Senior Applied Data Scientist, Learner Modeling

District Management Group; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

DMGroup in Boston, MA is hiring a Senior Applied Data Scientist for its New Product Development team to drive Learner Modeling and Prediction initiatives. You will build core models that understand how students learn, track mastery over time, and forecast future performance to inform educators.

You will bridge learning theory and technology, develop predictive models, and deliver insights for schools and districts.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5+ years in data science, machine learning, or applied AI with production ownership.
• Strong predictive modeling, learning science, and feature engineering skills.
• Ability to translate educational goals into technical solutions and collaborate with cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Bridge learning theory and technology to deliver actionable insights for educators.
• Develop predictive models and learning solutions aligned with assessments.
• Build robust training and scoring for noisy, evolving learner data.
• Lead evaluation of models for accuracy, validity, and interpretability.

Skills

Predictive modeling

Psychometrics

Feature engineering

Collaboration

End-to-End execution

Python

PyTorch

Jupyter

SQL

Cloud-native infra

Education

Bachelor's degree in Data Science / CS

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

Jupyter

VS Code

Python

PyTorch

Databases

SQL

Cloud-native infra

Job description

DMGroup is hiring a Senior Applied Data Scientist for its New Product Development team to drive our Learner Modeling and Prediction initiatives. In this role, you will sit at the intersection of data science, learning science, and AI engineering. You will be responsible for building the core models that understand how students learn, tracking their mastery over time, predicting their future performance, and powering the insights that help educators improve student outcomes.

We are looking for team members who are passionate about translating messy, real-world behavioral data into robust predictive models and scaling modern, customer-facing applications.

LOCATION

DMGroup's headquarters are located in Boston, MA. This role will be expected to report to the Boston office on a regular basis, with flexibility to work from home up to two days a week based on schedule and team needs.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Bridge learning theory and technology to bring timely and highly actionable insights to educators to drive better outcomes for students. Develop predictive models and learning solutions, aligned with state and district learning and accountability assessments, that forecast future student performance and identify areas of focus for students, classrooms, schools, and districts.

• Design & Build: Develop scientifically grounded knowledge tracing and longitudinal learner models and features that support student learning and standards mastery, ultimately surfacing performance predictions and learning focus areas for our customers’ students.
• Define Metrics: Establish clear mastery and progression signals, define model targets, and create rigorous evaluation criteria to measure educational impact.
• Handle Complex Data: Build robust training and scoring approaches designed specifically for noisy, incomplete, and evolving learner interaction data.
• Ensure Quality: Lead the ongoing evaluation of models for accuracy, validity, calibration, stability over time, and overall interpretability for non-technical stakeholders.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

The ideal candidate should have/be able to:

• Degree: Minimum bachelor’s degree; master’s degree preferred in Data Science, Computer Science, or closely related field.
• Experience: 5+ years in data science, machine learning, applied AI engineering, or a closely related role with direct production ownership.
• Strengths: Predictive modeling, psychometrics, representation analysis, and feature engineering.
• Soft Skills: Ability to collaborate with product managers, domain experts, and engineers to translate educational goals into technical solutions.
• End-to-End Execution: Proven experience taking ML/AI systems from initial prototype to active production in live, customer-facing environments.
• Technical Stack: Deep expertise in developing pipelines and feature workflows, utilizing Jupyter, VS Code, Python, PyTorch, Databases, SQL, cloud-native infrastructure, and other data science tools and technologies.
• Modern AI Acumen: Strong working knowledge of modern AI application patterns (e.g., embeddings, retrieval, semantic search, or RAG) and a deep understanding of the engineering constraints and cost/latency tradeoffs involved in running them in production.
• Interest in K-12 education: Passion for education and desire to make an impact (prior experience not required).

Preferred but not required:

• Familiarity with EdTech datasets.
• Familiarity with Item Response Theory.
• Background in cognitive science or learning science.

ABOUT DMGROUP

For over 20 years, District Management Group (DMGroup) has been assisting the superintendents and CEOs of school districts and their leadership teams to dramatically improve public education for all students.

District Management Group provides school systems with superior strategic insights and tactical solutions to the most pressing challenges facing school system leaders today. In addition to direct consulting, we research and publish on best practices and develop technology solutions to help district leaders implement and sustain reform. Through our consulting, research and technology solutions, we are recognized as thought leaders in national conversations on education reform including the areas of strategic planning and resource allocation, human capital including pay for performance, special education and struggling students, and in stakeholder engagement.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and we encourage applications from all individuals regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or physical ability.