AI Data Scientist

Burns Sheehan; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Burns Sheehan Ltd seeks an AI Data Scientist to join a private equity AI team in San Francisco. You will work with portfolio company data to identify AI opportunities, build scalable models, and present defensible insights to the investment committee.

This is an applied, high-autonomy role, blending analytics with actionable recommendations. Ideal candidates bring 2–3 years of hands-on analytics from consulting or data science, strong Python/SQL skills, and a pragmatic, fast-moving approach that

Qualifications

• 2–3 years at a top-tier strategy consulting firm with hands-on analytics exposure or equivalent applied data science experience.
• Strong quantitative foundation and judgement about when to use statistical analysis, segmentation, forecasting, or ML.
• Fluent in Python and SQL; able to write code, not only brief others.
• Track record of turning ambiguous business questions into structured analysis and a clear point of view.
• Comfortable presenting directly to senior stakeholders, including portfolio company executives and investment committees.

Responsibilities

• Partner with portfolio company teams to source, clean, and analyse workforce, financial, and operational data.
• Build and refine quantitative models that size AI-driven efficiency and value‑creation opportunities by function or process.
• Develop reusable analytical frameworks to scale analyses across the portfolio.
• Translate findings into clear recommendations for investment materials and leadership; present your work.
• Collaborate with software engineers to move models from notebook to production tool.

Skills

Python

SQL

Applied ML

Data wrangling

Stakeholder comms

Education

Consulting or data science experience

Tools

pandas

scikit-learn

Job description

AI Data Scientist

Location: San Francisco

About the Team

Our client is a leading private equity firm with a dedicated AI team that works directly with portfolio company leadership and the investment team to identify, size, and deliver applied AI opportunities. The team operates less like a research group and more like an internal consultancy with an engineering core, moving quickly from hypothesis to analysis to a shipped tool or a board-ready recommendation.

The Role

They're looking for a Data Scientist who can walk into a portfolio company, get hands‑on with messy org, financial, and operational data, and come out with a clear, defensible view of where AI and automation can create value, plus a model that makes the case repeatable across a broad portfolio. This is an applied, high‑autonomy role, not a research posting or a slide‑writing exercise.

What You'll Do

• Partner with portfolio company teams to source, clean, and analyse workforce, financial, and operational data (headcount, spend, org structure, process data)
• Build and refine quantitative models that size AI‑driven efficiency and value‑creation opportunities by function, profession, or process
• Develop reusable analytical frameworks that scale a single company's analysis across the wider portfolio
• Translate findings into clear recommendations for investment committee materials and portfolio company leadership; you present your own work
• Partner closely with the team's software engineers to move models from notebook to production tool

What You'll Bring

• 2-3 years at a top‑tier strategy consulting firm with genuine hands‑on analytics exposure, or equivalent applied data science experience in a fast‑paced, stakeholder‑facing environment
• Strong quantitative foundation (statistical analysis, segmentation, forecasting, applied ML) and good judgement about when each is, and isn't, the right tool
• Fluent in Python (pandas, scikit‑learn or similar) and SQL; genuinely comfortable writing the code, not just briefing someone who does
• A track record of turning ambiguous business questions into structured analysis and a clear point of view
• Comfortable presenting directly to senior stakeholders, including portfolio company executives and investment committees
• A bias toward speed and pragmatism over rigor for its own sake
• Strong analytical skills
• Curiosity and a willingness to learn

Nice to Have

• Exposure to private equity, corporate strategy, or workforce/organisational analytics
• Experience with generative AI / LLM‑based analysis tooling
• Experience working across multiple portfolio companies or clients simultaneously

Why This Role

A builder's seat at the intersection of AI, strategy, and investing: a small team, direct exposure to senior leadership, and work that flows straight into investment and value‑creation decisions rather than sitting in a deck.

Burns Sheehan Ltd will consider applications based only on skills and ability and will not discriminate on any grounds.