Principal Data Scientist

Amgen SA; Thousand Oaks (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Amgen seeks a Principal Data Scientist to design, develop, and deploy scalable AI/ML solutions. You will collaborate with engineers, business partners, and quality professionals to implement responsible AI that aligns with regulatory and enterprise objectives.

You’ll translate cutting-edge AI advances into practical, compliant applications while leading cross-functional teams to improve automation and decision-making across the organization.

Qualifications

• Doctorate or Master’s with Data Science/ML Engineering experience
• Bachelor’s or Associate’s with extensive DS/ML experience
• High school diploma with 12+ years in DS/ML engineering

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and deploy scalable AI/ML solutions and agentic systems.
• Collaborate with software/data engineers and stakeholders to implement responsible AI.
• Translate AI advances into enterprise-ready applications.
• Lead cross-functional teams to align AI initiatives with business goals.

Skills

Data Science

Software/ML Engineering

Education

Doctorate degree

Master’s degree

Bachelor’s degree

Associate’s degree

High school diploma / GED

Tools

LangChain

LangGraph

LlamaIndex

RAG / GraphRAG

Vector search

Knowledge graphs

PyTorch

TensorFlow

scikit-learn

MLflow

CI/CD

Databricks

AWS

Azure / GCP

Job description

Join Amgen’s Mission of Serving Patients

At Amgen, if you feel like you’re part of something bigger, it’s because you are. Our shared mission—to serve patients living with serious illnesses—drives all that we do.

Since 1980, we’ve helped pioneer the world of biotech in our fight against the world’s toughest diseases. With our focus on four therapeutic areas –Oncology, Inflammation, General Medicine, and Rare Disease– we reach millions of patients each year. Amgen is advancing a broad and deep pipeline of medicines to treat cancer, heart disease, inflammatory conditions, rare diseases, and obesity and obesity‑related conditions. As a member of the Amgen team, you’ll help make a lasting impact on the lives of patients as we research, manufacture, and deliver innovative medicines to help people live longer, fuller happier lives.

Our award‑winning culture is collaborative, innovative, and science based. If you have a passion for challenges and the opportunities that lay within them, you’ll thrive as part of the Amgen team. Join us and transform the lives of patients while transforming your career.

Principal Data Scientist

What you will do

Let’s do this. Let’s change the world. In this vital role you will play a key part in designing, developing, and deploying scalable AI/ML solutions and agentic systems to drive innovation, efficiency, and regulatory compliance across the organization.

You will collaborate with multi‑functional teams, including software engineers, data engineers, business partners, and quality professionals to design and implement responsible and ethical AI‑driven capabilities that support strategic business objectives.

• Innovation & Research Translation: Stay at the forefront of AI/ML advancements—especially in the agentic AI and knowledge graph spaces—and translate emerging techniques into enterprise‑ready applications.
• Agentic System Design & Innovation: Architect and deploy agent‑based and multi‑agent AI/ML systems to enhance automation, decision‑making, and operational efficiency, leveraging modern frameworks and GenAI capabilities.
• Data Excellence & MLOps Governance: Champion robust data science practices and develop scalable, auditable MLOps pipelines. Enforce standards for versioning, testing, monitoring, documentation, and security to ensure high‑quality model lifecycle management.
• Enterprise Integration & Cross‑Functional Alignment: Partner with technology, product, and business team members to align AI initiatives with enterprise goals. Ensure solutions are traceable, interoperable, and embedded within Amgen’s digital Quality ecosystem.
• Responsible & Ethical AI: Embed principles of ethical AI—including fairness, transparency, privacy, and explain‑ability—into the design and deployment of AI/ML solutions. Ensure alignment with Amgen’s Quality and Compliance standards and global regulatory frameworks.

What we expect of you

We are all different, yet we all use our unique contributions to serve patients. The professional we seek is a go getter with these qualifications.

Basic Qualifications:

Doctorate degree and 2 years of Data Science, Software/ML Engineering, experience
OR
Master’s degree and 4 years of Data Science, Software/ML Engineering, experience
OR
Bachelor’s degree and 6 years of Data Science, Software/ML Engineering, experience
OR
Associate’s degree and 10 years of Data Science, Software/ML Engineering, experience
OR
High school diploma / GED and 12 years of Data Science, Software/ML Engineering, experience

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated success providing technical leadership to teams delivering AI, machine learning, generative AI, analytics, or intelligent automation products in production.
• Experience delivering AI‑enabled solutions within GxP‑regulated biotechnology, pharmaceutical, healthcare, or life‑sciences environments.
• Strong understanding of GxP principles, data integrity, computer‑system validation, risk‑based validation, change control, and regulated model lifecycle management.
• Proven expertise designing and implementing AI, machine learning, and generative AI applications, including agent‑based or multi‑agent systems.
• Experience with frameworks and patterns such as LangChain, LangGraph, LlamaIndex, retrieval‑augmented generation, GraphRAG, vector search, and knowledge graphs.
• Advanced proficiency in Python and common machine‑learning libraries such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, scikit‑learn, or equivalent technologies.
• Experience with large language models, prompt and context engineering, tool calling, model evaluation, guardrails, and human‑in‑the‑loop design.
• Proficiency with data‑engineering technologies and methods, including SQL, Apache Spark, data pipelines, data modeling, and distributed processing.
• Experience developing full‑stack applications and integrating AI solutions with enterprise platforms, APIs, data products, and business workflows.
• Strong knowledge of MLOps and LLMOps practices and tools, including MLflow, CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, observability, model monitoring, and infrastructure as code. Experience with cloud and data platforms such as Databricks, AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud Platform.
• Experience developing reusable AI capabilities, technical standards, enablement materials, or communities of practice. Strong problem‑solving skills and the ability to operate effectively in complex, ambiguous, and rapidly evolving environments.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence technical, business, quality, and executive stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor others, lead through influence, and build productive relationships across functions and geographies.
• High degree of initiative, accountability, self‑motivation, and effectiveness in global, cross‑functional teams.

What you can expect of us

As we work to develop treatments that take care of others, we also work to care for your professional and personal growth and well‑being. From our competitive benefits to our collaborative culture, we’ll support your journey every step of the way.

The expected annual salary range for this role in the U.S. (excluding Puerto Rico) is posted. Actual salary will vary based on several factors including but not limited to, relevant skills, experience, and qualifications.

In addition to the base salary, Amgen offers a Total Rewards Plan, based on eligibility, comprising of health and welfare plans for staff and eligible dependents, financial plans with opportunities to save towards retirement or other goals, work/life balance, and career development opportunities that may include:

A comprehensive employee benefits package, including a Retirement and Savings Plan with generous company contributions, group medical, dental and vision coverage, life and disability insurance, and flexible spending accounts

A discretionary annual bonus program, or for field sales representatives, a sales‑based incentive plan

Stock‑based long‑term incentives

Award‑winning time‑off plans

Flexible work models where possible. Refer to the Work Location Type in the job posting to see if this applies.

In any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age‑identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

Application deadline

Amgen does not have an application deadline for this position; we will continue accepting applications until we receive a sufficient number or select a candidate for the position.

Sponsorship

Sponsorship for this role is not guaranteed.

As an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for people around the world, Amgen fosters an inclusive environment of diverse, ethical, committed and highly accomplished people who respect each other and live the Amgen values to continue advancing science to serve patients. Together, we compete in the fight against serious disease.

Amgen is an Equal Opportunity employer and will consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.