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Senior Applied Economist, Causal Inference & Forecasting Navan - Business Travel Solutions & Expense Management Navan - Business Travel Solutions & Expense Management Platform Travel Business Travel Management See how to manage all corporate travel in one place. Program Management Advanced Analytics Navan Rewards Sustainability Travel Services Support Personal Travel Expense Navan Edge Payments Intelligence Integrations Security & Trust Business Travel Management See how to manage all corporate travel in one place. Program Management Travel Services Advanced Analytics Navan Rewards Sustainability Support Personal Travel Expense Management Control, manage, and track expenses. Navan Edge Meet your personal assistant for work trips. Payments Use Navan cards or bring your own corporate card. Intelligence Integrations Security & Trust Your browser does not support the video tag. Introducing Navan Edge Early access The new standard for frequent travelers: tailored, rewarding, effortless. 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Introducing Navan Edge Early access The new standard for frequent travelers: tailored, rewarding, effortless. Region France Germany Netherlands Spain United Kingdom United States Get started Request a demo Log In France Germany Netherlands Spain United Kingdom United States Log In Log In Senior Applied Economist, Causal Inference & Forecasting Location: Palo Alto, CA or San Francisco, CA Department: Data Navan is seeking a Senior Applied Economist to join the Data Science & Machine Learning team. This is a foundational, "first-of-its-kind" role at Navan, designed for a technical leader who can bridge the gaps between hands-on machine learning, rigorous economic theory, and driving business outcomes. In this role, you will be the primary architect of our internal economic "brain." You will move beyond point-estimate forecasting to build sophisticated models that account for market nuances, uncertainty, and causal drivers. You will partner closely with Finance, Treasury, and FP&A to steer the company’s financial trajectory, while providing the strategic frameworks that Sales and Pricing teams use to maximize customer adoption and revenue. What You’ll Do: Next-Generation Forecasting: Uplevel our existing forecasting pipelines (currently built on Prophet). You will integrate econometric rigor to improve accuracy and, crucially, provide a range of likely outcomes (probabilistic forecasting) that Finance and Treasury can rely on for risk management. Causal Inference & Strategy: Design and execute experimental and quasi-experimental frameworks to identify the "levers" of the business. You will answer critical questions regarding price elasticity, product feature attribution, and the ROI of sales incentives. Strategic Blueprinting: Partner with Sales and Account Management to create data-driven frameworks for pricing and customer retention. You will translate complex causal models into actionable blueprints for go-to-market teams. Production-Level Data Science: Work hands-on within our ML infrastructure. You will write production-quality Python code to deploy models into our AWS and Snowflake-based ecosystem, ensuring your insights are automated and scalable. Internal Advisory: Act as the subject matter expert on economic literature and methodology, translating technical findings into strategic recommendations for executive leadership. What We’re Looking For: Education: An advanced degree (PhD preferred, Masters required) in Economics, Statistics, or a related quantitative field with a heavy emphasis on econometrics or causal inference. Experience: 4+ years of post-academic experience in an applied research, finance, or data science role, ideally within a high-growth tech environment or fintech. Technical Proficiency: Deep expertise in Python and its data science ecosystem (pandas, statsmodels, scikit-learn, etc.). Advanced SQL skills, with experience querying large-scale data warehouses like Snowflake . Experience working in production environments and a strong understanding of the ML lifecycle is nice to have. Econometric Mastery: Proven ability to apply advanced methods (e.g., Synthetic Control, IV, Diff-in-Diff, Structural Modeling) to messy, real-world datasets. Self-Starter Mentality: Experience functioning in "underdefined" spaces. As our first economist, you must be comfortable setting the roadmap. Communication: The ability to explain not just the "what," but the "why" and the "what if." You can communicate uncertainty and risk to a CFO just as clearly as you can discuss model architecture with an ML Engineer. Preferred Qualifications: Prior experience in Fintech, Payments, or Travel industries. Experience building and scaling "first-of-their-kind" functions within a data organization. The posted pay range represents the anticipated low and high end of the compensation for this position and is subject to change based on business need. To determine a successful candidate’s starting pay, we carefully consider a variety of factors, including primary work location, an evaluation of the candidate’s skills and experience, market demands, and internal parity. For roles with on-target-earnings (OTE), the pay range includes both base salary and target incentive compensation. Target incentive compensation for some roles may include a ramping draw period. Compensation is higher for those who exceed targets. Candidates may receive more information from the recruiter. Pay Range $121,500 — $270,000 USD About Navan Navan (Nasdaq: NAVN) is the leading all-in-one business travel , payments, and expense management platform that makes travel easy for frequent travelers. From finding flights and hotels to automating expense reconciliation, with 24/7 support along the way, Navan delivers an intuitive experience travelers love and finance teams rely on. See how Navan customers benefit and learn more at navan.com . Culture of Excellence Our team is our competitive edge — a high-performance group of smart, driven people committed to winning together. This dedication to excellence is why we’ve been recognized as a Best Place to Work by Built In (2023–2026), a G2 Best Global Software Company (2025-2026), a CNBC Disruptor 50 (2022-2025), and a Forbes Fintech 50 (2022-2025). At Navan, we provide an environment where top talent excels, offering the autonomy and fast-paced trajectory needed to build a defining career and do the best work of your life. Our Benefits Navan offers a comprehensive benefits program designed to support your well-being, financial security, and life outside of work. Our benefits, thoughtfully tailored