Scientist Jobs at Lyft with Visa Sponsorship
Scientist jobs at Lyft span data, machine learning, and research functions that directly shape how millions of people move. The company has a consistent track record of sponsoring work visas for technical roles like this one, supporting candidates through the full immigration process from initial filing to long-term status.
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Get Access To All JobsAt Lyft, our purpose is to serve and connect. We aim to achieve this by cultivating a work environment where all team members belong and have the opportunity to thrive.
Lyft Ads is one of Lyft's newest and fastest-growing businesses, focused on building the world's largest transportation media network. Our mission is to help brands reach riders during key moments of their journey—before, during, and after a ride—by delivering meaningful, contextually relevant ad experiences. We operate at the intersection of mobility data, real-time decision systems, and AI-powered personalization, enabling advertisers to run high-impact campaigns with measurable outcomes.
The Pricing team is a centerpiece of Lyft's marketplace. The team owns the models and software systems that determine the final prices shown to riders. Working with our business and analytics partners, the team owns tools to ensure Lyft offers competitive prices while making efficient financial trade-offs. Planned Pricing is a fast-growing team within Pricing, focused on setting the most efficient price targets to drive both short term and long term business outcomes.
As a Data Scientist specializing in Algorithms on the Planned Pricing team, you will develop mathematical models for core pricing systems and address diverse problems across optimization, prediction, machine learning, and inference. You will collaborate with cross-functional teammates and stakeholders to enhance algorithms, build and scale our systems, and drive business growth. We are looking for someone who is excited about working in a fast-paced, innovative, and impactful environment, and is adept at balancing complexity and efficiency to translate real world business problems into reliable solutions and decisioning frameworks. In this role, you will report to a Data Science Manager.
Responsibilities:
- Partner with Engineers, Product Managers, and Business Partners to frame problems mathematically and within the business context
- Prioritize and lead deep dives into our data to uncover new product and business opportunities
- Be familiar with production code; collaborate with Software Engineers to implement algorithms and models in production
- Design, implement, and analyse different types of experiments, and facilitate and foster data-driven and informed decision making and prioritization
- Establish metrics that measure the health of our products, as well as rider and driver experience
- Drive collaboration and coordination with cross-functional teams
- Provide coaching and technical guidance for other teammates
Experience:
- Ph.D. in Operations Research, or other quantitative fields or related work experience
- Proven experience with building and evaluating optimization models
- Proficiency with Python and working in a production coding environment
- Passion for solving unstructured and non-standard mathematical problems
- End-to-end experience with data, including querying, aggregation, analysis, and visualization
- Strong verbal and written communication skills, and ability to collaborate and communicate with others to solve a problem
Benefits:
- Great medical, dental, and vision insurance options with additional programs available when enrolled
- Mental health benefits
- Family building benefits
- Child care and pet benefits
- 401(k) plan with company match to help save for your future
- In addition to 12 observed holidays, salaried team members have discretionary paid time off, hourly team members have 15 days paid time off
- 18 weeks of paid parental leave. Biological, adoptive, and foster parents are all eligible
- Subsidized commuter benefits
- Monthly Lyft credits and complimentary Lyft Pink membership
Lyft is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive workplace that fosters belonging. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regards to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, age, genetic information, or any other basis prohibited by law. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with applicable federal, state and local law.
Lyft highly values having employees working in-office to foster a collaborative work environment and company culture. This role will be in-office on a hybrid schedule — Team Members will be expected to work in the office 3 days per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Lyft considers working in the office at least 3 days per week to be an essential function of this hybrid role. Your recruiter can share more information about the various in-office perks Lyft offers. Additionally, hybrid roles have the flexibility to work from anywhere for up to 4 weeks per year. #Hybrid
The expected base pay range for this position in the New York City area is $128,000 - $160,000, not inclusive of potential equity offering, bonus or benefits. Salary ranges are dependent on a variety of factors, including qualifications, experience and geographic location. Your recruiter can share more information about the salary range specific to your working location and other factors during the hiring process.
At Lyft, our purpose is to serve and connect. We aim to achieve this by cultivating a work environment where all team members belong and have the opportunity to thrive.
Lyft Ads is one of Lyft's newest and fastest-growing businesses, focused on building the world's largest transportation media network. Our mission is to help brands reach riders during key moments of their journey—before, during, and after a ride—by delivering meaningful, contextually relevant ad experiences. We operate at the intersection of mobility data, real-time decision systems, and AI-powered personalization, enabling advertisers to run high-impact campaigns with measurable outcomes.
The Pricing team is a centerpiece of Lyft's marketplace. The team owns the models and software systems that determine the final prices shown to riders. Working with our business and analytics partners, the team owns tools to ensure Lyft offers competitive prices while making efficient financial trade-offs. Planned Pricing is a fast-growing team within Pricing, focused on setting the most efficient price targets to drive both short term and long term business outcomes.
As a Data Scientist specializing in Algorithms on the Planned Pricing team, you will develop mathematical models for core pricing systems and address diverse problems across optimization, prediction, machine learning, and inference. You will collaborate with cross-functional teammates and stakeholders to enhance algorithms, build and scale our systems, and drive business growth. We are looking for someone who is excited about working in a fast-paced, innovative, and impactful environment, and is adept at balancing complexity and efficiency to translate real world business problems into reliable solutions and decisioning frameworks. In this role, you will report to a Data Science Manager.
