Lead Data Scientist

Retail Services & Systems, Inc; Maryland; On-site; USD 147,000 - 198,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid Time Off (PTO)

Generous store discounts

Health care plans (medical, dental, +/

401(k), HSA, FSA, Pre-tax commuter

Disability & life insurance

Paid parental leave

Pet insurance

Tuition assistance

Career development & product training

Consumer classes & More!

Job summary

Total Wine & More in Bethesda, MD is seeking a Lead Data Scientist to design, develop, and deploy machine learning solutions that drive strategic decisions and operational efficiency. You will own the full ML lifecycle from problem framing to deployment and monitoring in a production environment.

The role requires a strong background in data science with 5–8 years of experience, a Bachelor’s degree (Master’s preferred), and expertise in Python, SQL, Docker, and Kubernetes.

Qualifications

• 5–8 years in data science or related fields.
• Bachelor's Degree in Data Science, CS, Math, Statistics, Economics or related field required.
• Master's Degree preferred.
• Equivalent years of experience accepted.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end ML/AI development from ideation to deployment and monitoring.
• Design ML/AI models by framing business problems and engineering features.
• Train models by preparing data, tuning hyperparameters, and validating robustness.
• Validate model performance with statistical metrics and bias assessments.
• Deploy models into production with robust CI/CD, containers, and orchestration.
• Monitor deployed models for data drift and retraining needs; implement logging and alerts.
• Mentor junior team members and discuss trade-offs with stakeholders.
• Communicate model results and trade-offs to leadership.

Skills

Python

SQL

Mentoring

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Data Science or related field

Master's Degree preferred

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

CI/CD pipelines

Job description

About the Role

Total Wine & More is seeking a Lead Data Scientist to join our growing Data Services team in our Bethesda, MD office. You will play a pivotal role in designing, developing, and deploying machine learning and AI solutions that drive strategic decision‑making and operational efficiency across Total Wine & More business.

Responsibilities

• You will be responsible for supporting the full lifecycle of machine learning and AI development—from initial ideation and business problem framing through model development, deployment, and ongoing performance monitoring.
• Design machine learning and AI models by framing business problems, engineering features, and selecting appropriate algorithms and architectures.
• Train models by preparing data, fitting algorithms, tuning hyperparameters, and validating robustness through cross‑validation techniques.
• Validate model performance using statistical metrics, conduct fairness and bias assessments, and perform error analysis to refine model quality.
• Deploy models into production environments by packaging them appropriately, integrating with systems, automating deployment workflows, including robust error handling and documenting for maintainability.
• Monitor deployed models by tracking performance over time, detecting data drift, triggering retraining when necessary, and implementing logging and alerting mechanisms.
• Work with junior team members to discuss trade‑offs and solutions for team members’ business problems.
• Communicate model results and trade‑offs to leadership and stakeholders.

Qualifications

You will come with Bachelor's Degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Economics or related fields required or equivalent years of experience.

Master's Degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics or related field preferred.

5–8 years in data science, predictive analytics, econometrics, software engineering, data engineering or related fields preferred.

Technical Expertise

• Proven expertise in designing and architecting advanced machine learning and AI solutions, including leading efforts to frame complex business problems, define scalable feature engineering strategies, and select optimal algorithms and architectures for enterprise‑level applications.
• Proven expertise in model training and optimization, with the ability to design efficient training pipelines, implement distributed training strategies, and apply sophisticated hyperparameter tuning techniques to maximize performance and scalability.
• Proven expertise in model validation and governance, including establishing rigorous evaluation frameworks, conducting comprehensive fairness and bias audits, and driving continuous improvement through advanced error analysis and benchmarking.
• Proven expertise in production deployment of ML systems, including designing robust CI/CD pipelines, implementing containerization and orchestration (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes), and ensuring compliance with security and reliability standards across cloud environments.
• Oversight of model monitoring and lifecycle management, including building automated monitoring systems, implementing drift detection and retraining workflows, and defining alerting mechanisms to maintain long‑term model health and business impact.
• Expert‑level programming skills in Python and SQL, with the ability to develop production‑grade code, optimize queries for large‑scale datasets, and mentor team members on best practices for coding and data management.

Leadership & Mentorship

Mentor junior team members on technical trade‑offs and solutions, provide thought leadership on different ways to advance the business utilizing machine learning and AI.

Compensation

Pay Range: $146,600.00 – $197,900.00 Annual.

Benefits

• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Generous store discounts
• Health care plans (medical, prescription, dental, vision)
• 401(k), HSA, FSA, Pre‑tax commuter benefits
• Disability & life insurance coverage
• Paid parental leave
• Pet insurance
• Critical illness and accident insurance
• Discounted home and auto insurance
• College tuition assistance
• Career development & product training
• Consumer classes & More!

EEO Statement

Total Wine & More is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Total Wine & More makes reasonable accommodations during all aspects of the employment process, including during the interview process. Total Wine & More is a Drug Free Workplace.