Data Scientist II - QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey

McKinsey; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 132,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

McKinsey is seeking a data science professional to collaborate with clients and cross-functional teams to build advanced analytics and AI solutions across industries. You will translate business questions into analytics, conduct data exploration, and deploy models that scale in production.

You will work with senior data scientists and engineers, contribute to R&D, and have opportunities to present at leading conferences.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's/Master's/PhD in a quantitative field and strong ML/data analytics background.
• 2+ years applying ML/data mining to real problems with large datasets.
• Proficiency in SQL and Python; experience with big data tools is a plus.
• Experience deploying ML solutions to production and collaborating with engineers.

Responsibilities

• Translate business questions into analytical approaches and select techniques.
• Conduct exploratory data analysis to uncover insights.
• Design, implement, and evaluate models from traditional ML to DL to LLMs; build RAG pipelines when needed.
• Deploy models via APIs or batch pipelines; write tests and monitor performance and drift.
• Document assumptions, communicate results clearly, and collaborate with engineers to integrate solutions.
• Build models that are accurate, explainable, and bias-free.
• Optimize inference latency and cost with tuning and efficient serving stacks.

Skills

Machine learning

Data mining

Python

SQL

Big data

English fluency

Travel willingness

Education

Master's or PhD in CS/ML/Statistics/Math/Engineering/AI

Tools

PySpark

Hive

Hadoop

Docker

Kubernetes

Databricks

Kedro

Job description

Do you want to do work that matters, alongside supportive leaders who will help you grow faster than you ever thought possible? Are you a creative problem-solver who is energized by challenges? You’ve come to the right place.

YOUR IMPACT

You will collaborate with clients and interdisciplinary teams to understand client needs, develop impactful advanced analytics and AI solutions, optimize code, and solve complex business challenges across industries. You will grow your expertise by contributing to cutting-edge projects, R&D, and global conferences while working alongside top-tier talent in a dynamic, innovative environment. Your work will drive meaningful change. By uncovering patterns in data and delivering innovative solutions, you’ll help clients stay competitive, transform operations, and achieve lasting improvements. Here’s how you might contribute in a given year:

• Build a digital twin of a defense supply chain to enhance military hardware availability.
• Leverage agentic AI to improve customer service outcomes for a global travel company.
• Optimize the schedule and funding of a multi-billion-dollar capital project to accelerate delivery.

You’ll contribute to projects across industries and data science expertise areas, eventually choosing your own path to build your expertise and skills. You should expect your responsibilities to include at least some work in critical industries (Aerospace, Defense, Utilities, Oil and Gas), but you will have the ability to serve other industries as well. Day to day, you’ll tackle complex challenges in partnership with senior data scientists, engineers, designers, and domain experts.

You will:

• Translate business questions into analytical approaches and select the right techniques for each problem
• Conduct exploratory data analysis
• Design, implement, and evaluate models—from traditional machine learning to deep learning to LLMs -- using rigorous metrics and A/B tests. When appropriate, you’ll build production-grade RAG pipelines and assess LLM output quality / hallucinations
• Deploy models via APIs or batch pipelines, write unit tests, and set up monitoring dashboards to track performance and drift
• Document assumptions, communicate results in clear, actionable language, and collaborate with engineers to integrate solutions into user-facing applications.
• Build models which are accurate, explainable, and free from bias
• Optimize inference latency and cost through parameter-efficient tuning, quantization, and accelerated serving stacks

Additionally, you will contribute to internal tools, participate in R&D projects, and have opportunities to attend and present at leading conferences like NIPS and ICML. You will be based in one of our North America locations and collaborate closely with data scientists, data engineers, machine-learning engineers, designers, and product managers around the world.

In accordance with Ontario law: This job posting is for an existing vacancy. Artificial intelligence systems (AI) may be used to assist recruiters in the screening and/or assessment of candidates for this role. AI is neither the sole determinative factor at any stage of the application process nor the decision-maker. All AI-generated assessments are reviewed by a McKinsey recruiter before any decision is made regarding a candidate’s candidacy.