Responsibilities:
- Partner with Engineers, Product Managers, and Business Partners to frame problems mathematically and within the business context
- Prioritize and lead deep dives into our data to uncover new product and business opportunities
- Be familiar with production code; collaborate with Software Engineers to implement algorithms and models in production
- Design, implement, and analyse different types of experiments, and facilitate and foster data-driven and informed decision making and prioritization
- Establish metrics that measure the health of our products, as well as rider and driver experience
- Drive collaboration and coordination with cross-functional teams
- Provide coaching and technical guidance for other teammates
Experience:
- Ph.D. in Operations Research, or other quantitative fields or related work experience
- Proven experience with building and evaluating optimization models
- Proficiency with Python and working in a production coding environment
- Passion for solving unstructured and non-standard mathematical problems
- End-to-end experience with data, including querying, aggregation, analysis, and visualization
- Strong verbal and written communication skills, and ability to collaborate and communicate with others to solve a problem
Benefits:
- Great medical, dental, and vision insurance options with additional programs available when enrolled
- Mental health benefits
- Family building benefits
- Child care and pet benefits
- 401(k) plan with company match to help save for your future
- In addition to 12 observed holidays, salaried team members have discretionary paid time off, hourly team members have 15 days paid time off
- 18 weeks of paid parental leave. Biological, adoptive, and foster parents are all eligible
- Subsidized commuter benefits
- Monthly Lyft credits and complimentary Lyft Pink membership
Lyft is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive workplace that fosters belonging. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regards to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, age, genetic information, or any other basis prohibited by law. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with applicable federal, state and local law.
Lyft highly values having employees working in-office to foster a collaborative work environment and company culture. This role will be in-office on a hybrid schedule — Team Members will be expected to work in the office 3 days per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Lyft considers working in the office at least 3 days per week to be an essential function of this hybrid role. Your recruiter can share more information about the various in-office perks Lyft offers. Additionally, hybrid roles have the flexibility to work from anywhere for up to 4 weeks per year. #Hybrid
The expected base pay range for this position in the New York City area is $128,000 - $160,000, not inclusive of potential equity offering, bonus or benefits. Salary ranges are dependent on a variety of factors, including qualifications, experience and geographic location. Your recruiter can share more information about the salary range specific to your working location and other factors during the hiring process.
See all Scientist Jobs at Lyft
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new Scientist Jobs at Lyft.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding Scientist Jobs at Lyft
Frame your research as product impact
Lyft's Scientist roles sit close to product and engineering teams, not in isolated research labs. Tailor your resume and portfolio to show how your analytical or ML work drove measurable outcomes, not just published findings.
Confirm your visa category fits the role
Scientist positions at Lyft typically qualify as specialty occupations under H-1B rules, but the specific subdiscipline matters. If your degree field is adjacent rather than direct, prepare documentation showing how your coursework maps to the role's technical requirements.
Search verified sponsorship history before applying
Use Migrate Mate to filter open Scientist roles at Lyft by the visa type you need. This lets you prioritize applications where your specific category, whether H-1B, E-3, or TN, aligns with the company's active sponsorship patterns.
Start OPT cap-gap planning before your offer
If you're on F-1 OPT and your authorization expires before October 1, you'll need a cap-gap extension to keep working while your H-1B petition is pending. Confirm your OPT end date and H-1B filing timeline with your future employer before you sign.
Request an early LCA conversation with HR
Your employer files the Labor Condition Application with DOL before your H-1B petition can go to USCIS. For Lyft's hiring cycles, asking early about LCA timing prevents delays between your offer acceptance and your actual start date.
Document any graduate research in applied ML or data science
Lyft competes for Scientists with strong backgrounds in applied machine learning, experimentation, and causal inference. Organize transcripts, publications, and project summaries before outreach so your credentials are ready when a recruiter asks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Lyft sponsor H-1B visas for Scientists?
Yes, Lyft sponsors H-1B visas for Scientist roles. The company works with immigration counsel to file H-1B petitions for qualifying candidates, covering the full process from the Labor Condition Application filed with DOL through the USCIS petition. Because H-1B is subject to an annual cap and lottery, timing your application cycle correctly is critical.
How do I apply for Scientist jobs at Lyft?
You can browse open Scientist positions at Lyft directly on their careers page or through Migrate Mate, which filters roles by visa sponsorship type so you can confirm your category is supported before applying. Most Scientist roles require submitting a resume and completing a technical screening, followed by structured interviews focused on analytical problem-solving and ML fundamentals.
Which visa types does Lyft commonly sponsor for Scientist roles?
Lyft sponsors several visa categories for Scientist positions, including H-1B, E-3 visa for Australian citizens, TN visa for Canadian and Mexican nationals, J-1 visa for research exchange visitors, and F-1 OPT and CPT for students in qualifying STEM programs. For candidates pursuing permanent residence, Lyft also supports EB-2 and EB-3 Green Card pathways.
What qualifications does Lyft expect for Scientist roles?
Lyft's Scientist roles generally require a graduate degree in a quantitative field such as statistics, computer science, operations research, or a related discipline. Hands-on experience with causal inference, experimentation frameworks, or large-scale machine learning systems is valued. Strong programming skills, particularly in Python or R, and the ability to translate analytical findings into product decisions are consistently expected across levels.
How long does visa sponsorship processing take for a Scientist role at Lyft?
Timeline depends on visa type and whether premium processing is used. Standard H-1B processing through USCIS can take several months, while premium processing reduces the adjudication window to around 15 business days. E-3 consular processing in Australia typically resolves in two to six weeks. Coordinating your start date with your employer early helps avoid gaps between offer acceptance and authorized work status.