Senior Applied Scientist, Forecasting

About The Team

The business forecasting group at Zillow plays a pivotal role in shaping the planning processes across various Zillow business units. The team consists of forecasters, economists, applied scientists, data scientists, and data visualization engineers who develop and maintain forecasts that guide strategic decisions. They leverage industry-leading data and rigorous statistical techniques to translate housing market and business signals into actionable outlooks, emphasizing explainability to support leadership decision-making.

Zillow Group is a mission-driven organization focused on delivering exceptional experiences and measurable results. The company values collaboration across diverse teams within a dynamic, high-growth environment, balancing strategic planning with hands-on execution to generate significant business impact. The organization is expanding its workforce in India and seeks an experienced applied scientist to join this effort.

Role Overview

This position is for an Applied Scientist based in India concentrating full-time on enhancing forecasting accuracy for Zillow's business sectors. The role involves designing and refining advanced statistical and machine learning techniques to create precise, scalable forecasts. The person will collaborate with team members to speed up and improve modeling tasks and work closely with cross-functional teams to convert complex data into actionable business insights.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and assess statistical, econometric, and machine learning forecasting methods to improve both accuracy and delivery speed.
• Innovate and test new approaches for forecasting performance at the asset level.
• Construct backtesting and validation frameworks to evaluate accuracy, stability, and the downstream impact of forecasts.
• Manage the complete modeling lifecycle, including scoping, feature engineering, model creation, experimentation, deployment, monitoring, and ensuring explainability.
• Communicate forecast results clearly to senior leaders, elucidating drivers, uncertainties, and the trade-offs that inform Zillow's strategic directions.
• Quantify uncertainty and effectively communicate model confidence, limitations, and trade-offs to audiences with varying technical expertise.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with finance, product, engineering, marketing, and operations teams to enhance and scale forecasting capabilities company-wide.
• Contribute to the advancement of shared forecasting tools, data pipelines, and processes utilized throughout Zillow.
• Partner with other applied and data scientists to develop innovative solutions addressing real estate and business challenges.

Additional Information

This role is categorized as an office-based position. Employees are expected to work onsite in Zillow India's office approximately 80-100% of the time and should reside within reasonable commuting distance. Zillow leaves the definition of reasonable commute distance to employee judgment, considering time and cost factors.

In addition to competitive base pay, the position includes eligibility for incentive compensation, subject to laws and Zillow policies, with actual amounts varying by experience, performance, and location.

Candidate Profile

• Possess an advanced degree (Master’s or PhD) in Economics, Statistics, Operations Research, Data Science, Computer Science, Econometrics, Mathematics, or a related quantitative field, or have over five years of professional experience as an applied scientist.
• Demonstrated strong expertise in time-series forecasting, econometrics, or related quantitative modeling techniques.
• Proficient understanding of data engineering principles to design scalable and efficient data solutions.
• Skilled at explaining complex models and analytical ideas to non-technical stakeholders through clear, practical business insights.
• Experience building applied statistical or machine learning models deployed in live business environments supporting decision-making.
• Proficiency in Python and SQL for tasks including data analysis, model creation, validation, and deployment.
• Comfortable handling incomplete, delayed, or noisy real-world datasets and designing robust strategies for estimation under these conditions.

About Zillow

Zillow is revolutionizing how people navigate the real estate market and their career paths. As the leading real estate platform in the United States, Zillow assists millions in buying, selling, financing, and renting homes more easily and confidently. The India teams are instrumental in scaling the technology, products, and operations that underpin this experience. The company fosters a collaborative global culture and has been consistently recognized among the best workplaces in the U.S., including listings in FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For® 2025 and PEOPLE Companies That Care® 2025, reflecting its dedication to innovation, inclusivity, and employee growth.

Diversity and Inclusion

Zillow is committed to equal employment opportunities and cultivating an inclusive, innovative company culture. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, maternity status, HIV status, or veteran status. The company provides reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities per applicable policies.