Senior Data Scientist

Westjet-Airline; Calgary; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Travel privileges

Savings programs

Fun culture

Job summary

WestJet is seeking a Senior Data Scientist to join the Data Science & Strategic Insights team. You will design, develop, and deploy advanced analytics and AI solutions to drive data-driven decisions, collaborating with data engineers, product managers, and business stakeholders across the organization.

Key responsibilities include strategy design, data exploration, feature engineering, and model lifecycle management.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Data Science or related quantitative field with 6+ years experience.
• Proficiency in Python and SQL with ML libraries.
• Strong foundation in statistics and ML methodologies.
• Experience deploying AI/ML models in production.
• Experience with Generative AI including LLMs and RAG.
• Experience with cloud-based data platforms like Snowflake.
• Ability to translate analytical findings into business insights.

Responsibilities

• AI strategy and solution design to apply ML/AI to business challenges.
• Advanced analytics and data exploration across structured/unstructured data.
• Data preparation and feature engineering for model development.
• Develop and optimize ML/AI models to improve decision-making.
• LLM/Agentic AI development including prompts, embeddings and RAG.
• Model evaluation, explainability, and business-ready outputs.
• Communicate insights through storytelling and executive visuals.
• Cross-functional collaboration with product owners and engineers.
• Technical leadership and mentorship within the team.

Skills

Python

SQL

Statistics

Machine Learning

Data wrangling

Communication

Education

Bachelors degree in Data Science/Statistics/CS

Tools

Git

CI/CD

Power BI

Snowflake

Streamlit

Job description

Job Description

Posted Monday, August 17, 2026 at 5:00 a.m. | Expires Tuesday, September 1, 2026 at 4:59 a.m.

This position requires in-person collaboration up to five days a week. This arrangement is subject to change based on business requirements.

Why WestJet:

Since our story took off in 1996, WestJet has strived to enrich the lives of everyone in our world; a career with us is no exception. We’re proud to be one of Canada’s most admired and respected corporate cultures and continuously aim for the highest standards of service and success.

Join us, this is where your career story takes off.

We are seeking a talented and experienced Senior Data Scientist to join the Data Science & Strategic Insights team. If you are passionate about data, have a proven track record of solving complex problems, and want to contribute to meaningful projects, we encourage you to apply.

As a Senior Data Scientist at WestJet, you will play a crucial role in driving data-driven decision-making and delivering actionable insights. You will work collaboratively with cross-functional teams, including data engineers, product managers, and business stakeholders, to design, develop, and deploy advanced analytics and AI solutions.

Key Responsibilities:

• AI Strategy & Solution Design: Identify opportunities to apply machine learning, generative and agentic AI, and advanced analytics techniques to business challenges, ensuring solutions are aligned with organizational priorities and expected business outcomes.
• Advanced Analytics & Data Exploration: Conduct exploratory data analysis across structured and unstructured data sources to identify patterns, trends, risks, and opportunities that inform model development and AI solution design.
• Data Preparation & Feature Engineering:Prepare, transform, and engineer features from multiple structured and unstructured data sources to support model development, experimentation, and AI applications.
• Predictive & Prescriptive Modeling: Develop, train, and optimize statistical, machine learning, and AI models that improve decision-making by generating actionable insights and recommendations.
• LLM & Agentic AI Development: Design and prototype AI solutions using large language models, prompt and context engineering, embeddings, semantic search, retrieval-augmented generation, and agentic workflows to augment employee productivity and business capabilities.
• Model Evaluation & Explainability: Evaluate model performance using appropriate statistical techniques and ensure outputs are explainable, interpretable, and actionable for business stakeholders.
• Communication & Executive Engagement:Communicate analytical findings and insights through effective storytelling, clear business narratives, compelling visualizations and executive-level presentations executive-ready insights in collaboration with the technical product owner.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate closely with product owners, engineers, platform teams, visualization specialists and architects to ensure analytical solutions are technically feasible, scalable, interpretable, and aligned with business objectives.
• Technical Leadership & Mentorship: Serve as a subject matter expert in data science and AI by mentoring team members, sharing knowledge, evaluating emerging technologies, and advancing analytical best practices across the organization.

