Data Scientist

Ambition Needs a Place to Grow. At Playtika, we create mobile games enjoyed by millions worldwide. Combining the scale of a public company (NASDAQ: PLTK) with the speed and ownership of a startup, we are a global leader where innovation, data, and creativity shape the future of entertainment. Here, your ideas matter, your decisions impact products, and your growth is supported across global studios. Bring your hunger where it belongs: at the front of the pack. Job brief Playtika (NASDAQ: PLTK) is a mobile gaming entertainment and technology market leader with a portfolio of multiple game titles. Founded in 2010, Playtika was among the first to offer free-to-play social games on social networks and, shortly after, on mobile platforms. Headquartered in Herzliya, Israel, and guided by a mission to entertain the world through infinite ways to play, Playtika has offices worldwide and over 3,000 employees. Playtika is looking for a Principal Data Scientist to join the Data & AI Department and shape the scientific direction of our work across the player experience. This position is based in Herzliya, Israel. We are looking for people with exceptional soft skills and outstanding hard skills. We love to address complex intellectual challenges and make sense of high dimensional and dynamical data that impact the game experience of millions of players. You will join a multidisciplinary team with a variety of business use-cases and algorithmic approaches, and you will help shape its scientific direction. We use strong statistical fundamentals with SOTA algorithms and cutting-edge technologies to provide a better experience for our players. Our solutions translate directly to production (mostly as part of a product) and serve the business needs from different use-cases & multiple studios. The problems are varied and rigorous: understanding and predicting player behavior, optimization of game mechanics, causal inference and online experimentation, sequential decision-making with bandits and RL, and more. We care about what works in practice, not only what works on a benchmark. Responsibilities • Conduct full data driven research and solution development including problem definition, data collection and validation, model development, evaluation, and deployment • Set the technical direction and roadmap for data science across multiple studios and use-cases, and influence senior stakeholders on research priorities • Own and demonstrate the business impact of your solutions in a live production environment • Collaborate with cross-functional teams (business, engineers, BI, product) to develop, test, and deploy your models quickly and effectively • Drive and contribute to scientific papers, blogs, conferences, etc., representing Playtika in the wider data science community • Mentor and coach DS/MLE colleagues, including senior team members, and act as the lead DS Subject Matter Expert within the organization Qualifications • M.Sc. or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Engineering or a related field • 8+ years of work experience, including a proven track record of leading complex data science initiatives end to end • Exceptional problem-solving and scientific reasoning skills, including knowing which problems are worth solving and which methods fit them • Deep theoretical and practical knowledge of machine learning, with recognized expertise in one or more areas (e.g., causal inference, LTV/churn prediction, experimentation, personalization) • Strong Python and SQL, and fluency with AI-assisted development tools (Cursor, Claude Code, etc.) that make you faster • Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences (e.g., product managers, business domain experts, executives) • Ability to influence without authority and lead across teams • A team-player mindset Nice to have • RL background (e.g. multi-armed bandits) – strong advantage • Working experience of Git • Experience in the gaming industry We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Subject to applicable laws, we may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist our recruitment teams in the hiring process, including drafting job descriptions, communication, response to applications, assessments and tests, as further described in our Candidates Privacy Notice. By applying to this job, you acknowledge that you have read and understood our Candidates Privacy Notice, including with respect to the use of AI tools, and consent to the processing of your information as described therein. We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. If you feel the above describes you perfectly - Apply now! Employee at Playtika? Click here