Data Scientist, (AI/ML) in San Francisco, CA/ Atlanta, GA/ Washington DC_(Onsite_Need Local_No Relocation_F2F Interview)

Job Title: Senior Data Scientist, (AI/ML)

Location: San Francisco, CA/ Atlanta, GA/ Washington DC- (Hybrid)
Employment Type: Contract

Experience Required: 12+ Years

Need Local | No Relocation | F2F Interview |

Essential Functions

• Use and build new predictive models to innovate and optimize customer experiences, revenue generation, data insights, advertising targeting and other business outcomes
• Provide technical leadership in a team that generates business insights based on big data, identify impactful recommendations, and communicate the findings to clients
• Leverage AI coding tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, Cline, OpenAI Codex) to accelerate development.
• Be an out-of-the-box problem solver who is passionate about applying data science techniques and innovate thinking to our unique data to help our clients both innovate and solve the problems they face
• Running projects from scoping to delivery, and engaging with internal/external partners
• Develop and deploy ML pipelines, including RAG components, to deliver actionable client insights from transaction data.
• Build agentic AI systems with multi-step reasoning, tool use, and memory for complex payment decisioning workflows
• Implement GenAI evaluation methods covering quality, bias, and compliance.
• Connect with clients to understand the challenges they face and convince them with data
• Find opportunities to craft products out of analyses that are suitable for multiple clients
• Synthesize ideas/proposals in writing and engage in productive discussions with external or internal partners
• Provide mentorship in modern analytic techniques and business applications, including GenAI best practices, experimentation frameworks
• Prioritize and lead multiple data science projects with diverse multi-functional partners

Preferred Qualifications

• 6-8 years of work experience with a Bachelor s Degree or 4-6 years of work experience with an Advanced Degree (e.g. Master s, MBA, JD, MD) or 3 years of experience with a PhD
• 4+ years experience in data-based decision-making or quantitative analysis, including exposure to LLMs and GenAI applications
• Master s degree in Statistics, Operations Research, Applied Mathematics, Economics, Data Science, Business Analytics, Computer Science, or a related technical field
• Analysing large data sets using programming languages such as Python, SQL, Hive and/or Spark
• Building predictive and descriptive statistical models using machine learning tool kit, Jupyter notebooks, Python, or others
• Experience with LLM orchestration frameworks (LangChain or similar), vector databases, and embedding models
• Ability to present evidence-based insights and convey clear, actionable recommendations to technical and non-technical audiences
• Previous exposure to financial services, credit cards or merchant analytics is a plus, but not required