Principal Data Scientist

When you join Sallie, you become a champion for all students.

Sallie's Education Services team is a diverse group of growth-obsessed entrepreneurs, data analysts, engineers, and developers with a passion for imagining and building scalable businesses for students and families on their unique journey to-through and immediately after higher education. We're on a mission to revolutionize how students and their families plan, pay and complete this journey with confidence. Join a team of seekers, challengers and creative thinkers to change the way students plan for their future for the better.

Sallie Mae's new venture, Sallie , is looking for people like you to be the founding members who will define the future of education services for students and their families in the U.S.

As the first education solutions company, we're creating products and experiences that help students when they need it most - connecting them to free money for school, providing tools and resources to plan for college, sharing inside advice on campus life, and so much more.

Visit to learn more about us. We are seeking a strategic and visionary Principal Data Scientist to lead our organization-wide data science initiatives. This role will be responsible for driving advanced analytics, machine learning, large language model (LLM), and AI initiatives while fostering a culture of data as a product .

The ideal candidate is a seasoned, hands-on data scientist with deep technical expertise , strong product sense, and a passion for driving measurable business impact. Experience in advertising technology (AdTech) , marketing analytics , or consumer data platforms is a strong plus.

You'll thrive in this role if you enjoy working in an entrepreneurial, cross-functional, and fast-moving environment , collaborating with product, engineering, marketing, and leadership to define and execute the data science vision for Sallie.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership

• Define and execute the data science strategy that enables SallieSM's mission to help students and families access education resources.

• Serve as the data science thought leader-partnering with senior leadership to identify , prioritize, and deliver high-impact analytical solutions.

• Mentor and coach data scientists and analysts, fostering a culture of curiosity, rigor, and innovation.

Advanced Modeling & Applied Machine Learning

• Build, evaluate, and deploy advanced ML models and generative AI systems (including LLM applications) to drive customer engagement and personalization.

• Develop frameworks for experimentation, causal inference, and optimization that inform product and marketing decisions.

• Ensure responsible AI practices and interpretability across all modeling efforts.

Data as a Product & Platform Enablement

• Partner with engineering and product teams to design scalable data pipelines, feature stores, and analytical platforms.

• Lead the evolution of data into managed products-complete with ownership, lifecycle, and measurable value delivery.

• Define the architecture for model deployment, monitoring, and continuous improvement.

Business & AdTech Impact

• Translate complex analytical outputs into actionable recommendations that shape marketing strategy, customer acquisition, and retention efforts.

• Partner with finance and business operations to develop forecasting and performance models.

• Identify opportunities to monetize data responsibly and ethically through new data products and partnerships.

Innovation & Thought Leadership

• Stay ahead of trends in AI, MLOps , and data monetization; drive adoption of emerging techniques across teams.

• Champion data ethics, governance, and compliance standards that align with Sallie Mae's trusted brand.

• Contribute to building the data-driven foundation that powers SallieSM's growth and competitive edge.

Basic Qualifications:

• Master's or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Statistics, Applied Mathematics, Economics, or related field .

• 8+ years of experience in applied data science, machine learning, or quantitative research roles.

• Proven expertise in statistical modeling, machine learning, and experimental design.

• Strong programming proficiency in Python and SQL , with experience in tools such as PyTorch , TensorFlow , or Scikit-learn .

• Hands-on experience with modern data stacks (Snowflake, Databricks, AWS, or Google Cloud Platform).

• Demonstrated ability to translate data insights into strategic business outcomes.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in AdTech , MarTech , or media analytics environments.

• Experience deploying and scaling LLM or AI-powered applications.

• Familiarity with financial modeling , forecasting , or marketing attribution .

• Strong publication record or contributions to open-source projects.

• Passion for responsible AI, fairness, and data ethics.

Feeling your best helps you do your best:

Our benefits take care of the whole you-so you can build your work around your life (not the other way around!).

• Competitive base salaries
• Bonus incentives
• Generous PTO, Floating Holidays and 12 Federal Holidays observed
• Support for financial-well-being and retirement 401k with employer match
• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, hospital indemnity, critical illness, pet insurance and more
• Employer paid short-term/long-term disability and basic life insurance
• Flexible hybrid working arrangements.
• Paid parental leave and adoption reimbursement programs
• Free access to on-site staffed fitness centers (in Delaware) and gym subsidy (for locations outside Delaware)
• Confidential counseling support (EAP), Health Advocacy services and Wellness program with financial incentives
• Tuition Reimbursement and Family Scholarship Programs
• Career development and training opportunities

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Sallie Mae is proud to be an equal opportunity (EEO) employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, genetic information, gender identity, disability, Veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. Click here to view the U.S. Pay Transparency Policy, here for federal job applicant notices, and here to view the California Employee Privacy Notice.

Reasonable accommodations are available for applicants with disabilities in all phases of the application and employment process. To request an accommodation please call and choose option 9. All information you provide will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extent required to provide needed reasonable accommodations.