Junior AI Data Analyst – Pipelines & Backtests

StepStone Group; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 39,000 - 43,000; Full time

Job summary

StepStone Group is seeking a Junior Analyst on the AI Initiatives team in San Diego to support development, testing, and operationalization of AI-driven data pipelines for portfolio monitoring and private-markets analytics.

You will assist with data structuring, backtesting, and integration testing while learning how AI can be applied to private markets investments. The role emphasizes hands-on data work, problem solving, and collaboration in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a quantitative discipline (e.g., Finance, Economics, Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Data Science) or related field.
• 0–2 years of relevant experience (e.g., internships, research, coding projects).
• Foundational proficiency in Python.
• Familiarity with Excel, Microsoft Apps, and Git.

Responsibilities

• Model Validation and Performance Tuning: Assist in running, analyzing, and improving the performance of existing AI/ML pipelines.
• Assist in complex data structuring challenges by applying cleaning and transformation techniques across heterogeneous inputs, including large-scale database extracts (SQL), proprietary documents, and legacy data in Excel, to ensure maximum data integrity for AI initiatives.
• Backtesting and Scenario Analysis: Design and execute backtests and scenario analyses based on senior team hypotheses to stress-test model robustness and quantify potential investment impact.
• Integration Testing & Requirement Definition: Collaborate closely with the engineering team by testing the integration of model outputs into internal tools. Document specific data and format requirements necessary for operationalizing new AI features.
• Process Automation and Efficiency: Actively seek opportunities to streamline workflow efficiency and reduce latency in the AI pipeline, taking the lead on automating key analytical and reporting components.
• Advanced Data Sourcing (SQL): Write sophisticated SQL queries to extract

Skills

Python

Experience (0-2 years)

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in quantitative field

Tools

Excel

Microsoft Apps

Git

Job description

StepStone Group is seeking a Junior Analyst on the AI Initiatives team in San Diego to support development, testing, and operationalization of AI-driven data pipelines for portfolio monitoring and private-markets analytics.

You will assist with data structuring, backtesting, and integration testing while learning how AI can be applied to private markets investments. The role emphasizes hands-on data work, problem solving, and collaboration in a fast-paced environment.