Data Scientist Job Description: Top Duties and Qualifications

A Data Scientist, or Data Science Professional, is responsible for overseeing the collection, storage and interpretation of data for businesses. Their duties include sifting through data points to create organized categories, comparing data points to current company processes and writing reports outlining business predictions or proposals.

Build a Job Description
Are you a Job Seeker? Find Jobs

Data Scientist duties and responsibilities

A Data Scientist’s job is to use data to help businesses make decisions. Here are some common duties and responsibilities of a Data Scientist:

  • Collecting data through means such as analyzing business results or by setting up and managing new studies
  • Transferring data into a new format to make it more appropriate for analysis
  • Creating new, experimental frameworks to collect data
  • Building tools to automate data collection
  • Searching through large data sets for usable information
  • Creating reports and presentations for business uses
  • Correlating similar data to find actionable results
Build a Job Description
Are you a Job Seeker? Find Jobs

Data Scientist Job Description Examples

 

Example 1

Merrick Bank employees share in our mission to delight our customers and empower underserved consumers to achieve their credit goals. In return, we delight our associates; ensuring they are noticed, heard, appreciated and understand the importance of their role(s). For over 20 years, our Guiding Principles of; doing the right thing, putting the customer first, and Earn, Learn, Have Fun (aka E.L.F.), have defined who we are as an Employer of Choice. Give Yourself Credit, Work at Merrick!

Are you a Data Scientist that would like to work on a cutting-edge Data Science and Modeling team? This role will work closely with the other Data Scientists and Data Engineers on the team to produce the machine learning models, statistical models, and complex statistical analyses for the bank. You will get to work on state of the art problems, using state of the art systems, on a team with dozens of years of combined expertise and experience that truly believes in team work, as well as individual growth and development.
Data Science is a cross disciplinary field, which aims to combine statistical methods with computer science and business domain knowledge. A data scientist will have experience deploying statistical methods and machine learning to derive actionable insights, data visualizations, and models often from disparate data sources, and be able to communicate those learnings to management. They will also understand how to deploy predictive models into key business processes in order to improve the efficiency and efficacy of such processes.

Essential Functions:

  • Statistical programming, model development and implementation.
  • Communicating results, both verbally and in writing.
  • Work both individually and in a collaborative manner with a team.
  • Designing, validating, and improving data driven decision making processes and strategies.
  • Building key metrics and modeling reports for communication with executives.

    Compliance with Laws & Regulations:

  • Responsible for complying with all of the Bank’s internal control policies and procedures.
  • Responsible for understanding and complying with all laws and regulations to which the Bank is subject.
  • Responsible for communicating problems in operations, noncompliance with the code of conduct, noncompliance with laws and regulations, policy violations, or illegal acts.

    Education and Experience:

  • Master's degree in statistics, artificial intelligence, machine learning or related field.
  • Firm knowledge of statistical theory, data mining, or machine learning algorithms is a requirement.
  • Expertise with R or Python is required.

    Summary of Qualifications:

  • Experience working with a variety of data sources, and expertise working with databases including query languages such as SQL.
  • Full understanding of the difficulties that arise from working with ‘big data’: distributed systems and databases, cloud based software stacks, and distributed computing clusters would be highly desirable.
  • Experience with any of the following computer languages would also desirable: Fortran, C/C++, SAS, Unix shell scripting, or LaTeX.
  • Experience with traditional HPC (High Performance Computing) clusters would be a plus. Experience with SLURM would be outstanding.
  • Experience with GPGPU (General Purpose Graphical Processing Unit) computing: i.e., building models on a GPU rather than a CPU
  • Experience in the banking industry, specifically in credit cards, is not necessary, but would be desirable.

    Who is Merrick Bank? Founded over 20 years ago, Merrick Bank is a FDIC-insured Utah Industrial Loan Bank that originates loans with the benefit of low-cost deposit funding. Merrick Bank had $4.5 billion in assets and $3.1 billion in deposits as of March 31, 2021. Merrick Bank operates four main business lines: Credit Cards, Recreation Lending, Personal Loans and Merchant Acquiring.

    Our Valued Employees are provided generous benefits, including:

  • Competitive Pay
  • Benefits Package -Medical, Dental and Vision (plus much more)
  • 401(k) Plan with Company Match
  • Short & Long Term Disability
  • Group Life and AD&D Insurance
  • Paid Vacation, Holidays, and Personal Days
  • Employee Events, including Employee Appreciation Day, Holiday Party, etc.
  • Tuition Reimbursement Program

    Candidates must have unrestricted authority to work in the United States without sponsorship.

    Merrick Bank is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristic.
    Merrick Bank will do a thorough background check for all hires. The EEOC Law poster is available here: [website] Please go to our website [website] to apply and learn more about our Type: Full-time
    • Show less 
    Show more 

    Example 2

    3 years ago, we founded a biotech company in the USA. We are creating an AI technology for online early diagnosis of fatal diseases, which can extend an active life by 20 years, slow & reverse aging. The technology is based on Big Data collected over 70 years by the G-20 countries.

