Staff Data Scientist

Proofpoint; Maryland City (MD); On-site; USD 162,000 - 239,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative company is seeking a Staff Data Scientist to spearhead machine learning and AI initiatives. This role involves leading the development of advanced analytics solutions and generative AI applications, collaborating with cross-functional teams to implement scalable systems in cybersecurity. The ideal candidate will possess deep technical expertise and a passion for driving AI solutions that make a real-world impact. Join a dynamic environment that fosters creativity and encourages a data-driven culture, where your contributions will shape the future of AI in cybersecurity.

Benefits

Flexible time off

Comprehensive well-being program

Paid Wellbeing Days

Paid Volunteer Days

Work from Anywhere option

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in data science or applied machine learning.
• Proven track record of designing and deploying ML and GenAI solutions.
• Hands-on experience with LLMs and GenAI frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of machine learning models and analytics solutions.
• Collaborate with engineering teams to build scalable AI systems.
• Define technical direction for LLM and GenAI adoption.

Skills

Machine Learning

Generative AI

Python

Statistical Analysis

Leadership

Collaboration

Communication

Education

PhD or Master’s degree in Computer Science

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Docker

Kubernetes

AWS

GCP

Azure

Job description

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Proofpoint is hiring a Staff Data Scientist / ML Engineer to lead multiple Data Science, GenAI, and AI Engineering initiatives. The ideal candidate will drive the development and deployment of innovative machine learning and generative AI solutions, working cross-functionally with DevOps, product, and data engineering teams. This leadership role requires deep technical expertise, hands-on implementation experience, and a strong vision for scalable AI systems that power real-world applications in cybersecurity.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of machine learning models and advanced analytics solutions to solve complex business problems.
• Design and implement generative AI and large language model (LLM) applications, including fine-tuning and domain adaptation for cybersecurity use cases.
• Collaborate with engineering teams to build scalable and secure LLM-based systems (retrieval-augmented generation, prompt engineering, evaluation pipelines).
• Architect and lead AI solutions across full lifecycle—from experimentation to MLOps pipelines and production deployment.
• Design experiments and use statistical analysis to measure the impact of various business strategies.
• Oversee the deployment of machine learning and LLM models in production, ensuring performance, scalability, and responsible AI practices.
• Lead the development of model performance monitoring, observability, and continuous learning pipelines.
• Define technical direction for LLM and GenAI adoption, including benchmarking open-source and commercial models.
• Champion AI/ML best practices including model governance, reproducibility, and ethical AI considerations.
• Promote a data-driven and AI-forward culture within the organization and advocate for cutting-edge AI adoption across teams.
• Stay current with advancements in LLMs, GenAI, AI engineering, and emerging AI regulations.

Qualifications

Education

• PhD or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Machine Learning, Statistics, or related discipline.

Experience

• 10+ years of experience in data science or applied machine learning, with 3+ years in a technical leadership or managerial role.
• Proven track record of designing, developing, and deploying ML and GenAI solutions at scale.
• Hands-on experience working with LLMs (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic, LLaMA, Mistral) and GenAI frameworks (e.g., LangChain, LlamaIndex, Hugging Face).
• Experience in cybersecurity or enterprise-scale threat detection systems is a strong plus.

Technical Skills

• Proficiency in Python and relevant ML/AI libraries (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow, Transformers, Scikit-learn).
• Strong grasp of LLM fine-tuning, prompt engineering, RAG pipelines, vector databases (e.g., FAISS, Pinecone), and inference optimization.
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) and containerization tools (Docker, Kubernetes).
• Solid understanding of MLOps principles including CI/CD for ML, feature stores, model versioning, and monitoring.
• Familiarity with privacy, security, and compliance considerations in deploying AI solutions.

Soft Skills

• Excellent leadership and mentorship skills, with a collaborative approach to cross-functional problem solving.
• Ability to communicate complex technical ideas to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong innovation mindset, strategic thinking, and a passion for applying AI to impactful real-world problems

If you like wild growth and working with happy, enthusiastic over-achievers, you'll enjoy your career with us!

Consistent with Proofpoint values and applicable law, we provide the following information to promote pay transparency and equity. Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several U.S. geographic markets, and we pay differently based on those defined markets as set out below. Pay within these ranges varies and depends on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The actual offer will be based on the individual candidate. The range provided may represent a candidate range and may not reflect the full range for an individual tenured employee. This role may be eligible for variable compensation and/or equity. We offer a competitive benefits package, including flexible time off, a comprehensive well-being program with two paid Wellbeing Days and two paid Volunteer Days per year, plus a three-week Work from Anywhere option.

Base Pay Ranges

SF Bay Area, New York City Metro Area
Base Pay Range 194,475.00 - 285,230.00 USD

California (excludes SF Bay Area), Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Washington DC Metro, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Texas, Washington, Virginia, and Alaska
Base Pay Range 162,375.00 - 238,150.00 USD

All other cities and states excluding those listed above
Base Pay Range 148,425.00 - 217,690.00 USD

Seniority level

• Not Applicable

Employment type

• Full-time

Job function

• Engineering and Information Technology

Industries

• Computer and Network Security and Software Development