write production-grade code in Python or a comparable high-level language. - You have advanced SQL and query optimization skills. - You collaborate effectively with product teams and contribute to overall team throughput. - Preferred experience: - Running search-specific projects (ranking, retrieval, or indexing) from scoping to production - Working with large-scale search infrastructure (e.g. Vespa, Elasticsearch, OpenSearch, or Solr) ## COMPENSATION $222,033 USD annually and stock options. Compensation is identical within professional levels https://duckduckgo.com/how-we-work, regardless of geographic location or team. Compensation for each professional level is transparent across the organization. Eligibility for company-sponsored health benefits is limited to team members based in the United States. This program does not extend to team members located in other countries, such as Canada or the UK. Our Team Member Support Guide https://duckduckgo.com/assets/hiring/team_support_guide.pdf explains how we prioritize your wellbeing including paid parental leave, office setup, and co-working allowances. ## HIRING PROCESS Hiring works best when it's a two-way street. Learn how we help you get to know DuckDuckGo, envision your future role here, and find out more about how we hire https://duckduckgo.com/how-we-hire. ## DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION DuckDuckGo provides equal work opportunities to all team members and applicants, and it prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, caste, religion, age, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by our policies or federal, state, or local laws. We want to ensure that our hiring process is accessible. If you need reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process because of a medical condition or disability, please send an email to careers@duckduckgo.com to let us know the nature of your request. ## PLEASE NOTE THAT: - You’ll be required to attend meetings on camera via video conferencing - Expect to travel at least two times a year: once for our all-hands meetup and again for a team retreat (each around 4-5 days). While extenuating circumstances may impact attendance, everyone is strongly encouraged to attend. - While we offer a flexible work arrangement with no core hours, expect an average full-time commitment of 40 hours per week. - A successful candidate must pass a background check as a condition of joining the team. - By applying for this role, you confirm that all information submitted is accurate and complete. You further acknowledge that providing false or fraudulent information during the application process is cause for denial of an offer, revocation of any existing offer, or other adverse action, up to and including termination after the start of your commencement of work. DISCLOSURE STATEMENT: USE OF AI IN HIRING PROCESS As part of our commitment to enhancing our recruitment process, we utilize artificial intelligence (AI) technology to assist in reviewing and summarizing job applications and test projects, including those tools integrated into our recruitment vendor platforms. We use AI to flag potentially fraudulent applications, analyze and summarize applicants’ experience, interviews, and project performance, and help streamline our selection process. Key Principles: - Data Privacy: All information provided in your application will be handled in accordance with our Recruiting Privacy Policy https://duckduckgo.com/static-assets/files/pages/careers/DuckDuckGo-Recruiting-Privacy-Policy-effective-September-30-2025.pdf. We ensure that your personal information is protected and used solely for recruitment purposes. - Human Oversight and Accountability: The AI technology is designed to support our hiring team by providing insights and summaries of applications and evaluations of test projects against scoring rubrics. All final evaluations and hiring decisions, however, will be made by our hiring team, who will consider the AI's input alongside other factors. - Transparency: We believe in transparency regarding our hiring practices. If you have any questions about how AI is used in our recruitment process, please feel free to reach out to us. By submitting your application, you acknowledge and consent to the use of AI technology in our review process. If you would like to request an alternative selection process, please contact us as at careers@duckduckgo.com. Thank you for your interest in joining DuckDuckGo! ## #LI-DNI ## About DuckDuckGo ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: DuckDuckGo is an independent, free browser and search engine that actively protects users’ personal information by not tracking them. - **Entity Type**: Private (independently funded, bootstrapped with early angel investment) - **Headquarters**: Paoli, Pennsylvania, USA - **Founded**: 2008 - **Founders**: Gabriel Weinberg ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Internet privacy, search engine, web browser - **Target customers**: B2C (consumers), with a focus on privacy-conscious individuals - **Mission**: “To show the world that protecting privacy can be simple.” ## Products & Services - **DuckDuckGo Browser**: A privacy-focused browser available on Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android. It blocks third-party trackers, cookie pop-ups, and invasive ads, and includes a built-in search engine that never tracks searches. - **DuckDuckGo Search Engine**: A private search engine that does not collect or share personal information. - **Privacy Protections**: Features include Email Protection (email forwarding that strips trackers), App Tracking Protection (blocks trackers in other apps on Android), and optional AI features (e.g., DuckAssist) that are also privacy-respecting. - **DuckDuckGo for Business**: An enterprise version? Not explicitly mentioned; primarily consumer-focused. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed - **Key Metric**: Over 3 billion monthly searches, 9 million monthly downloads, 335+ team members (as of 2026) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Early investor Union Square Ventures; no major recent funding rounds disclosed - **Growth Signals**: Team has tripled in size over the past few years while maintaining a 95% annual retention rate; average user rating of 4.8 across app stores; fully distributed team across 27+ countries ## Competitive Advantages - **Privacy-first positioning**: No tracking, no data collection, and transparent business model (revenue from non-tracking ads and affiliate partnerships) - **Independent and self-funded**: Not reliant on venture capital or ad-tech revenue, enabling long-term focus on user trust - **Non-hierarchical culture**: Flat structure with Directly Responsible Individuals (DRIs) instead of project managers; same pay for same level/region regardless of role or background - **High employee retention**: 95% annual retention since 2012, indicating strong culture and job satisfaction ## Strategic Focus - **Expand privacy protections**: Continue to develop new features that block tracking and protect user data (e.g., Email Protection, App Tracking Protection) - **Grow user base**: Increase adoption of the DuckDuckGo browser beyond the search engine - **Privacy-first AI**: Integrate optional AI features that respect user privacy, distinguishing from competitors that rely on data collection - **Maintain remote-first culture**: Sustain a fully distributed, asynchronous work environment that values deep work and flexibility ## Why Work Here - **Fully remote**: Team members work from over 27 countries; no core hours – schedule flexibility for deep work - **Fair compensation**: Same annual pay for same professional level and global region, regardless of role, gender, or experience - **High retention and engagement**: 95% annual retention, 86% employee engagement (14% above industry benchmark) - **Unique culture**: Non-hierarchical, transparent, with DRIs and Career Advisors; no external job titles internally; emphasis on building trust and questioning assumptions - **Hiring process**: Paid test projects (no live coding or brain teasers), asynchronous, designed to simulate real work; AI used only as a supporting tool with human oversight - **Perks**: No core hours, flexible time off, focus on work-life balance, and a global community of passionate team members ## Sources 1. [duckduckgo.com/hiring](https://duckduckgo.com/hiring) 2. [duckduckgo.com/how-we-work](https://duckduckgo.com/how-we-work) 3. [duckduckgo.com/about](https://duckduckgo.com/about) 4. [duckduckgo.com/how-we-hire](https://duckduckgo.com/how-we-hire) 5. 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