by country to meet local needs, include healthcare coverage, insurance offerings, and wellness resources for you and your family. We support long-term financial growth through retirement savings programs and opportunities to participate in our equity plans, so you can share in Navan’s success. To promote balance, we offer flexible time off, country-specific holidays, and paid parental leave for all new parents. Additional benefits include connectivity and commuting support, mental health resources, and exclusive travel-related perks. Wherever you’re based, our benefits evolve with you. Workplace Policy Navan believes in the value of in-person connections, whether that’s sitting down to have lunch with one another, taking a walking 1:1, or collaborating in a room together. The connections forged through face-to-face interactions improve company culture and drive business results. Navan invests in global office spaces — in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, among others — that feel welcoming. In-office perks such as company-provided lunches and happy hours create a strong team environment to help you do your best work. Our employees work from the office four days a week. Please expect this policy for all roles that are tied to an office. Equal Opportunity Navan is an equal opportunity employer. We make all employment decisions based solely on merit. We provide equal employment opportunity to all applicants and employees without discrimination on the bases of race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We prohibit any such discrimination or harassment. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including hiring. Accommodations Navan complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as amended by the ADA Amendments Act, and all applicable state or local law. Navan will reasonably accommodate qualified individuals with a disability in connection with applications for employment as required by law. If you need any assistance or accommodations due to a disability, you are welcome to email us at [email protected] . Candidate Privacy Notice Please review Navan's Candidate Privacy Notice here . Job Search Best Practices We have been made aware of recruitment scams involving fraudulent attempts to lure job seekers into sending money or personal information in return for fake job offers or coerce them into purchasing equipment by electronic funds transfer (Zelle, Venmo, etc.) Legitimate Navan recruiters will never ask for money in any recruitment or onboarding activities. All available job openings at Navan will be posted on Navan’s website and all Navan recruiters will be reachable through an email address ending in “@navan.com” or “@navan.tech” or "@talent.navan.com". Product Business Travel Expense Management Advanced Analytics Navan Rewards Sustainability Navan Edge New Solutions Enterprises Small Business Accounting Teams Executive Assistants Finance Teams Travel Managers Travelers By Industry Energy and Utilities Financial Services Food and Beverages Health and Wellness Industrial and Manufacturing Media and Entertainment Professional Services Real Estate and Construction Retail and Ecommerce Technology and Software Resources Guides Compare Us Blog Travel and Expense Glossary Per Diem Calculator Mileage Calculator Customers Case Studies Help Center Customer Resources End-User Resources Customer Reviews Company About Us Partners Careers Contact Us 4.7 out of 5 | 9K+ reviews return ( ); Region France Germany Netherlands Spain United Kingdom United States Website Terms of Use Privacy Security Accessibility Statement Modern Slavery Statement Status Your Privacy Choices © 2026 Navan The Navan card is issued by Celtic Bank (Member FDIC), Stripe Technology Europe Limited, Stripe Payments UK Limited, Adyen N.V. (EU), Adyen N.V. San Francisco Branch (US), and Adyen N.V. London Branch (UK) About Navan Navan is the global AI-powered business travel and expense management platform that makes travel easy for frequent travelers. powering travel programs at more than 10,000 companies, including Canva , HelloFresh , DoorDash, Duolingo , and Steelcase. The platform simplifies travel, payments, and expense management with intuitive tools for booking, automated payments with built-in virtual cards, and seamless expense reporting. Navan delivers exceptional customer satisfaction , with a 96% CSAT and 43 NPS. Founded in 2015 by Ariel Cohen and Ilan Twig as TripActions, Navan reported $613M in LTM revenue and $7.6B in LTM gross booking volume, each for the twelve months ended July 31, 2025. The company aims to empower organizations worldwide to make corporate travel smarter and more efficient. Learn more at navan.com . Product Business Travel Expense Management Advanced Analytics Navan Rewards Sustainability Navan Edge New Solutions Enterprises Small Business Accounting Teams Executive Assistants Finance Teams Travel Managers Travelers By Industry Energy and Utilities Financial Services Food and Beverages Health and Wellness Industrial and Manufacturing Media and Entertainment Professional Services Real Estate and Construction Retail and Ecommerce Technology and Software Resources Guides Compare Us Blog Travel and Expense Glossary Per Diem Calculator Mileage Calculator Customers Case Studies Help Center Customer Resources End-User Resources Customer Reviews Company About Us Partners Careers Contact Us 4.7 out of 5 | 9K+ reviews return ( ); Region France Germany Netherlands Spain United Kingdom United States Website Terms of Use Privacy Security Accessibility Statement Modern Slavery Statement Status Your Privacy Choices © 2026 Navan The Navan card is issued by Celtic Bank (Member FDIC), Stripe Technology Europe Limited, Stripe Payments UK Limited, Adyen N.V. (EU), Adyen N.V. San Francisco Branch (US), and Adyen N.V. London Branch (UK) About Navan Navan is the global AI-powered business travel and expense management platform that makes travel easy for frequent travelers. powering travel programs at more than 10,000 companies, including Canva , HelloFresh , DoorDash, Duolingo , and Steelcase. The platform simplifies travel, payments, and expense management with intuitive tools for booking, automated payments with built-in virtual cards, and seamless expense reporting. Navan delivers exceptional customer satisfaction , with a 96% CSAT and 43 NPS. Founded in 2015 by Ariel Cohen and Ilan Twig as TripActions, Navan reported $613M in LTM revenue and $7.6B in LTM gross booking volume, each for the twelve months ended July 31, 2025. The company aims to empower organizations worldwide to make corporate travel smarter and more efficient. Learn more at navan.com .