Principal Product Economist - Poker

About the role

Zynga is seeking a strategic, analytical, and hands-on Principal Product Economist to join the world's largest social poker game. This role involves overseeing, implementing, and tuning the in-game economy while optimizing user experience. The incumbent will utilize methodologies from economics, behavioral psychology, and business intelligence to design and maintain a healthy free-to-play mobile game economy.

Responsibilities

• Own the live operations economy and collaborate closely with product managers and analysts to define and execute its strategic direction.
• Act as the point of contact and subject-matter expert on all live operations economic aspects.
• Design and implement essential features that create a fun player experience, further the strategic vision of the product, and improve retention, acquisition, and monetization.
• Model, simulate, and tune complex economy systems including multiple currencies, sinks, faucets, and progression loops.
• Use A/B testing and other analytical methods to validate hypotheses, measure outcomes, and optimize performance.
• Proactively identify and improve underperforming systems, leveraging data-driven insights to enhance player experience and revenue.
• Develop predictive models and simulations to anticipate player behavior and maintain a stable, scalable economy.
• Collaborate cross-functionally to ensure economic systems integrate seamlessly with design, live ops, and monetization initiatives.
• Communicate economic insights and design rationales effectively to stakeholders and leadership.
• Stay up to date with market trends and perform proactive analyses of economy tuning in relevant competitive products.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience working on digital games, at least 3+ years focused on economy design.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, strong presentation abilities, and the capacity to influence and collaborate across all levels of the organization.
• Self-motivated, with the ability to balance multiple projects in parallel while working in a collaborative, agile environment with aggressive deadlines and shifting priorities.
• Autodidactic, with the ability to quickly learn new systems and tools, interpret technical specifications, understand feature configurations, and independently explore how game systems and economic models operate.
• Skilled at modeling and simulating planned changes, anticipating downstream effects, and adjusting prior to release.
• Analytical, detail-oriented, and capable of providing actionable solutions at every stage of the process.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel and SQL. Python experience is a plus.
• Passion for mobile and/or casino games.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in Economics, Business, Computer Science, or a related field.
• Experience with game design, particularly in mobile games.
• Knowledge of game economy principles, including but not limited to supply and demand, pricing strategies, and monetization techniques.
• Experience with game analytics and data-driven decision-making.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with tight deadlines.

Skills

• Economics
• Behavioral Psychology
• Business Intelligence
• Excel
• SQL
• Python (optional)

Benefits

We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 14 paid holidays per calendar year
• Paid vacation time ranging from 15 to 25 days per year
• Paid sick days per calendar year
• Paid parental and compassionate leave
• Wellbeing programs for mental health and other wellness support
• Family planning support through Maven
• Reimbursements for fitness-related expenses

Pay

The pay range for this position in California at the start of employment is expected to be between $133,000 to $183,000 per Year. In Toronto, the range is between $114,000 to $160,000 per Year. In Illinois, the range is between $120K to $170K per Year. Base pay offered is based on market location, and may vary further depending on individualized factors for job candidates, such as job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and other objective business considerations.

Schedule

This is a full-time position.

Benefits

To find out more about our benefits, visit the Zynga Benefits site.