YOUR GROWTH

Driving lasting impact and building long-term capabilities with our clients is not easy work. You are the kind of person who thrives in a high performance/high reward culture - doing hard things, picking yourself up when you stumble, and having the resilience to try another way forward. In return for your drive, determination, and curiosity, we'll provide the resources, mentorship, and opportunities you need to become a stronger leader faster than you ever thought possible. Your colleagues—at all levels—will invest deeply in your development, just as much as they invest in delivering exceptional results for clients. Every day, you'll receive apprenticeship, coaching, and exposure that will accelerate your growth in ways you won’t find anywhere else.

• Continuous learning:Our learning and apprenticeship culture, backed by structured programs, is all about helping you grow while creating an environment where feedback is clear, actionable, and focused on your development. The real magic happens when you take the input from others to heart and embrace the fast-paced learning experience, owning your journey.
• A voice that matters:From day one, we value your ideas and contributions. You’ll make a tangible impact by offering innovative ideas and practical solutions, all while upholding our unwavering commitment to ethics and integrity. We not only encourage diverse perspectives, but they are critical in driving us toward the best possible outcomes.
• Global community:With colleagues across 65+ countries and over 100 different nationalities, our firm’s diversity fuels creativity and helps us come up with the best solutions for our clients. Plus, you’ll have the opportunity to learn from exceptional colleagues with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
• World-class benefits:On top of a competitive salary (based on your location, experience, and skills), we provide a comprehensive benefits package to enable holistic well-being for you and your family.

YOUR QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS

• Bachelors, Masters or PhD level in a discipline such as: computer science, machine learning, applied statistics, mathematics, engineering or artificial intelligence
• 2+ years of professional experience in applying machine learning and data mining techniques to real problems with copious amounts of data
• Programming experience (focus on machine learning): SQL and Python’s Data Science stack are a must; good knowledge of at least one big data framework (Pyspark, Hive, Hadoop) is a plus; R, SPSS, SAS (nice to have); Software Engineering is a plus
• Knowledge in applying machine learning solutions to real problems with complex and/or big amounts of data
• Ability to prototype statistical analysis and modeling algorithms and apply these algorithms for data driven solutions to problems in new domains
• Experience deploying technology applied to business problems is a plus
• While we advocate for using the right tech for the right task, we often leverage the following technologies: Python, PySpark, the PyData stack, SQL, Airflow, Databricks, our own open-source data pipelining framework called Kedro, Dask/RAPIDS, container technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes, cloud solutions such as AWS, GCP, and Azure, and more
• Exceptional time management to meet your responsibilities in a complex and largely autonomous work environment.
• Willingness to travel
• Strong language fluency skills, both verbal and written, in English, with the ability to adjust your style to suit different perspectives and seniority levels

In accordance with Ontario law, this job posting is for an existing vacancy.

FOR U.S. APPLICANTS: McKinsey & Company is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Certain Canadian jurisdictions require McKinsey & Company to include a reasonable estimate of the salary for this role. To help you understand what you can expect, the salary range for new joiners in this role in Canada, including all office locations where the job may be performed, is $132,300 - $140,000 CAD gross per year. This reflects our best estimate of the lowest to highest salary for this role at the time of this posting, ensuring you have a clear picture right from the start, though it's important to remember that actual salaries may vary. Factors like your office location, your unique blend of experience and skills, start date and our current organizational needs all play a part in determining the final figure. Certain roles are also eligible for bonuses, subject to McKinsey's discretion and based on factors such as individual and/or organizational performance.

Additionally, we provide a comprehensive benefits package that reflects our commitment to the wellness of our colleagues and their families. This includes medical, mental health, dental and vision coverage, telemedicine services, life, accident and disability insurance, parental leave and family planning benefits, caregiving resources, a generous retirement contributions program, financial guidance, and paid time off.

FOR NON-U.S. APPLICANTS: McKinsey & Company is an Equal Opportunity employer. For additional details regarding our global EEO policy and diversity initiatives, please visit our McKinsey Careers and Diversity & Inclusion sites.