    At various times, the company was advised by leading scientists, incl. Alexey Moskalev (Russia) and the Principal of the Harvard Medical School Vadim Gladyshev (USA).

    The first data set was provided by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from the USA (MIT) - 60,000 depersonalized profiles.

    Have 4 mobile app awards & recently was named by Blue Tulip Awards 2021 (supported by world's famous consulting firm Accenture) as one of the top 20 health innovative companies.

    About the company:

    2 American patents, 1 PCT patent application (141 countries), 2 accelerators (online in the USA, offline in Finland), 4 prizes for the development of an Android application, and participated in 3 Miami500 boot camps (500 StartUps program).

    In one month, we received more than 7000 mobile app downloads (the average cost was 10 cents per download). In total, 3 mobile applications have been developed, including BMI Disease Tracker (Android), AntiObesity (iOS), AntiCoronaVirus (web) - mobile online coronavirus checker.

    A separate vertical is working on the development of the first Longevity Scientific Resort, planned to open next year in the Maldives.

    August 25, 2021, the company launched a cryptocurrency LongevityCoin (LONG), which is provided with its own anti-aging developments. Funds from the sale of tokens will support the development of products and basic research to combat early death.

    The company has not yet started generating revenue, but the paid version of the application in stores.

    The company has initiated an international humanitarian program to attract the attention of the world's states to the problems of longevity, the link to [website] in the company's profile. Please e-vote for this initiative [website], if you think that saving people's lives is important.

    Our stack:

    Swift, Ribs, Kotlin, [website], HTML, Python 3.8/3.9, Django, Scikit-learn, Pandas, Numpy, PyTorch, Scrapy, Bs4, XgBoost, LightGbm, HyperOpt, Catboost

    Offering

    We are looking for candidates to participate in Mobile Development. Knowledge in backend, frontend, data science & computer vision would be a plus.

    Both, full time and part time are offered, depending on your capabilities. Remote work, from 10 hours a week.

    Your compensation offer would be based after fulfillment of a test tasks, compensation range in the profile can be considered as a guideline of potential offer.

    Bonuses

    *
    LongevityCoin (LONG) tokens could be offered as part of the offering.*

    *

    The company has a 40 members team from 12 countries, communication is in English, a good chance to improve your technical English skills.

    For team members who have worked for more than a year, it is possible to be included in the US visa program.*
    *

    Among the additional advantages - it is possible to use the company's achievements to improve your own health and the health of your family.
    Additional info
    Our experience showed that software developers & other teammates should understand the market they work on, so this test task can show your vision and how it can interact with the product you will participate in the development. Besides this will show, how you can work in the team, cherishing what other mates do, for this we will ask for a free test task.
    *
    If you feel that you match our vision of what we do, feel free to apply to this vacancy.

    Contract length: 36 months

    Job Types: Full-time, Part-time, Contract

    Salary: From $60,000.00 per year

    Contract length: 36 months

    Part-time hours: 10 per week

    Job Types: Full-time, Part-time, Contract

    Contract length: 36 months

    Part-time hours: 10 per week

    Job Types: Full-time, Part-time, Contract

    Salary: $70,000.00 - $90,000.00 per year

    COVID-19 considerations:
    Yes

    Application Question(s):
  • Are you ready to make a free test task?

    Work
    • Show less 
    Show more 

    Example 3

    What you will do
    Aimpoint Digital is a premier analytics consulting firm with a mission to drive business value for clients through expertise in data analytics, data science, data engineering and infrastructure. You will become a trusted advisor working together with our software partners and our clients. This position focuses on building and delivering data science solutions within the Dataiku platform as well as continuing to grow our strong partnership. This role will lead various activities such as:

  • Working with clients to understand their business needs to deliver impactful solutions
  • Assisting Dataiku with executing tactical proof-of-values, migration activities, demonstrations of the platform, and other pre- and post-sales activities
  • Supporting Aimpoint as we continue to grow our internal Dataiku community
  • Optimizing Dataiku flows to achieve better performance both internally and externally

    Who we are looking for
    We are looking for collaborative individuals who want to drive value, work in a fast-paced environment, and solve real business problems. You enjoy building statistically sound models within Dataiku that generate real value. You are able to talk smoothly and confidently with our clients to both uncover their requirements and deliver relevant demonstrations or end products. You enjoy live-solutioning within Dataiku to help clients build successful flows. You are passionate about being hands-on technically as well as teaching others. You have experience delivering Data Science projects within Dataiku. A Principal Data Scientist is expected to manage their own workstreams within client engagements and the partnership, as well as guide others in their workstreams.

