Lead Scientist, Machine Learning - Santa Monica,

Lead Scientist, Machine Learning – Santa Monica, 90404 – Universal Music Group

Position:
Lead Scientist, Machine Learning at Universal Music Group’s Santa Monica office.

This role involves designing, developing, and scaling high-impact machine learning systems to support UMG’s forecasting, automation, and strategic decision‑making capabilities.

As a Lead Scientist, you will translate ambiguous business problems into well‑defined modeling approaches, lead complex modeling initiatives end‑to‑end, and serve as a technical authority within UMG’s applied ML organization.

• Own the design and execution of core machine learning initiatives across priority business domains. Evaluate problem structure and data characteristics to determine when traditional ML, Generative AI, or deterministic approaches are most appropriate, in alignment with UMG’s right tool for the job framework.
• Design, build, and product ionize machine learning models across the full lifecycle—from feature engineering and training to deployment, monitoring, and retraining. Proactively identify model degradation, concept drift, and regime changes driven by market or business shifts.
• Act as technical lead on complex modeling efforts, setting modeling standards and best practices while mentoring junior scientists. Review modeling approaches for rigor, interpretability, and business relevance.
• Partner closely with Finance, Data, Product, and Engineering teams to integrate ML outputs into driver‑based financial models, dashboards, and decision‑support tools. Help stakeholders understand why models move, not just that they move.

• Design and evaluate Generative AI use cases where unstructured data, language, or synthesis meaningfully improve outcomes. Prototype, validate, and product ionize LLM-based workflows with appropriate safeguards around accuracy, privacy, and IP protection.
• Ensure GenAI systems are grounded in reliable data sources and integrated with deterministic or predictive models where appropriate, avoiding standalone black‑box deployments.
• Partner with Legal, Privacy, and Data teams to ensure all models meet UMG’s standards for ethical use, explainability, and data lineage. Enforce strong data hygiene and documentation practices across the ML stack.
• Contribute to defining success metrics for ML initiatives and support ROI measurement through accuracy gains, operational efficiency, revenue lift, or risk reduction.

• MS or PhD in Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, or a related quantitative field.
• 5+ years of hands‑on experience building and deploying machine learning models for real‑world business problems.
• Strong proficiency in Python and modern ML libraries (PyTorch, Tensor Flow, Scikit‑Learn; Transformers experience strongly preferred).
• Practical experience with Generative AI and LLMs, including prompt design, evaluation, and integration into production workflows.
• Experience deploying models in cloud‑native environments, ideally within AWS (Sage Maker, EC2, Glue).
• Ability to clearly explain modeling tradeoffs and results to technical and non‑technical partners.

• Company: Universal Music Group
• Position: Lead Scientist, Machine Learning – Santa Monica, 90404
• Work Location: Santa Monica
• Country: US

After reviewing the criteria and minimum qualification requirements, submit your application, CV, diploma, transcript, and any additional required documents directly through the updated Jobkos job portal.