Data Scientist II - Gen AI/Python/AWS/SQL

Unum; Atlanta (GA); Hybrid; USD 81,000 - 166,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Award-winning culture

Inclusion and diversity as a priority

Performance Based Incentive Plans

Health, Vision, Dental, Short & Long‑T

PTO including paid time to volunteer

401(k) employer contribution up to 9.5

Mental health support

Career advancement opportunities

Student loan repayment options

Tuition reimbursement

Flexible work environments

Job summary

Unum is seeking a data science and analytics professional to design and implement analytical solutions across AI/ML, data engineering, and visualization efforts. You will collaborate with product owners, engineers, and business partners to deliver data-driven insights that influence senior leadership decisions.

The role emphasizes building scalable data pipelines, applying advanced statistics and ML, and mentoring junior team members in a collaborative, innovation-focused environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a quantitative field required; Master’s preferred.
• 4+ years of professional experience or equivalent relevant work.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and execute analytical solutions using optimization, simulation, ML, generative AI, and statistics.
• Construct predictive models to forecast behaviors and identify risk.
• Develop data models and optimize data pipelines for analytics.
• Build automated analytics pipelines and scale solutions with DevOps practices.
• Create clear visualizations and translate insights for senior leadership.
• Coach and mentor junior data scientists and collaborate with cross-functional teams.
• Stay current on emerging methods and prototype new approaches.

Skills

Python

Data Visualization

Statistics & ML

Communication & Leadership

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree in a quantitative field

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

AWS

Azure/Google Cloud

APIs

SQL tooling

Job description

When you join the team at Unum, you become part of an organization committed to helping you thrive. Here, we work to provide the employee benefits and service solutions that enable employees at our client companies to thrive throughout life’s moments. And this starts with ensuring that every one of our team members enjoys opportunities to succeed both professionally and personally. To enable this, we provide:

• Award-winning culture
• Inclusion and diversity as a priority
• Performance Based Incentive Plans
• Competitive benefits package that includes: Health, Vision, Dental, Short & Long-Term Disability
• Generous PTO (including paid time to volunteer!)
• Up to 9.5% 401(k) employer contribution
• Mental health support
• Career advancement opportunities
• Student loan repayment options
• Tuition reimbursement
• Flexible work environments

*All the benefits listed above are subject to the terms of their individual Plans.

General Summary:

Are you passionate about leveraging AI, machine learning, and advanced analytics to solve meaningful business challenges? Do you enjoy working in a collaborative, innovation-focused environment where you can explore new ideas, build data-driven solutions, and contribute to the advancement of AI capabilities? If so, this opportunity may be a great fit for you.

Job Specifications / Qualifications

Education & Experience

Bachelor's degree in a quantitative field required. Master’s is preferred 4+ years of professional experience or equivalent relevant work.

Technical Expertise

Deep expertise in at least two of the following skillsets preferred; and competency in the other:

• Programming & Automation: Python required; experience with automation, DevOps practices, APIs, file I/O, and database integrations. Experience engineering solutions in cloud environments (AWS preferred; Azure/Google comparable). Exposure to object‑oriented development and scalable architecture.
• Data Visualization: Expertise across multiple visualization tools and techniques. Ability to tailor visuals to business use cases and audiences.
• Statistics & Machine Learning: Deep knowledge of statistical inference, regression, feature selection, feature extraction, and ML algorithms. Familiarity with generative AI approaches is a plus.
• Data Engineering / ETL: Strong SQL skills; ability to design, debug, and optimize complex queries. Ability to navigate and explore large databases independently. Experience combining internal and external data sources.

Soft Skills & Business Leadership

• Strong communication skills, including the ability to influence senior leaders.
• Project management experience and strong business acumen (financial services experience a plus).
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent initiatives in a fast‑moving environment.
• Comfortable facilitating engagements and representing analytics with executive leadership.

Primary Responsibilities

Analytical Solution Development

• Design, develop, and execute analytical solutions using optimization, simulation, machine learning, generative AI, and statistical modeling.
• Construct predictive models to explain events, forecast behaviors, identify risk, or perform segmentation and clustering.
• Apply domain expertise to ensure models are practical, interpretable, and aligned with business needs.
• Evaluate alternative approaches and select appropriate modeling techniques for each use case.

Data Engineering & Preparation

• Integrate and transform large volumes of data from diverse sources (e.g., DB2, SQL Server, Teradata, APIs) to support analytics and experimentation.
• Build modeling‑ready datasets using validation, reconciliation, feature engineering, and aggregation techniques.
• Write complex SQL queries involving multi‑table joins, data exploration, and troubleshooting with minimal guidance.
• Develop logical data models combining internal and external datasets; lead conversations with external data providers when needed.

Automation & Deployment

• Build automated analytics pipelines leveraging scripting, APIs, DevOps practices, and cloud platforms.
• Partner with engineering and IT teams to scale solutions, automate workflows, and integrate models into business processes.
• Actively participate in operationalizing AI/ML solutions within production environments.

Visualization, Insights & Communication

• Develop and deliver clear, compelling visualizations (static or dynamic) tailored to various audiences.
• Interpret analytical results and communicate actionable insights that influence senior leaders and key business partners.
• Translate complex technical work into business‑friendly recommendations.

Mentorship & Collaboration

• Coach, mentor, and develop associate or junior data scientists; provide technical guidance and feedback.
• Work in a collaborative, innovation-focused environment with product owners, engineers, data architects, and business partners.
• Manage multiple projects simultaneously, prioritizing independently and guiding less experienced team members.

Innovation & Research

• Stay current on emerging statistical methods, machine learning advancements, and generative AI tools.
• Conduct independent R&D to prototype new approaches and explore innovative solutions for high‑visibility business problems.
• Demonstrate entrepreneurial, self‑starter mindset with a strong curiosity and continuous‑learning orientation.

#LI-AD1 #LI-Hybrid ~IN1 Unum and Colonial Life are part of Unum Group, a Fortune 500 company and leading provider of employee benefits to companies worldwide. Headquartered in Chattanooga, TN, with international offices in Ireland, Poland and the UK, Unum also has significant operations in Portland, ME, and Baton Rouge, LA - plus over 35 US field offices. Colonial Life is headquartered in Columbia, SC, with over 40 field offices nationwide.

Unum is an equal opportunity employer, considering all qualified applicants and employees for hiring, placement, and advancement, without regard to a person's race, color, religion, national origin, age, genetic information, military status, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, or protected veteran status.

The base salary range for applicants for this position is listed below. Unless actual salary is indicated above in the job description, actual pay will be based on skill, geographical location and experience. $80,630.00-$165,500.00 Additionally, Unum offers a portfolio of benefits and rewards that are competitive and comprehensive including healthcare benefits (health, vision, dental), insurance benefits (short & long-term disability), performance-based incentive plans, paid time off, and a 401(k) retirement plan with an employer match up to 5% and an additional 4.5% contribution whether you contribute to the plan or not. All benefits are subject to the terms and conditions of individual Plans.

Company: Unum

At Unum Group, we’re a Fortune 500 company and leading international provider of workplace benefits and services, helping workers and their families thrive for more than 175 years. Through our Unum and Colonial Life brands, our company offers disability, life, accident, critical illness, dental and vision insurance; leave and absence management support; and behavioral health services. Our 10,000+ employees work across operations in the US, UK and Poland, as well as our dedicated Technology Centre in Ireland. Unum Group is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations for any applicant with a disability. If you are disabled and need a reasonable accommodation to participate in the application or hiring process, please contact us by submitting a request here.