Principal Data Scientist

Harnham; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Base salary up to $200,000

Annual bonus

Founding Data Science capacity

Ownership over DS roadmap

High visibility with senior leadership

Hybrid Chicago – 3 days on-site

Job summary

Harnham in Chicago, IL is hiring a Principal Data Scientist as a founding hire to shape and lead a new data science capability. The role blends hands-on work with strategic ownership, working closely with senior stakeholders to define the problem space and deliver scalable data solutions.

You will guide end-to-end DS initiatives, influence the technical roadmap, and build models that directly impact commercial and operational decisions while operating in a hybrid environment with 3 days on-site.

Qualifications

• Significant professional experience delivering data science and machine learning solutions in commercial environments.
• Strong Python and SQL skills with hands-on capability.
• Experience building predictive/ML models from concept to deployment.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end DS/ML projects from discovery to deployment and measurement.
• Identify and prioritize high-value opportunities for predictive analytics, ML, and AI.
• Build models and analytics that influence commercial and operational decisions.
• Translate complex business problems into technical strategies with senior stakeholders.
• Establish best practices around modeling, experimentation, deployment, and DS development.
• Shape the DS roadmap, tooling, and architecture for the function.
• Remain hands-on with Python/SQL and modern DS tooling.
• Help scale the Data Science capability as the team grows.

Skills

Advanced Python

SQL

ML models

Stakeholder comms

Data science

Consulting exposure

Tools

Pandas

Scikit-learn

Job description

Principal Data Scientist – Founding Hire

Chicago, IL | Hybrid – 3 Days On-Site

Up to $200,000 Base + Bonus

THE COMPANY

This established and growing professional services organization is investing heavily in its data and AI capabilities and is looking for a Principal Data Scientist to become a foundational member of the function.

Sitting at the intersection of advanced analytics, machine learning, and business strategy, this is an opportunity to help shape how Data Science is built and deployed across the organization. You’ll have significant visibility with senior stakeholders and the autonomy to influence technical direction, identify high-value use cases, and build solutions from the ground up.

THE ROLE

As the Principal Data Scientist, you will act as a founding technical leader within the Data Science function, taking ownership of complex, high-impact initiatives from initial problem definition through to implementation.

This is a hands-on position for someone who enjoys operating in an environment where the roadmap is still being defined. You’ll partner closely with business and technical stakeholders to identify opportunities for Data Science and AI, translate ambiguous business challenges into analytical solutions, and establish the foundations for a scalable Data Science capability.

You will be responsible for:

• Leading end-to-end Data Science and machine learning projects, from discovery and experimentation through deployment and measurement
• Identifying and prioritizing high-value opportunities for predictive analytics, ML, and AI across the business
• Building models and analytical solutions that directly influence commercial and operational decision-making
• Partnering with senior stakeholders to translate complex business problems into technical strategies
• Helping establish best practices around modeling, experimentation, deployment, and Data Science development
• Influencing the future technical roadmap, tooling, and architecture of the function
• Acting as a senior technical voice while remaining highly hands‑on with Python, SQL, and modern Data Science tooling
• Helping shape the team as the Data Science capability continues to scale

YOUR SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

The successful Principal Data Scientist will have:

• Significant professional experience delivering Data Science and machine learning solutions in commercial environments
• Advanced Python and SQL skills
• Strong experience building predictive and/or machine learning models from concept through implementation
• A track record of tackling ambiguous, open-ended business problems and determining the right analytical approach
• Experience partnering directly with senior business stakeholders and communicating technical concepts to non-technical audiences
• Strong understanding of modern Data Science, ML, and AI technologies
• Experience working within professional services, consulting, or similarly stakeholder-intensive environments is highly desirable
• A builder mentality and an interest in creating a Data Science capability rather than simply inheriting an established function

THE BENEFITS

• Base salary up to $200,000
• Additional annual bonus
• Opportunity to join in a founding Data Science capacity
• Significant ownership and influence over the Data Science and AI roadmap
• High visibility across senior leadership
• Opportunity to build and scale a function from the ground up
• Chicago-based hybrid working – 3 days per week on-site

If you’re a senior Data Scientist looking for the opportunity to combine hands‑on technical work with genuine ownership, influence, and the chance to build something from its earliest stages