Lead Data Scientist

Lead Data Scientist, Applied AI

Compensation: $160,000 - $175,000 base + bonus ($215,000+ TC) + equity

Location: Remote (U.S.)

Travel: Frequent customer-facing travel required

An emerging AI startup building intelligent operational software is hiring a Lead Data Scientist to help deploy applied AI systems into complex, real-world environments.

The company develops AI-powered platforms used by large organizations to improve operational efficiency, decision-making, and workflow automation across areas such as logistics, resource planning, infrastructure operations, supply chain coordination, and large-scale enterprise modernization initiatives.

This is a highly applied role for someone who enjoys working directly with users, rapidly iterating on AI-driven solutions, and owning systems from prototype through deployment.

The Opportunity

You’ll work closely with customers and internal product teams to understand evolving operational challenges, identify high-impact opportunities for AI, and deliver production-ready solutions that drive measurable business outcomes.

The environment is fast-moving, highly collaborative, and execution-oriented. The ideal candidate is comfortable navigating ambiguity, communicating with both technical and non-technical stakeholders, and building practical AI systems that are actively used in production.

This role blends applied machine learning, systems thinking, customer engagement, and technical leadership in a high-autonomy startup setting.

What You’ll Do

* Partner directly with customer teams to understand operational workflows and pain points

* Translate ambiguous business problems into deployable AI and data-driven solutions

* Design and build AI-powered systems leveraging machine learning, automation, intelligent workflows, and applied analytics

* Prototype rapidly and productionize solutions in dynamic customer environments

* Analyze large-scale structured and unstructured datasets to surface actionable insights

* Collaborate closely with engineering and infrastructure teams to deploy scalable applications

* Continuously refine deployed systems based on real-world usage and customer feedback

* Help evolve one-off solutions into reusable internal frameworks and product capabilities

* Drive initiatives independently across technical and cross-functional stakeholders

What You’ll Bring

* Strong experience building and deploying applied AI or machine learning systems in production

* Ability to translate loosely defined operational or business problems into technical solutions

* Experience rapidly iterating on customer-facing AI applications

* Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills

* Comfort operating independently in high-autonomy environments

* Experience collaborating across engineering, infrastructure, analytics, and product teams

* Strong systems thinking and practical problem-solving ability

* Experience in operationally complex or highly regulated industries is a plus

Why Join?

* Build AI systems with direct real-world impact

* Work closely with end users and receive rapid feedback loops

* Help shape reusable AI capabilities within a growing platform

* Operate in a highly technical, mission-driven startup environment

* Own projects end-to-end with meaningful autonomy and visibility

* Contribute to large-scale operational challenges rather than purely experimental AI work

About People In AI

People In AI connects exceptional AI talent with innovative organizations building the future of machine learning, intelligent systems, and advanced software platforms. We partner with companies across applied AI, infrastructure, research, and emerging technologies to help scale world-class technical teams.