Senior Manager Data Science

RESPONSIBILITIES:
Kforce has a client seeking a Senior Manager, Data Science to join their team in Sacramento, CA. We are seeking a hands-on Senior Manager of Data Science to lead a high-impact team in developing the strategy, standards, and execution of AI across our content ecosystem. You will lead a team that embeds machine learning and generative AI directly into production systems operating at scale. This applied research role balances innovation with practical constraints (e.g. latency, cost, reliability), requiring a strong ability to quickly iterate on prototypes (e.g. -vibe coding-), communicate tradeoffs, and rapidly deploy to production environments. This role is central to our transformation toward an intelligent, agent-enabled content platform which is capable of grounded reasoning, turning structured and unstructured data sources into legal knowledge.

Key Responsibilities:
* Set the vision and strategic priorities, acting as a recognized expert for Data Science
* Lead and develop a team of data scientists and ML engineers, setting the cultural tone for the group
* Drive applied research with a clear path to production, explicitly balancing innovation against real-world constraints including latency, cost, and reliability
* Build and scale evaluation science capabilities within the team, including offline evaluation frameworks, automated benchmarking pipelines, and human-in-the-loop feedback systems to rigorously measure model quality and business impact
* Champion hands-on rapid prototyping and iteration
* Collaborate with other Data Science teams to maximize re-use of components and patterns, eliminating waste, duplication and unnecessary customization
* Operate with broad scope, coordinating across multiple cross-functional teams, systems, and domains

REQUIREMENTS:
* Advanced degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, or a related field strongly preferred, or equivalent practical experience
* Bachelor's degree in a relevant field with significant applied experience in data science, machine learning, or AI
* 8+ years of relevant experience in data science, machine learning, or applied AI
* 4+ years of leadership experience
* Proficient with Python, ML and LLM tooling and prompt tuning techniques
* Familiarity with vector databases, knowledge graphs, and hybrid retrieval architecture
* Strong experience working with structured and unstructured data at scale
* Ability to design and implement data pipelines and preparation workflows
* Experience integrating ML into complex, multi-stage processing systems
* Working knowledge of containerization, CI/CD, RESTful API Design and model serving tools
* Cloud infrastructure experience on AWS (preferred), Azure, or Google Cloud Platform
* Familiarity with AI Coding Tools

Success in this role requires:
* Leading through both technical expertise and organizational influence
* Acting as a change agent, embedding best practices into workflows and systems
* Driving both team development and strategic outcomes across a broad scope
* Ability to select the right tools and technologies to solve business problems

The pay range is the lowest to highest compensation we reasonably in good faith believe we would pay at posting for this role. We may ultimately pay more or less than this range. Employee pay is based on factors like relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, location, performance, union contract and business needs. This range may be modified in the future.

We offer comprehensive benefits including medical/dental/vision insurance, HSA, FSA, 401(k), and life, disability & ADD insurance to eligible employees. Salaried personnel receive paid time off. Hourly employees are not eligible for paid time off unless required by law. Hourly employees on a Service Contract Act project are eligible for paid sick leave.

Note: Pay is not considered compensation until it is earned, vested and determinable. The amount and availability of any compensation remains in Kforce's sole discretion unless and until paid and may be modified in its discretion consistent with the law.

This job is not eligible for bonuses, incentives or commissions.

Kforce is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran status, or disability status.

By clicking ?Apply Today? you agree to receive calls, AI-generated calls, text messages or emails from Kforce and its affiliates, and service providers. Note that if you choose to communicate with Kforce via text messaging the frequency may vary, and message and data rates may apply. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages. You will always have the right to cease communicating via text by using key words such as STOP.