Microbiome Data Scientist

About Tiny Health

Tiny Health is advancing lifelong health, from the first 1,000 days to the last, and addressing chronic disease through precision microbiome science. Founded in 2020 and built by microbiome scientists and physicians, our testing platform reveals whether your microbiome is trending toward resilience or imbalances using shotgun metagenomics, proprietary AI, and one of the world's largest longitudinal datasets. Trusted by families and health practitioners alike, our research-backed gut and vaginal tests are redefining the microbiome as a cornerstone of personalized health through every life stage. Learn more at tinyhealth.com and poweredbytiny.com.

The Opportunity

We're looking for a data scientist who is passionate about early-life gut health and excited to help shape the future of microbiome science. You'll work closely with microbiome experts and report to the Head of Science to take on data-driven research, analyze complex datasets, and contribute to scientific publications and product development.

What You’ll Do

Analyze microbiome data (taxa abundances, diversity metrics, functional genes) to support key research questions

Develop and maintain novel microbiome metrics and biomarkers using statistical and machine learning methods

Conduct statistical analyses of longitudinal clinical data

Prepare data visualizations, reports, and presentations for stakeholders and publications

Draft research protocols, statistical analysis plans, and clinical study reports

Work independently across multiple projects in a fast-paced, collaborative environment

Support development of new product and study concepts

Contribute to scientific publications, proposals, and internal knowledge-sharing

Qualifications

Required

Master’s or PhD in a relevant field preferred (e.g., data science, computational biology, bioinformatics, systems biology, microbiology)

3+ years of full-time, relevant experience following completion of a Master's, or 0-1+ years of relevant experience with a PhD.

Strong background in statistics, machine learning, and data visualization

Proficient in R and/or Python; experience with SQL and large datasets preferred

Experience with microbiome data analysis (e.g., 16S, shotgun metagenomics) is highly desirable

Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal

Self-motivated, organized, and able to work independently in a remote-first environment

Preferred

Previous experience in a fast-paced startup environment

Work experience in DTC health/wellness companies

Experience working remotely, with proficiency in Slack

Leverages AI in daily tasks while also understanding where its blind spots

Self-directed, proactive, and comfortable with ambiguity

How we work

A mission that actually pulls people in

Most people here could be doing something easier. They’re not, because this work makes the microbiome measurable and actionable at every life stage - and the results land on real people who write in to tell us that we are life-changing to them. That feedback loop is the perk. It’s not just a job.

Remote-first, real overlap

We’re a very diverse, international team, although we only hire FTEs in North America. Core hours are 9am–6pm CST, shiftable by up to two hours either way - start at 7am or 11am, wrap at 4pm or 8pm. Pick your window; just be findable in it.

Written first, huddle second, meet last

Default to a clear Slack post: say whether you need a decision, an approval, or nothing at all. When a thread starts ping-ponging, jump into a huddle - ten minutes of voice beats forty of paragraphs. Meetings are the expensive option, so each one needs a decision to make, a preread or strawman sent ahead, and only the people who can actually make that call.

Fast, but never sloppy

We ask “how do we do the two-month thing in two weeks?” - and then we check the work. We’re a health company: results, science, and anything a customer or practitioner touches get a second set of eyes, always. Moving fast and being careful aren’t in tension here; shipping errors isn’t speed, it’s rework.

Shape what we build, not just how we build it

There’s no playbook waiting for you - you’ll write it, and that’s most true the more senior you are. Ideas get judged on whether they’re executed right, not on who raised them, and the person closest to the problem is usually the one who should be proposing the fix. Bring the alternative, not just the objection.

Day One mentality

Fewer titles, fewer layers, fewer moving parts. Real process exists where it counts - data, lab, science, compliance, money - and we follow it, but process is a guardrail, not a destination. Process bloat is never the reason something didn’t ship.

No hidden agendas

Transparency mean you’ll always understand how decisions are being made, especially at the top. We spend less time on politics and more on impact. Numbers, misses, and hard calls get shared openly. Feedback works the same way: in real time, not stockpiled for a review cycle. It’s a no-surprises culture: you should always know where you stand, and if you don’t, ask.

High standards, genuinely fun people

Our CEO has been described as goofy but serious, direct but likable - and that sets the temperature. We take the work seriously and ourselves much less so. High-performing and fun to be around isn’t a contradiction; it’s the hiring bar.

Is this pace for you?

We’re a venture-scaled company on a steep trajectory, and the pace is part of the job. There’s no deep bench to absorb the overflow, which is exactly why the scope here is bigger than it would be anywhere else at your level. We protect flexibility fiercely - more than half of us have kids - and ask for intensity in spikes, not as a constant grind. There’s no defined ladder. Perform, and you’ll move faster here than anywhere else.

Our Values

Learn Fast, Get Better - Find the root cause, not just the fix, and get better every time

Be Relentlessly Resourceful - Dig for the answer, move fast, and know when to ask for help

Think Like an Owner, Act with Urgency - Act like it’s your company, and do whatever it takes to win

Act with Honesty and Empathy - Say what’s true, and say it with care

Delight People by Anticipating Their Needs - Solve the problem, then get two steps ahead of it