Principal Data Scientist, AI & Automation

Natixis Distribution, LLC; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 155,000 - 211,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive medical, dental and vis

401k plan

Tuition reimbursement

Student loan repayment program

Wellness benefits

Volunteer programs

Job summary

Natixis Investment Managers in Boston seeks a Principal Data Scientist to lead data, analytics, automation and AI initiatives across the Distribution Enablement Group. You will partner with global teams to shape architecture, standards and best practices while mentoring colleagues and delivering scalable data solutions.

You will collaborate with Sales, Marketing and IT to drive business outcomes, ensure responsible AI, data quality and governance, and contribute to dashboards and analytics

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in data science, analytics engineering, or a related role in a highly regulated industry.
• Proven track record of setting technical direction or leading data/AI initiatives.
• Strong proficiency in Python and SQL with Git, testing and CI/CD.
• Experience applying AI to automation pipelines with reliable guardrails.
• Experience implementing ML solutions including deployment and monitoring in production.
• Experience leveraging cloud platforms or remote compute environments for data workloads.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for non-technical stakeholders.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and adapt in fast-changing environments.

Responsibilities

• Shape DEG's strategy and roadmap across data, analytics, automation and AI; evaluate tools and standards.
• Partner with Sales, Marketing, Finance and other teams to translate goals into scalable data solutions and workflows.
• Build trust by ensuring responsible AI, data quality, evaluation, auditability and governance.
• Collaborate with IT to deliver business objectives, including deployments, data integration, and front-end/back-end work.
• Design and deploy AI-powered workflows and multi-agent systems with guardrails and oversight.
• Develop and maintain data and analytics pipelines to support objectives and dashboards.
• Monitor, troubleshoot and optimize data processes for reliability and performance.
• Contribute to technical architecture, governance and documentation across the business.

Skills

Python

SQL

AI/ML

Data pipelines

Cloud platforms

Git & CI/CD

Communication

Leadership

Tools

dbt

Airflow

Power BI

Azure AI

Microsoft Foundry

Azure AI Search

Power Automate

AWS Redshift

Dataiku

REST APIs

Job description

Natixis Investment Managers is among the world's largest asset management firms. Powered by the expertise of more than 15 specialized investment managers globally, we deliver proactive solutions that help clients pursue better outcomes in all markets.

The Distribution Enablement Group (DEG) is an expanding team within Natixis. Our group encompasses Distribution Execution Consulting & Strategy, Distribution Platform Enablement, Data Science & AI, and Data & AI Governance. Our core mission is to drive business growth and improve efficiency by extracting insights from data and streamlining the use of data & technology. We partner closely with Sales, Marketing and other Business teams to simplify & automate workflows, develop actionable analytic reports, generate leads, and more.

As a Principal Data Scientist within DEG, you will be a technical and strategic leader who addresses business goals through data, analytics, automation, and AI. You will collaborate closely with Business partners and IT to design & deliver solutions that support distribution strategy and execution. Partnering with international colleagues, you will help shape technical architecture, standards, and best practices. As both a hands‑on contributor and mentor, you will support skill development across the team and help the group continue to grow, mature, and expand its impact.

This position is based in our Boston office and follows a hybrid work model. Team members currently work in the office a minimum of three days per week, with an anticipated transition to four in‑office days per week beginning in 2027. We value the flexibility of hybrid work while recognizing the benefits of in‑person collaboration, relationship building, and team engagement.

What you will do:

• Help shape DEG's strategy and roadmap across data, analytics, automation and AI, evaluating emerging tools and standards and recommending what to adopt, build or retire.
• Partner with Sales, Marketing, Finance and other Business teams to understand their requirements, and translate their goals into scalable data solutions & automated workflows.
• Build trust & safety into every solution, including responsible AI use, data quality, evaluation, auditability, and compliance requirements.
• Partner with IT to deliver on Business objectives, including deployments & change management, data collection & integration, front‑end user experience, and back‑end infrastructure.
• Design, build and deploy AI‑powered and agentic workflows, including multi‑agent systems, that automate and augment Business processes, with appropriate orchestration, guardrails and human oversight.
• Develop, deploy, and maintain data and analytics pipelines that support business objectives, analytic processes, and interactive dashboards.
• Monitor, troubleshoot and optimize analytic and data processes to ensure reliability, performance and availability.
• Contribute to technical architecture, documentation and governance throughout the Business related to data, automation and AI.

What you will bring:

Required

• 7+ years of experience in data science, analytics engineering, or a related role, preferably within financial services or another highly regulated industry.
• Track record of setting technical direction or leading initiatives that shaped how a team or business uses data, analytics, automation or AI.
• Strong proficiency in Python and SQL, with solid software engineering fundamentals including Git, testing and CI/CD.
• Demonstrated experience applying AI to automation pipelines, with attention to reliability, guardrails, evaluation and responsible use.
• Demonstrated experience implementing machine learning solutions, including model development, deployment, and ongoing monitoring in production environments.
• Experience leveraging cloud platforms or remote compute environments to support data processing and analytics workloads.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts for non‑technical stakeholders.
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and remain adaptable in fast‑changing environments.
• Strong time management skills, attention to detail, and a resourceful, problem‑solving mindset.

Preferred

• Experience mentoring or coaching other team members.
• Experience using dbt for data modeling, data tests and semantic layers.
• Experience with workflow orchestration tools (e.g., Airflow).
• Familiarity with the Microsoft ecosystem, including services such as Microsoft Foundry and Azure AI Search for AI and agent development, Power BI for reporting, and Power Automate for workflow automation.
• Familiarity with the AWS ecosystem, including services such as Redshift, S3, EC2, Lambda, and CloudWatch.
• Experience with enterprise data science platforms such as Dataiku (or similar tools).
• Experience integrating and consuming data via REST APIs.

Who we are:

We put the best interests of our clients, employees, communities, and environment first in everything we do. We're dedicated to fostering a culture of collaboration, diversity, and inclusion that supports employee growth. We believe this creates equal opportunities for our employees — and better outcomes for our clients and communities. We offer a robust benefits package designed to integrate life and work and to support our employees. Benefits include, but are not limited to; comprehensive medical, dental and vision insurance, paid time off, 401k plan, tuition reimbursement, student loan repayment program, wellness benefits and volunteer programs*.

#NatixisIMCulture

In accordance with the Massachusetts Wage transparency act, the expected annual base salary for this Boston, MA, based position is $155,000 - $211,000. Actual annual base salaries may vary based on factors including but not limited to education, training, experience, and other job‑related factors. However, base pay if hired will be determined on an individualized basis and is only part of the total compensation package, which, depending on the position, may also include discretionary bonuses and other Natixis sponsored benefit programs.

Natixis Investment Managers is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in recruiting, hiring, training, promotion or other terms, conditions and privileges of employment on the basis of race, color, age, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military or veteran status, physical or mental disability, or any other status protected by law.

Natixis Investment Managers does not charge fees to participate in the interview process or for employment equipment and does not send employment offers through social media channels. We take security and privacy seriously. If you have been contacted by someone claiming to represent Natixis Investment Managers and are unsure about the legitimacy of the communication, please verify the contact details with Natixis Investment Managers directly.

*Benefits eligibility is for permanent employees of Natixis Investment Managers. Interns, contractors and temporary workers are not eligible for benefits.