Data Scientist Intern

Summit Utilities; Fort Smith (AR); On-site; USD 28,000 - 41,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

Summit Utilities invites applications for a Data Scientist Intern role based in Fort Smith, Fayetteville, or Little Rock, AR. You will work under guidance to develop data science solutions for safe, reliable natural gas operations, exploring data, engineering features, building models, and presenting results to AI and Enterprise Data teams.

The role emphasizes collaboration, communication, and applying ML/analytics to operations, maintenance, weather normalization, and customer segmentation

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in a bachelor's or master's degree program in Data Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Operations Research, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related quantitative field; rising junior or senior undergraduate standing, or current graduate enrollment, preferred.
• Coursework, academic projects, or prior internship experience involving statistics, machine learning, or quantitative analytics.
• Exposure to the model development process — data preparation, feature engineering, training, and evaluation.

Responsibilities

• Assist in building, validating, and iterating statistical, machine learning, and optimization models supporting demand forecasting, weather normalization, asset health, maintenance, field operations optimization, and customer segmentation.
• Support exploratory data analysis, data profiling, and feature engineering across work order, weather/climate, SCADA, pipeline telemetry, billing, and gas usage data.
• Contribute to model development pipelines in Microsoft Fabric and assist with data quality checks and validation of inputs and outputs.

Skills

Python

SQL

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Data Science

Tools

Microsoft Fabric

Azure

Snowflake

Databricks

Job description

Summit Utilities Join our growing team and discover why Summit Utilities, Inc. continues to earn national and regional recognition as an employer of choice. Our recognitions include Best Places to Work in Maine (2019–2025); Best Places to Work in Arkansas (2020, 2023, 2025); Best Places to Work in Oklahoma (2022–2025); Best Places to Work in Missouri (2023 and 2026); Best Places to Work in Colorado (2025); Forbes America’s Best Small Employers (2023); and, most recently, Proud and Purposeful Employer (2026).

Summit is a growing natural gas utility providing safe, reliable, and clean burning natural gas service to homes and businesses in Arkansas, Colorado, Maine, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. Being part of the Summit team means embracing excellence and innovation, committing to safety each and every day, and doing all that we can to serve each other, our customers, and the communities where we live. We aim to bring warmth and energy to everything we do.

We have an exciting opportunity open for a Data Scientist Intern based in Fort Smith, Fayetteville, or Little Rock, AR.

POSITION SUMMARY

Summit Utilities is seeking a Data Scientist Intern to support the development of data science solutions that enable safe, reliable, and efficient natural gas utility operations. Working under close guidance from experienced data scientists and AI professionals, the intern will assist with data exploration, feature engineering, model development, and the communication of analytical findings across a range of operational and business use cases, including field operations optimization, asset health and preventative maintenance, damage prevention, climate analysis and weather normalization, gas supply planning, usage forecasting, and customer segmentation.

PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Assist in building, validating, and iterating statistical, machine learning, and optimization models supporting natural gas demand forecasting, weather normalization, asset health and preventative maintenance, field operations optimization, and customer segmentation. Support exploratory data analysis, data profiling, and feature engineering across work order, weather and climate, SCADA, pipeline telemetry, billing, and gas usage data. Contribute to model development pipelines in Microsoft Fabric and assist with data quality checks and validation of model inputs and outputs. Develop clear visualizations and quantitative summaries, and document analytical logic, data sources, and assumptions for the team. Complete an assigned project and present the results to the AI and Enterprise Data teams and leadership.

EDUCATION AND WORK EXPERIENCE

Currently enrolled in a bachelor's or master's degree program in Data Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Operations Research, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related quantitative field; rising junior or senior undergraduate standing, or current graduate enrollment, preferred. Coursework, academic projects, or prior internship experience involving statistics, machine learning, or quantitative analytics. Exposure to the model development process — data preparation, feature engineering, training, and evaluation. Familiarity with cloud data platforms such as Microsoft Fabric, Azure, Snowflake, or Databricks are a plus but not required.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES

Working knowledge of Python for data analysis (pandas, NumPy, scikit-learn, matplotlib/seaborn) and foundational SQL skills. Understanding of core statistical and machine learning concepts, including regression, classification, model validation, and evaluation metrics. Coursework or interest in time-series analysis and forecasting methods; exposure to techniques such as ARIMA or Bayesian methods a plus. Willingness to learn Microsoft Fabric notebooks and Lakehouses and collaborative development practices (Git, Azure DevOps). Strong communication skills, intellectual curiosity, and a friendly, solution-oriented approach aligned with Summit's values.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and/or skills required of all personnel so classified.

Summit offers competitive pay and medical/dental/vision and other benefits that provide flexibility, choice, and support to our employees when they need it most. We understand that home and family are essential pieces of your life, and our benefits are designed to support you both at work and at home.

Summit Utilities, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability or veteran status.

Equal employment opportunity, including veterans and individuals with disabilities.

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