AI/ML Data Scientist

This role offers you, a machine learning professional with advanced proficiency in Python and deep knowledge of ML libraries, the chance to work without a predefined playbook and grow your career with a people-focused company that values work-life balance, invests in learning, and creates products with real-world impact on education, admissions, and social equity.

In this role, you’ll report to Jill Derby, our Senior Research Manager, and partner closely with Cole Walsh, our Research Scientist, on your initial project. You’ll also collaborate closely with key team members from Rating, Content and New Product Development, as well as with product directors, product marketing managers, and design and engineering teams.

Machine Learning Expertise: You have worked in machine learning and data science or related roles or initiatives in which you’ve trained, retrained, and monitored ML systems. While not required, formal education or study in Statistics, Computer Science, or related fields can enhance your ability to understand complex concepts and effectively communicate with internal teams and external partners in a scholarly context and academic environment.
Technical Proficiency: Advanced Python skills are essential, as it will be your primary programming language. Familiarity with SQL, R, and ML libraries (e.g., Scikit-learn, PyTorch) is highly valued. Experience with LLMs like OpenAI or Hugging Face is especially useful, as they will play a key role in extracting insights that support fair and meaningful scoring algorithms.
Data Engineering and Modeling: You understand data structures, have constructed and optimized data pipelines, and applied data modelling techniques. Familiarity with software architecture, though not required, can strengthen your collaboration with the engineering team and help integrate the AI model into internal applications.
Analytical Depth: Solid foundation in probability, statistics, algorithms, and benchmark-driven approaches to evaluate AI quality, accuracy, and fairness.
Focus on Ethics and Fairness: You naturally prioritize fairness and ethical AI development, take ownership of ethical and fairness considerations, and apply reflective thinking and empathy to create accurate, equitable and just models that are explainable and transparent.
Collaborative Mindset: You bring high emotional intelligence and a passion for working collaboratively and cross-functionally to harness diverse expertise, leverage multiple perspectives to solve complex problems and explore more robust and innovative solutions and align with organizational goals.
Innovation and Problem-Solving: You have a history of tackling complex, undefined problems and thrive in ambiguous and uncharted territories, exploring innovative solutions to technical challenges.
Communication & Storytelling: You have a knack for effectively translating complex AI models and insights into clear, compelling and data-informed narratives for technical and non-technical audiences that instill trust and confidence and help drive alignment.
Passion for Learning & Growth: A natural curiosity and eagerness to explore new ideas drive your commitment to innovation and problem-solving. You embrace challenges with humility, seeking feedback, learning from setbacks, and staying current with AI and machine learning advancements.