  • Have excellent Dataiku skills, including a record of Dataiku project delivery (6 – 12 months of Dataiku hands on experience preferred)
  • Expert in descriptive statistics and statistical methods with applications in machine learning (e.g., correlation, regression, clustering)
  • Highly proficient with a broad spectrum of advanced data science techniques and industry expertise
  • Track record of growing and managing a business vertical or data science team
  • Practical programming experience in Python, R, Matlab, Spark/PySpark, SQL, and/or other related programming languages (5+ years preferred)
  • Experience delivering end-to-end data science projects, starting with project plan, through data modelling & data integrity checks to delivering value with explainable results
  • Solid public speaker and company representative
  • 5+ years of practical data science experience
  • 5+ years of consulting experience (preferred)
  • Advanced Degree in a STEM-related field
  • Self-starter with excellent communication skills, able to work independently, and lead projects, initiatives, and/or people
  • Experience in automation and deployment preferred (MLOps and Data Engineering)
  • Willingness to are actively considering applicants that are fully remote within the US.

    Job Type: Full-time
    • Show less 
    Show more 

    What does a Data Scientist do?

    Data Scientists typically work for corporations across industries to provide them with meaningful insights about how to improve their current business operations. They use their knowledge of coding and other computer programming tactics to automate data collection and storage tasks. Their job is to work closely with company departments to pull data following department decisions or initiatives to weigh their success. They may also be responsible for creating a system for collecting and storing data within company databases.

    Data Scientist skills and qualifications

    Data Scientists must possess skills in a few key areas, such as:

    • Exceptional technical writing skills
    • Ability to communicate complex data in a simple, actionable way
    • Ability to visualize data in the most effective way possible for a given project or study
    • Analytical and problem-solving skills
    • Experience with machine learning and AI
    • Familiarity with data management tools
    • Ability to work independently and with team members from different backgrounds
    • Excellent attention to detail

    Data Scientist salary expectations

    A Data Scientist makes an average of $124,189 per year. Salary may depend on level of experience, education and the geographical location.

    Data Scientist education and training requirements

    Data Scientists need a master’s degree to work. Most applicants will come from backgrounds like computer science, social science, mathematics, statistics or engineering. In some cases, Data Scientists earn a bachelor’s degree in the field they’re interested in, such as marketing or IT, then earn a master’s degree in statistics or a related field. During their master’s programs, students should undergo internships to get practical training and experience. 

    Data Scientist experience requirements

    Data Scientists can find entry-level work once they get a master’s degree. Employers should seek recent graduates who have completed an internship in a similar field. Senior-level Data Scientists usually need at least five to seven years of experience. Experience in data analysis can serve as a substitute in some cases. 

    Job description samples for similar positions

    If you’re looking for candidates for similar roles to the Data Scientist, see our job description templates for related positions:

    Ready to Hire a Data Scientist? Build a Data Scientist Job Description

    Frequently asked questions about Data Scientists

     

    What is the difference between a Data Scientist and a Data Analyst?

    Data Scientists and Data Analysts have similar job responsibilities, however, they differ in seniority and the scope of their duties. For example, Data Analysts receive objectives from higher ups to review company data to provide them with information about employee retention, customer service abilities or sales quotas. Further, Data Analysts usually only pull data from company databases to complete their tasks. 

    In contrast, Data Scientists take on a more proactive role within a corporation. They pull data from company databases and outside sources to make predictions about company success or other factors. Based on their assessments, they address reoccurring issues or potential business opportunities to upper management. Therefore, they don’t rely on instructions from upper management about what to look for, like Data Analysts do. For this reason, Data Scientists hold more seniority and may communicate with Data Analysts to research certain data figures.

     

    What are the daily duties of a Data Scientist?

    On a typical day, a Data Scientist reviews their to-do list and searches internal or external databases for specific data points relating to areas like employee retention or market trends. Throughout the day, they participate in meetings with the data team and upper management officials to discuss their findings and make predictions about company operations based on their data. During downtime, they compile reports and create charts to illustrate their findings.

     

    What qualities make a good Data Scientist?

    A good Data Scientist has excellent written and verbal communication, which enables them to write reports and present their findings to upper management regarding topics like. market predictions, financial goals or employee training needs. Further, a good Data Scientist values continued education and makes an effort to obtain certifications in different coding languages and data management software to perform their job duties well. A good Data Scientist also enjoys working as part of a team and communicates with their coworkers to pull data and compile reports.

     

    Who does a Data Scientist report to?

    A Data Scientist typically reports to the Director of Data Science or Head of Data Analytics. These individuals delegate tasks to Data Scientists and other data professionals to pull data figures and update company databases. Data Scientists may also report to the Chief Data Officer (CDO) within a corporation.

    Job Description Examples

    Need help writing a job description for a specific role? Use these job description examples to create your next great job posting. Or if you’re ready to hire, post your job on Indeed.

    A-C D-H I-L M-P Q-S T-Z
    No search results found

      *Indeed provides this information as a courtesy to users of this site. Please note that we are not your career or legal advisor, and none of the information provided herein guarantees a job offer.