Data Scientist Principal

Provide dynamic leadership at the enterprise level related to vast quantities of data (including disparate data), enterprise analytics, statistical modeling, reporting projects and initiatives.

About the Role - The Data Scientist Principal leads advanced analytics initiatives across the organization, designs end-to-end machine learning solutions, and mentors data science teams. This individual partners closely with stakeholders in product, engineering, and business units to translate complex data into actionable insights that drive strategic decision-making and innovation. Takes end-to-end ownership and responsibility over critical data science initiatives. Advances DW 2.0’s broad capabilities to use and deploy cutting edge data science and machine learning tools and methods in projects, platforms and products.

Anchors current best practices by championing the design and build of reusable data science assets. Combines knowledge of data scientific methods, CI/CD, statistics, and machine learning / data engineering practices to provide recommendations on the most organizationally critical and complex problems. Advises junior data scientists, managers, and those in less senior positions. You will contribute to our mission within a collaborative, mentorship-driven environment, working hands-on with the Azure and / or Google Cloud Platform (GCP) ecosystems.

• Lead and own high-impact data science initiatives within the DW 2.0 data monetization scope and other initiatives as needed, from problem framing through deployment and monitoring.
• Apply advanced AI techniques (LLMs, reinforcement learning, graph ML, and optimization algorithms) to address complex, high-impact challenges across supply chain operations such as routing, inventory balancing, capacity planning, and risk mitigation.
• Architect and develop scalable machine learning models (e.g., predictive, prescriptive, NLP, computer vision) for production.
• Lead rapid prototyping and iterative experimentation: leverage modern AI stacks (Azure OpenAI, Vertex AI, Lang Chain, vector databases) to design lean experiments, measure impact, and iterate quickly while avoiding dependency bottlenecks.
• Handle pressure with poise, balancing urgent requests with long-term project goals and ensuring reliable outcomes.
• Build and operationalize end-to-end AI/ML systems, including LLM pipelines, prompt engineering strategies, fine-tuning, model evaluation, guardrails, and monitoring for performance, drift, and responsible AI compliance. Collaborate with engineering teams to integrate data pipelines, ensure model reliability, and optimize performance.
• Define metrics and success criteria; perform rigorous statistical analysis, A/B testing, and AI model evaluation (hallucination detection, accuracy, latency, relevance) to validate system effectiveness.
• Translate business objectives into analytical approaches, interpret results, and present clear storytelling and data-driven recommendations to senior leadership.
• Mentor and coach junior and mid-level data scientists; establish best practices in coding, model development, and documentation.
• Drive innovation by researching and prototyping emerging techniques, tools, and frameworks in machine learning, deep learning, and AI.
• Partner with legal, security, and data governance teams to ensure data usage adheres to privacy, security, and contractual obligations; develop compliant mechanisms to enable safe, fast experimentation.
• Communicate results and recommendations clearly to senior leadership and cross-functional stakeholders; translate complex analyses into actionable business insights.
• Cultivate deep domain expertise in Fed Ex data and tools, taking direction from senior team members and contributing to knowledge sharing.
• Collaborate with business partners and subject matter experts to translate complex questions into clear analytical insights and present findings effectively.

• Extensive knowledge in advanced data science and machine learning methods, including the iterative development of analysis pipelines to provide insights at scale.
• Strong experience as a leader of…