Principal Data Analyst

ABOUT US

Our vision is to be the world’s leading social travel platform.

We are on a mission to help travellers find their people and create unforgettable moments together. Connections matter as much as destinations, and we are building a global ecosystem to enable them.

Since the launch of our social network in the hostelling category in 2022, Hostelworld has experienced transformational growth. We have successfully welcomed over 2.6 million social members to our platform, proving the strong demand for connection in travel. This vibrant community is not just booking trips; they are actively engaging, co-creating, and becoming our most powerful brand advocates. The platform is rich with user-generated content, including a rapidly growing volume of customer testimonials and authentic travel stories that provide powerful social proof.

The growth in engagement is remarkable: the number of messages sent between travellers has grown significantly faster than the number of trips booked by social members, demonstrating the deep social utility of our platform. This momentum is reflected in our robust financial health, underscored by a strong balance sheet powered by an asset-light, cash-generative business model.

We are not just another Online Travel Agent (OTA); we have created a new category of travel altogether: Social Travel. Our singular focus on helping travellers find people to hang out with is the foundation of our strategy. It has allowed us to build a powerful and defensible market position, which attracts highly valuable customers and shifts more of our business onto our mobile-native apps.

While our app and social features create a sticky user experience, our true competitive moat stems from the incredibly rich, proprietary data set generated by our social network. As our community grows, so does the value of this data, creating a compounding network effect that is nearly impossible to replicate. This "social flywheel" allows us to understand traveller behaviour, predict needs, and personalise experiences in ways that generalist OTAs cannot match. It is the engine that will power our long-term, differentiated growth and solidify our position as the sole player in the Social Travel category we created.

Our Culture

At Hostelworld, our culture is a direct reflection of our customers: adventurous, curious, and social. We have a shared love of travel that fuels our work and connects us on a deeper level. It’s a fast-paced environment that blends the agility and "scrappy" resourcefulness of a start-up with the experience and ambition of a global, publicly listed company.

We are a team of pragmatic optimists who are data-obsessed and results-driven. We value a ‘test and learn’ mindset, encouraging experimentation and empowering our teams to take calculated risks. We believe in doing the right thing—for our customers, our partners, and each other. We foster a supportive and collaborative atmosphere where diverse perspectives are celebrated, and where every team member has the opportunity to make a significant impact on our journey. We embrace the journey, not just the destination, and we seek leaders who will thrive in a dynamic environment and inspire their teams to do the same.

LOCATION

This role is based in Portugal. We have an office hub in Porto available for those who prefer a hybrid model where you can spend time with colleagues in-person. You will need to be able to commute to our office hub as required from time to time.

WHO YOU'LL WORK WITH

Hostelworld operates a matrixed structure, with Growth teams comprising Technology, Product, Marketing and Analytics & Insights (A&I), all aligned to common objectives.

This role sits within the A&I function and partners closely with the Mobile Growth organisation, supporting multiple sub-teams including Chat, Travel Plans, Core Experience, Inventory Expansion, Monetisation and CRM. These teams collectively own the mobile customer journey and are central to Hostelworld’s growth strategy.

The Principal Data Analyst acts as the senior analytics lead across Mobile Growth, providing technical direction, strategic insight, and analytical governance to ensure consistent, high-quality decision-making across pods.

The core toolset includes Snowflake & DBT for data modelling and transformation, Tableau for BI reporting, and mobile platforms such as Firebase, Appsflyer, Iterable and Sendbird.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Act as the senior analytical authority for Mobile Growth, providing guidance on measurement strategy, data dependencies, and best practice
• Translate complex data into strategic insights that inform Product, Growth and commercial decision-making
• Partner with Product and Engineering leadership to shape roadmaps and define success metrics
• Lead analytics design for complex or high-risk initiatives (e.g. attribution changes, architecture updates, major Mobile feature launches)
• Ensure data quality, tracking integrity, and alignment across Firebase, Appsflyer, Iterable, Sendbird and downstream reporting
• Provide coaching and non-line-management mentorship to analysts across six Mobile Growth sub-teams
• Drive knowledge sharing through documentation, forums and best-practice guidanc
• Improve analytics delivery through prioritisation frameworks, process optimisation and workflow management
• Support coordination of analytics demand across multiple Product teams
• Lead or contribute to wider A&I functional improvement initiatives

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

• 5+ years’ experience in commercial data analytics, ideally within mobile-first, product-led or e-commerce environments
• Deep expertise in SQL and data modelling using modern data stacks (Snowflake, DBT)
• Strong experience with mobile analytics platforms such as Firebase, Appsflyer and Iterable
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders without direct authority
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills
• Strong commercial mindset with the ability to connect analytics to tangible business outcomes
• Experience mentoring and developing analysts across different skill levels
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to clearly explain complex insights
• Fluent English (spoken and written)

WHAT WE OFFER

• Competitive salary & benefits
• Enhanced annual leave plus 3 Wellbeing Days per year
• Paid family leave (maternity, paternity, surrogacy & adoption)
• Agile working (plus a Working from Abroad Policy!)
• Support for your ongoing growth & development
• Inclusive people policies (sickness, menopause, compassionate and fertility leave)
• A chance to give back to your local community with 5 paid volunteering days

OUR BEHAVIOURS

• Grow others - We fundamentally believe that investing in growing others benefits everyone, whether it's helping them develop hard or soft skills. We want learning and growing to be part of our DNA to help makes us a better team, together.
• Master it - We are obsessed with our area of expertise and enjoy developing our skills. We rarely take things at face value; we investigate, interrogate, and always look for ‘the why,’ and wherever possible, we use data to find the best solution.
• Collaborate - We are in it together, for the tough stuff and the celebrations too. To achieve the best results, we need expertise from all areas of the organisation, and we wholeheartedly welcome diverse thinking.
• Adapt - We work fluidly, adapting to new information and the evolving environment while staying committed to our goals. Innovation and experimentation fuel our projects and we’re never afraid to pivot.
• Deliver - Our focus is always on the end result; we value outcomes over activity. We collaborate to deliver work at speed without dropping any of our other behaviours.

We believe in talented and diverse teams that reflect the diversity of our customers and the communities in which we operate. Everyone brings different perspectives and experiences. We lay out the above requirements to guide applicants to the experiences that we believe will allow you to be successful in the role. If you don’t meet them all, please consider applying if you think you can still perform the role as described.