Lead Data Scientist-Machine Learning

Huntington National Bank; Akron (OH); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Wellness program

Retirement savings plan

Paid leave

Job summary

Huntington National Bank's AI Center of Excellence seeks a Lead Data Scientist to design, build, and deploy advanced AI/ML models that inform strategic decisions.

You will collaborate with product owners, manage end-to-end lifecycle across on‑prem and AWS, and drive adoption of LLMs, LangChain, and RAG workflows. The role emphasizes governance, scalability, and innovation with a hybrid work model in Akron, OH.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree required in a relevant field and 5+ years of data science experience.
• PhD is preferred for advanced research and modeling tasks.
• Strong programming and ML deployment skills in Python/R and big data tools.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with Product Owner to manage end‑to‑end AI development lifecycle—from requirements to deployment.
• Lead risk governance reviews and production deployment across on‑premises and AWS environments.
• Develop reusable, scalable self‑service AI tools and assets to accelerate adoption.
• Stay current with emerging AI, cloud, and ML technologies and integrate new capabilities.

Skills

Python

R

Spark

LangChain

LLM concepts

RAG techniques

Education

Master's degree in computer science, statistics, economics or related field

PhD in Statistics, Economics, Data Science, or related field

Tools

AWS Bedrock

AWS JumpStart

Textract

Vector databases

Embeddings

Prompt engineering

Job description

The AI Center of Excellence (CoE) is seeking a highly skilled Lead Data Scientist with deep expertise in modern AI technologies. The ideal candidate will apply advanced knowledge in machine learning, natural language processing, and artificial intelligence to design, develop, and deploy models that accelerate innovation and support strategic decision‑making. As part of the Enterprise Data and Analytics organization, the AI CoE drives measurable impact across the business through outcome‑focused project execution.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the Product Owner to manage the end‑to‑end AI development lifecycle—requirements gathering, data sourcing, model development, proof‑of‑concept demonstrations, risk governance reviews, and production deployment across both on‑premises and AWS environments.
• Demonstrate strong self‑discipline and professional ownership in managing project activities, maintaining transparent communication with leadership, seeking managerial guidance when appropriate, and proactively surfacing risks, blockers, or resource needs to ensure timely delivery.
• Apply automation techniques to streamline manual processes, enhance productivity and accuracy, and develop reusable, scalable self‑service tools and assets.
• Stay current with emerging machine learning, cloud, and AI technologies, driving innovation by evaluating and integrating new capabilities into existing workflows and products.

Basic Requirements

• Master’s degree in computer science, statistics, economics or related field
• 5+ years of experience related work experience using statistics and machine learning to solve complex business problems, experience conducting statistical analysis with advanced statistical software, scripting languages, and packages, including experience with big data analysis tools and techniques, and building and deploying predictive models, web scraping, and scalable data pipelines.

Preferred Skills

• PhD in Statistics, Economics, Data Science, or related field.
• Proficiency in one or more programming languages, including Python (preferred) or R, Spark, and other modern data science tools.
• Working knowledge of Large Language Models (Llama, Claude, Titan), including experience with frameworks such as LangChain, vector databases, embeddings, and prompt engineering.
• Willingness to step outside traditional modeling tasks to solve broader technical or business challenges in support of team and organizational goals.
• Hands‑on experience with LLM fine‑tuning
• Practical understanding of advanced Retrieval‑Augmented Generation (RAG) methods such as MMR, multi‑vector retrieval, RAG‑fusion, HYDE, self‑RAG, and retrieval evaluation frameworks.
• Knowledge and practical experience with Agentic AI and agentic workflows, including task orchestration, multi‑agent collaboration, tool‑use agents, and workflow automation patterns.
• Hands‑on experience with advanced AWS AI/ML services such as Bedrock, JumpStart, Textract, and related ML orchestration capabilities.

Exempt Status

Exempt Status: Yes

Workplace Type

Office

Our Approach to Office Workplace Type

Certain positions outside our branch network may be eligible for a flexible work arrangement. We’re combining the best of both worlds: in‑office and work from home. Our approach enables our teams to deepen connections, maintain a strong community, and do their best work. Remote roles will also have the opportunity to come together in our offices for moments that matter. Specific work arrangements will be provided by the hiring team.

Compensation Range

The compensation range represents the anticipated low and high end of the base compensation range for this position. Actual compensation will vary based on various factors including but not limited to location, experience, and education. Colleagues in this position are also eligible to participate in an applicable incentive compensation plan.

In addition, Huntington provides a variety of benefits to colleagues, including health insurance coverage, wellness program, life and disability insurance, retirement savings plan, paid leave programs, paid holidays and paid time off (PTO).

Huntington is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Tobacco-Free Hiring Practice: Visit Huntington's Career Web Site for more details.