Experience and Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Data Science, Statistics, Computer Science, Mathematics, Engineering, or a related quantitative discipline, combined with 6+ years of progressive experience in data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, or advanced analytics.
• Advanced proficiency in Python and SQL, with hands‑on experience using modern data science, machine learning, and AI libraries, frameworks, and development environments.
• Strong foundation in statistics, machine learning, and data science methodologies, including supervised and unsupervised learning, predictive modeling, experimentation, optimization, and statistical analysis.
• Demonstrated experience designing, developing, validating, and deploying statistical and AI/ML models within enterprise production environments.
• Hands‑on experience developing Generative AI and Agentic AI solutions, including large language models (LLMs), prompt engineering, retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG), embeddings, vector databases, semantic search, tool integration, and orchestration frameworks.
• Experience working within modern AI/ML development environments, including Git‑based version control, CI/CD processes, MLOps frameworks, model lifecycle management, and collaborative software development practices that enable scalable and repeatable delivery of AI/ML solutions.
• Experience with model lifecycle management, including model monitoring, performance evaluation, data and concept drift detection, versioning, and retraining strategies to maintain long‑term model accuracy and reliability.
• Experience translating analytical findings into actionable business insights through data visualization and storytelling, including the development of executive‑ready decks and dashboards using tools such as Power BI or Streamlit.
• Experience working within modern cloud‑based data platforms, preferably Snowflake.
• Excellent analytical, problem‑solving, communication, and stakeholder management skills, with a demonstrated ability to influence decisions, navigate ambiguity, and communicate complex analytical concepts to both technical and non‑technical audiences.

Nice to Have:

• A Master’s and/or Ph.D. in Data Science, Statistics, Computer Science, or a related field.
• Formal generative and agentic AI training or certification.
• Prior experience working for an airline

The benefits of being a WestJetter:

WestJet provides all WestJetters with a competitive total rewards package. On top of that, we offer:

• A fun and friendly culture with colleagues who work together to win
• Travel privileges for you and your family, effective from your start date
• Savings and Benefit programs that are flexible to meet your specific needs

WestJet took to the skies in 1996 with just over 200 employees and three aircraft operating service to five destinations. Since then, WestJet has pioneered low-cost travel in Canada, cutting airfares in half, and increasing the flying population in Canada by more than 50 per cent. Since the Sunwing Airlines integration in 2025, more than 15,000 WestJetters support nearly 200 aircraft and connect guests to our global network of more than 100 destinations across North America, Central America, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia. The WestJet Group is a major Canadian employer and includes WestJet Airlines, WestJet Encore and Sunwing Vacations Group. We’re Canada’s leading value airline and largest vacation provider, with a united purpose of providing affordable and accessible air and vacation travel to Canadians.

Our safety promise

At WestJet, the safety and security of our people and our guests is a core value and at the heart of what we do. Safety and security are shared responsibilities all team members are expected to use safe work practices to ensure their well‑being and the safety of others. WestJet recognizes that the use of Alcohol and Drugs can adversely impact a safe work environment and the well‑being of others including guests, suppliers and the public, as well as place WestJet's operations at risk. All roles that are identified as Safey‑Sensitive are required to pass a Pre‑Employment Alcohol and Drug Test as per WestJet'sAlcohol and Drug Policy.

Our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion

We embrace what makes each of us unique, and what makes us uniquely WestJet. We welcome diverse skills, experiences and backgrounds so if you're passionate about this role, we encourage you to apply – even if you don't meet every qualification listed. WestJet is committed to inclusiveness, equity and accessibility throughout the selection process. If you require accommodation at any stage, please contact our Talent Acquisition team at [e-mail].

We value the time and effort you put into your application. Our recruitment process is highly competitive and while every applicant will receive communication regarding their application status, only those selected to move forward will be contacted with next steps. If this role isn’t the right fit, we encourage you to explore future opportunities with us.

For more information about everything WestJet, please westjet.com/aboutus.