Senior Optimization Data Analyst

This is Adyen

Adyen provides payments, data, and financial products in a single solution for customers like Meta, Uber, H&M, and Microsoft - making us the financial technology platform of choice. At Adyen, everything we do is engineered for ambition. 

For our teams, we create an environment with opportunities for our people to succeed, backed by the culture and support to ensure they are enabled to truly own their careers. We are motivated individuals who tackle unique technical challenges at scale and solve them as a team. Together, we deliver innovative and ethical solutions that help businesses achieve their ambitions faster.

Senior Optimization Data Analyst 

We are seeking a Senior Optimization Data Analyst (ODA) to take a strategic role in driving performance optimization across Adyen’s global merchant base. As a senior member of the Performance Optimization team, you will leverage strong analytical skills to optimize payments at scale while influencing strategic direction across key merchants, commercial teams, and product areas.

The Senior ODA will be responsible for leading cross-functional initiatives to develop advanced data-driven insights, automation solutions, and self-service analytics tools. They will drive the improvement of global merchant performance through actionable insights that enhance risk, authentication, tokenization, and authorization rates. As a SME, this person will lead the team in promoting scalable performance optimizations and collaborate with Product and Commercial teams to drive adoption and upsell of Adyen products, such as Uplift and Protect. Additionally, they will mentor and provide technical guidance to other team members, while proactively supporting more complex projects and merchant interactions.

The ideal candidate has a proven track record of driving transformational insights with data analytics, cross-functional leadership, and strategic problem-solving. They must have the ability to guide teams, communicate data insights effectively, and push the boundaries of product and performance optimization.

What you'll do

• Data-Driven Optimization & Merchant Growth: Lead high-impact analyses of large-scale payment datasets to diagnose performance anomalies, identify optimization opportunities, and drive strategic improvements in payments performance optimization across global merchants.
• Self-Service Analytics & Enablement: Drive the development of scalable, self-service analytics tools, enabling internal teams and commercial stakeholders to independently leverage data insights for performance optimization and merchant growth.
• Automation & Scalable Solutions: Spearhead automation initiatives that improve efficiency, enhance data accessibility, and streamline operational workflows across the Performance Optimization team, ensuring scalable and repeatable success.
• Stakeholder & Cross-functional Collaboration: Act as a key liaison, working with cross-functional teams to ensure merchant-driven insights contribute to platform-wide product enhancements and optimizations, while driving adoption of Adyen's solutions (e.g., Protect, Uplift), strengthening merchant relationships and maximizing business impact.
• Lead high-priority initiatives: Take ownership of strategic projects that require coordination across regions or functions, driving alignment and execution to deliver scalable, platform-wide impact.
• Problem-Solving & Experimentation: Design and execute sophisticated data analyses, A/B tests, and strategic investigations to validate hypotheses, optimize payment strategies, and influence decision-making at both merchant and product levels.
• Strategic Data Storytelling: Drive strategic discussions by synthesizing complex data into compelling narratives, tailoring insights for technical and non-technical audiences, and positioning the Performance Optimization team as a key business enabler.
• Mentorship & Technical Guidance: Provide mentorship to other analysts, fostering a data-driven culture within the team by sharing best practices, refining methodologies, and promoting analytical excellence,

Who you are

• 7+ years of relevant experience in Data Analytics, Data Science, or a similar role, with a proven track record of leading strategic initiatives and driving measurable impact.
• Expert-level proficiency in Python, SQL, and PySpark, with hands-on experience in big data processing and scalable ETL pipeline development.
• Strong experience with data visualization tools (Looker, Tableau) and ability to design and build scalable, insightful dashboards.
• Deep understanding of descriptive and inferential statistics, including distributions, correlation analysis, hypothesis testing, and regression models.
• Experience with big data technologies (Spark, Airflow) and version control systems (Git), ensuring scalable and reliable data solutions.
• Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally, influencing product development and merchant strategies through data-driven insights and storytelling.
• Proven leadership in managing high-impact projects, with the ability to drive execution independently while collaborating with key stakeholders.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, capable of engaging with senior leadership, merchants, and cross-functional teams to define needs and drive business value.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, able to present insights and synthesize complex topics clearly.
• Strong entrepreneurial mindset, ownership mentality, and ability to navigate a fast-paced, cross-functional, and global business environment.
• FinTech or Payments industry experience is a plus.

Our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion commitments 

Our unique approach is a product of our diverse perspectives. This diversity of backgrounds and cultures is essential in helping us maintain our momentum. Our business and technical challenges are unique, and we need as many different voices as possible to join us in solving them - voices like yours. No matter who you are or where you’re from, we welcome you to be your true self at Adyen. 

Studies show that women and members of underrepresented communities apply for jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. Does this sound like you? If so, Adyen encourages you to reconsider and apply. We look forward to your application!

What’s next?

Ensuring a smooth and enjoyable candidate experience is critical for us. We aim to get back to you regarding your application within 5 business days. Our interview process tends to take about 4 weeks to complete, but may fluctuate depending on the role. Learn more about our hiring process here. Don’t be afraid to let us know if you need more flexibility.

This role is based out of our Shanghai office. We are an office-first company and value in-person collaboration; we do not offer remote-only roles.