Data Scientist (Remote)

DataKind is looking for aData Scientist!

DataKind is looking for a values-driven data scientist who is ready to make a major impact on student graduation rates by building a scalable data science product, the Student Success Tool, to help us deliver on our next decade of data science solutions for positive social impact. If you're a problem-solver eager to embrace challenges as opportunities, you're a strong communicator who delights in sharing data science knowledge, and you are a detail-oriented data scientist committed to advancing equity, we want to bring you on board!

Location

This is aremoteposition that can be basedanywhere in the U.S.and requires the majority of working hours each day to fall between 8am and 6pm Eastern Standard Time.

Salary Range

The salary range is $106,000 - $120,000.

This range is based on DataKind's technical manager salary band, which was created using market data from NYC-based nonprofits. Actual salary within these ranges will be based on the candidate's experience and internal salary equity scan of active employee(s) with similar role and experience.

About the Opportunity

DataKind has developed a Student Success Tool (SST) to help advisors identify students that would benefit from additional support by predicting the likelihood of timely graduation, as profiled in the New York Times. We're now working to scale this tool, based on its initial success, and we are looking for talent to help us continuously improve the data product and directly support schools in using it.

Reporting to the Director, Data Science, Education, the Data Scientist will be responsible for end-to-end data science product development and deployment. You will provide direct support to schools in data preparation, cleaning, technical communication, building custom machine learning models, and supporting initial implementation. The Data Scientist will own the statistical methodology, responsible for implementing excellent modeling techniques, high-quality data science code, and ethical evaluation for bias. In this role, you'll work closely with other data team members as well as our Engineering and Product teams.

What You'll Do

The Data Scientist will be responsible for the following in addition to any other project assigned by the Director, Data Science:

Build and maintain the machine learning product (40%)

• Produce high-quality, reusable code for data processing and analysis
• Fine-tune and deploy models into a scalable and efficient production system
• Conduct data science methods research and strategically implement appropriate techniques, including for model cards and equity-focused evaluation
• Ensure accuracy and quality of all algorithmic and statistical outputs
• Produce transparent documentation detailing the data science methodology for both technical and non-technical audiences

Provide direct data science support to schools (50%)

• Partner with data staff at different schools in scoping how they will use and implement the SST, including strategic discussions on data handling based on their specific needs
• Process, clean, and analyze schools' data
• Provide technical onboarding to schools' data staff and directly support schools in formatting their data
• Produce custom exploratory data analysis and models for schools
• Presenting modeling results and how to use and interpret the model to schools
• Communicate and manage expectations of schools throughout the entire process

Collaborate and contribute across DataKind (10%)

• Keep project management tools like Salesforce and Asana up to date with project information and progress
• Support other data science team members through code reviews and sharing learnings across products
• Collaborate with the Product, Engineering, and Community teams to ensure seamless integration and alignment of work
• Help manage other data science products hosted by DataKind and advance internal analytics reporting and automation capabilities as needed

How You'll be Assessed

At the end of their one-year term, the Data Scientist will have accomplished the following:

• Enabled 12 schools to use the SST, including schools with unique customization needs
• Created and implemented an end-to-end codebase template for building custom models for schools based on their goals and priorities
• Deployed models into a scalable and efficient live production system
• Produced onboarding documentation for schools and other stakeholders to understand the models, data science methodology, and equity-focused evaluation approaches

Qualifications

Required

• Alignment with DataKind mission and values, including our commitment to anti-racism
• Experience working across lines of difference (culture, identity, and time zone)
• 3-5 years of technical work experience; at least 3 years of experience in data science
• Expert in Python
• Experience with cloud computing (Azure, GCP, and/or AWS)
• Experience with DataBricks, Snowflake, or similar data intelligence platforms
• Strong understanding of statistical methods for predictive modeling
• Experience in machine learning—confident in applying, tuning, and evaluating a wide variety of algorithms
• Proven track record of successfully managing full life-cycle data science projects with multiple stakeholders
• Proven track record of (internal or external) client service orientation
• Comfort and skill in communicating highly technical information to semi- and non- technical audiences
• Self-motivated, results-driven, and persistent in the face of challenges

Preferred

• Experience in the nonprofit sector and/or in a small startup organization
• Experience with databases (SQL, Postgres, PySpark, and/or other data query languages)
• Experience with Azure
• Experience in scaling data products, handling data quality and volume
• Experience with software development and/or web-dev work (frontends, dashboards, etc.)
• Track record of strong client-facing presentation skills
• Track record of strong technical writing for a variety of audiences

About DataKind

DataKind is a global organization based in the U.S., with volunteer chapters in San Francisco; Washington, DC; London, UK; Bengaluru (Bangalore), India; and Singapore. With a vibrant network of more than 30,000 supporters and volunteers around the world, DataKind engages on a wide variety of issues, continually bringing the benefits of data science to new communities.

From hackathon-style events to years-long capacity-building engagements, DataKind builds new tools to address old and intractable problems, and brings data scientists into the Data-for-Good movement by showing them how valuable their skills can be. Our projects range from increasing speed and efficiency of food aid distribution to building fairer systems to establish credit worthiness, DataKind works to close the gap between what data science can provide, and who has access to it.

Why Work with DataKind

At DataKind, we believe that people are the most important asset to delivering on our mission. Working with us means that you will have:

• Flexibility in your working schedule. More than just adjustable hours, we include shared time off and bi-weekly meeting-free days.
• Generous leave policies:Paid Parental Leave, 14 paid holidays annually and unlimited PTO! At DataKind, we encourage everyone to take a minimum of 20 vacation days a year.
• Access to an outstanding health plan.We pay 100% of medical, vision, and dental benefits for employees and 72% for spouse/domestic partner and dependent coverage.
• Support to plan for your future. We offer a 401(k) plan and match employee contributions up to 5% of the annual salary.
• Opportunities to learn and grow. Each year, we budget funds for each staff person to access ongoing professional development support.
• Wellness Reimbursement Program. Employees can be reimbursed for wellness and lifestyle purchases that are meaningful to them.
• DEI commitment. DataKind is committed to a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment in our day-to-day work and via special initiatives driven by our DEI Steering Committee.