Remote Principal Data Scientist for Real-Time ML & Payments

Eliassen Group; City of Albany (NY); Remote; USD 117,000 - 131,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, and Vision benefits

401k with company matching

Life insurance

Job summary

Eliassen Group is seeking a Principal Data Scientist to scale data science and AI for end-to-end payment optimization. You will collaborate with ML engineers and product partners to deploy real-time models and intelligent decision engines, driving strategy and roadmaps while mentoring senior data scientists.

The role balances leadership with hands-on work across architecture, reviews, and production-grade ML solutions in a remote setting. Expect $85.00–$95.00/hr on a W2 basis.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's in Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Engineering, or related field; PhD preferred.
• 7+ years in ML research or engineering with 5+ years building large-scale, real-time ML systems in production; hands-on experience.
• Expertise in machine learning, statistical modeling, and data analysis with strong experience across the ML lifecycle and experimentation.
• Proficiency in Python (Pandas, NumPy, scikit-learn) and strong SQL experience. NoSQL or graph databases are a plus.
• Demonstrated ability to lead solution design and execution, translating complex business requirements into actionable technology solutions.
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to influence and collaborate across technical and business audiences, including executives.
• Bonus: Experience in payments, fintech, or financial services; cloud platforms and Agile experience.

Responsibilities

• Define technical vision and strategy for data-driven product initiatives focused on payment optimization.
• Develop scalable capabilities for real-time ML models including classification, ranking, optimization, rapid experimentation, and monitoring.
• Oversee and contribute to conceptualization, development, deployment, operation, validation, and maintenance of ML models and update systems.
• Establish and enforce best practices for ML modeling and evaluate modern tools, frameworks, and infrastructure.
• Foster a culture of innovation, experimentation, and collaboration while mentoring an elite data science team.
• Partner with product, engineering, data, and compliance teams to integrate ML into products and communicate complex concepts clearly.
• Collaborate with Data Science leaders to establish an operating model for ML R&D that optimizes end-to-end delivery of business value.

Skills

Python

SQL

Leadership

Communication

Real-time ML systems

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in CS/Math/Engineering

PhD preferred

Tools

AWS

GCP

Snowflake

Databricks

Vertex AI

Job description

Eliassen Group is seeking a Principal Data Scientist to scale data science and AI for end-to-end payment optimization. You will collaborate with ML engineers and product partners to deploy real-time models and intelligent decision engines, driving strategy and roadmaps while mentoring senior data scientists.

The role balances leadership with hands-on work across architecture, reviews, and production-grade ML solutions in a remote setting. Expect $85.00–$95.00/hr on a W2 basis.