Lead Data Scientist

Leadout Capital; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Salesforce Cyber Security Operations Center seeks an experienced Senior Data Scientist to explore, invent, build, and scale AI-driven defenses for the Salesforce platform. You will work with threat researchers, engineers, and product teams to advance anomaly and signature-based detections at scale.

You will lead rigorous analyses, develop and test new techniques in AI, data mining, and ML, and help productionize proven approaches while communicating results to diverse stakeholders.

Qualifications

• At least four years of experience in a related field.
• Strong fundamentals in applied statistics and probability.
• Demonstrated experience delivering advanced data mining or machine learning techniques as a lead or sole contributor.
• At least two years of experience applying ML techniques or mining datasets over 1 TB.
• Strong programming skills in Java, Python, or Scala.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Experience formulating, leading, and executing applied-research projects and assisting in production implementation.

Responsibilities

• Conduct and document rigorous exploratory data analyses of potential source datasets.
• Collaborate with internal incident-response, threat-intel, and product teams on evolving threats and their detection
• Formulate,build, test, and document proofs‑of‑concept for new techniques in threat detection.
• Drive or assist in engineering scalable, production‑ready software for proven techniques.
• Champion, build, and maintain AI‑driven capabilities for all of the above.
• Communicate proactively and effectively to product, threat‑research, and other stakeholders via presentations, proposals, and requirements.
• Champion and build AI‑driven capabilities for all of the above.

Skills

Applied statistics

Machine learning

Java / Python / Scala

Data mining

Communication

Experimentation

Threat detection

Education

Master's degree in related technical field

Job description

The Team

The Data Science & Analytics team in Salesforce Cyber Security Operations Center seeks an experienced, driven, and creative Senior Data Scientist to join the team. We explore, invent, build and scale new ways to secure the Salesforce platform. We leverage AI, machine learning, and contemporary data techniques to advance behaviour- and signature-based techniques of many forms. We partner with threat, product, and engineering teams to deliver defenses that not only operate at scale, but evolve through agentic-based monitoring, testing, and continuous improvement. We are a growing, highly visible, and highly agile team where experimentation, collaboration, and spirited discussion are the norm.

About You

• You’re intensely curious about AI and data and are highly adept in analyzing large volumes of data, then teasing out valuable signals therein. You’re able to seamlessly merge rigor in statistics with awareness of their application to business problems.

• You thrive in researching, experimenting with, applying, and proving out new techniques in AI, data mining, and machine learning.

• You partner with threat experts to understand evolving threat patterns and their detection. You collaborate effectively with software engineers to champion proven detection techniques, consult in their software implementation, and build and test production software.

Responsibilities

• Conduct and document rigorous exploratory data analyses of potential source datasets.

• Collaborate with internal incident-response, threat-intel, and product teams on evolving threats and their detection

• Formulate,build, test, and document proofs‑of‑concept for new techniques in threat detection.

• Drive or assist in engineering scalable, production‑ready software for proven techniques.

• Champion, build, and maintain AI‑driven capabilities for all of the above.

• Communicate proactively and effectively to product, threat‑research, and other stakeholders via presentations, proposals, and requirements.

• Champion and build AI‑driven capabilities for all of the above.

Required Experience Skills

• At least four (4) years experience in a related field; OR

  • At least two (2) years experience , plus a graduate degree (Masters' at least) in a related technical field

• Strong fundamentals in applied statistics and probability

• Demonstrated experience delivering advanced data mining or machine learning techniques as a lead or sole contributor.

• At least two (2) years of experience in selecting and applying machine‑learning techniques; OR at least two (2) years of experience mining datasets over 1 TB in volume.

• Strong programming skills in Java, Python, or Scala

• Excellent communication skills

• Experience formulating, leading, and executing applied‑research projects and assisting in their production implementation.

Preferred Skills

• Strong understanding of security, including threat propagation and signal correlation.

• Experience in applying AI and big‑data techniques to security, specifically in anomaly detection, pattern recognition, behaviour‑based analysis, and correlation.

• Related experience in genomics, high‑speed trading, or other domains involving pattern recognition or behaviour‑based analysis