Senior Data Scientist

ICON Clinical Research; Dublin; Hybrid; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement plan

Flexible working hours

Global Employee Assistance Programme

Job summary

ICON Clinical Research seeks a Senior Data Scientist to design and deploy advanced ML, NLP and generative AI solutions across clinical operations and scientific intelligence. You will own end-to-end analytical challenges, partnering with data engineers and product teams to deliver production-ready models.

You will apply robust statistics, implement MLOps/LLMOps in Azure environments, and ensure regulatory compliance while mentoring peers and contributing to the team roadmap.

Qualifications

• MSc or PhD in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Life Sciences or related quantitative discipline, or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of hands-on Data Science or ML delivery, including production deployments.
• Strong Python and SQL skills with pandas, scikit-learn, PyTorch or Hugging Face.
• Experience with large language models, prompt engineering, embeddings, vector search and RAG architectures.
• Solid grounding in statistics, experimental design and model evaluation.
• Experience with Microsoft Azure and modern MLOps tools (MLflow, Docker, CI/CD, Airflow).
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management, ability to influence both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience in pharma/CRO/healthcare or regulated industry is advantageous.
• Familiarity with CDISC, clinical study data and standards is beneficial.
• Knowledge of causal inference, network analysis or optimization is beneficial.
• Publications, open-source contributions or patents are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development and validation of ML, NLP and LLM solutions for clinical ops and scientific intelligence.
• Transform complex business questions into well-defined analytical plans with measurable outcomes.
• Design and deploy retrieval-augmented generation, information extraction and agentic AI workflows.
• Apply robust statistical methods and experimental designs to quantify impact.
• Collaborate with Data and ML Engineering to productionise solutions in Azure Fabric-based ecosystems.
• Implement MLOps and LLMOps, including versioning, pipelines, evaluation and drift monitoring.
• Develop evaluation frameworks addressing accuracy, groundedness, bias, safety and cost of AI systems.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory and quality requirements (GxP, 21 CFR Part 11, GDPR, HIPAA).
• Contribute to responsible AI practices, model documentation and third-party risk assessments.
• Mentor junior Data Scientists and contribute to the team’s technical roadmap.

Skills

Python

SQL

Data Science

Machine Learning

NLP

LLM / Generative AI

Azure

MLOps

Communication

Education

MSc or PhD in Data Science or related field

Statistics or Mathematics emphasis

Tools

Azure

Docker

MLflow

Airflow

Job description

Senior Data Scientist

ICON is a global healthcare intelligence and clinical research organisation united by a mission to bring new medicines and treatments to patients faster.

As a values-driven organisation, integrity, collaboration, agility, and inclusion are at the heart of how we work and interact with each other, customers, patients and suppliers.

Senior Data Scientist

Ireland, Dublin - 3 days office

We are currently seeking a Senior Data Scientist to join our diverse and dynamic team. As a Senior Data Scientist at ICON, you will play a key role in designing, building and deploying advanced machine learning and generative AI solutions that move from proof of concept through to production.

You will take ownership of complex analytical challenges from end to end, partnering with business stakeholders, data engineers and product teams to deliver innovative solutions across clinical operations, feasibility and scientific intelligence.

What You Will Be Doing:

• Leading the design, development and validation of machine learning, NLP and large language model (LLM) solutions that address priority business challenges across clinical operations, feasibility and scientific intelligence.
• Translating complex or ambiguous business questions into well-defined analytical approaches with clear success measures and delivery milestones.
• Designing and developing retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), information extraction and agentic AI workflows using structured and unstructured clinical and operational data.
• Applying robust statistical, experimental and causal inference methods to quantify impact and support evidence-based decision-making.
• Partnering with Data and ML Engineering teams to take solutions from proof of concept into robust, monitored production services using Azure and Microsoft Fabric .
• Implementing MLOps and LLMOps practices, including model versioning, reproducible pipelines, automated evaluation, and performance and drift monitoring.
• Developing evaluation frameworks for generative AI solutions, considering areas such as accuracy, groundedness, bias, safety and cost.
• Ensuring solutions comply with ICON's regulatory and quality requirements, including GxP/GCP, 21 CFR Part 11, GDPR and HIPAA .
• Contributing to responsible AI practices, including model documentation, validation evidence and assessment of third-party and vendor technologies.
• Acting as a trusted technical advisor to stakeholders and communicating complex technical findings in clear, accessible language.
• Mentoring junior and mid-level Data Scientists through code reviews, pairing and knowledge sharing.
• Contributing to the team's technical roadmap, reusable components and engineering standards.

Your Profile :

• MSc or PhD in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Life Sciences or another relevant quantitative discipline, or equivalent professional experience.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience delivering Data Science or Machine Learning solutions, including experience taking at least one solution into production.
• Strong Python and SQL skills, with experience using libraries and frameworks such as pandas, scikit-learn, PyTorch or Hugging Face.
• Practical experience working with large language models, prompt engineering, embeddings, vector search and RAG architectures .
• Strong grounding in statistics, experimental design and model evaluation.
• Experience working with cloud platforms, preferably Microsoft Azure , and modern MLOps technologies such as MLflow, Docker, CI/CD and orchestration tools including Airflow.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience within pharma, CRO, healthcare or another regulated industry would be advantageous.
• Familiarity with clinical trial data and standards, such as CDISC, clinical study protocols, site data and investigator data , would be beneficial.
• Experience with Microsoft Fabric, Azure OpenAI/AI Foundry, AKS or knowledge graph technologies would be advantageous.
• Knowledge of causal inference, network analysis or optimisation methods would be beneficial.
• A track record of publications, open-source contributions or patents would be an advantage.

#LI-JC

#LI-Hybrid

What ICON can offer you:

Our success depends on the quality of our people. That’s why we’ve made it a priority to build a diverse culture that rewards high performance and nurtures talent.

In addition to your competitive salary, ICON offers a range of additional benefits. Our benefits are designed to be competitive within each country and are focused on well-being and work life balance opportunities for you and your family.

Our benefits examples include:

• Various annual leave entitlements
• A range of health insurance offerings to suit you and your family’s needs.
• Competitive retirement planning offerings to maximize savings and plan with confidence for the years ahead.
• Global Employee Assistance Programme, LifeWorks, offering 24-hour access to a global network of over 80,000 independent specialized professionals who are there to support you and your family’s well-being.
• Life assurance
• Flexible country-specific optional benefits, including childcare vouchers, bike purchase schemes, discounted gym memberships, subsidized travel passes, health assessments, among others.

Visit our careers site (https://careers.iconplc.com/benefits) to read more about the benefits ICON offers.

At ICON, inclusion & belonging are fundamental to our culture and values. We’re dedicated to providing an inclusive and accessible environment for all candidates. ICON is committed to providing a workplace free of discrimination and harassment. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, or in order to perform the essential functions of a position, please let us know or submit a request here (https://careers.iconplc.com/reasonable-accommodations)