Data Scientist Job Description - Glassdoor for Employers
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Data Scientist Job Description

The demand for Data Scientists is growing. Tech, health care, finance and even retail companies are vying for professionals who can convert large amounts of data into business solutions. The competition is fierce, but one of the best ways you can beat out competitors is perfecting your job description.

Gathering the required skills is the first part of the equation. Ensuring the list of requirements reflects the nuances of the job at your company and conveys your company’s mission, can be challenging.

Here at Glassdoor, we spend a lot of time analyzing what constitutes a great job description – and we have the full complement of best practices to show for it. So, we’ve crafted a near-perfect Data Scientist Job Description for you to reference.

Data Scientist Job Description

About

We are looking for a Data Scientist who will support our product, sales, leadership and marketing teams with insights gained from analyzing company data. The ideal candidate is adept at using large data sets to find opportunities for product and process optimization and using models to test the effectiveness of different courses of action. They must have strong experience using a variety of data mining/data analysis methods, using a variety of data tools, building and implementing models, using/creating algorithms and creating/running simulations. They must have a proven ability to drive business results with their data-based insights. They must be comfortable working with a wide range of stakeholders and functional teams. The right candidate will have a passion for discovering solutions hidden in large data sets and working with stakeholders to improve business outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

  • Work with stakeholders throughout the organization to identify opportunities for leveraging company data to drive business solutions.
  • Mine and analyze data from company databases to drive optimization and improvement of product development, marketing techniques and business strategies.
  • Assess the effectiveness and accuracy of new data sources and data gathering techniques.
  • Develop custom data models and algorithms to apply to data sets.
  • Use predictive modeling to increase and optimize customer experiences, revenue generation, ad targeting and other business outcomes.
  • Develop company A/B testing framework and test model quality.
  • Coordinate with different functional teams to implement models and monitor outcomes.
  • Develop processes and tools to monitor and analyze model performance and data accuracy.

Qualifications and Requirements

  • Strong problem solving skills with an emphasis on product development.
  • Experience using statistical computer languages (R, Python, SLQ, etc.) to manipulate data and draw insights from large data sets.
  • Experience working with and creating data architectures.
  • Knowledge of a variety of machine learning techniques (clustering, decision tree learning, artificial neural networks, etc.) and their real-world advantages/drawbacks.
  • Knowledge of advanced statistical techniques and concepts (regression, properties of distributions, statistical tests and proper usage, etc.) and experience with applications.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills for coordinating across teams.
  • A drive to learn and master new technologies and techniques.

We’re looking for someone with 5-7 years of experience manipulating data sets and building statistical models, has a Master’s or PHD in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science or another quantitative field, and is familiar with the following software/tools:

  • Coding knowledge and experience with several languages: C, C++, Java, JavaScript, etc.
  • Knowledge and experience in statistical and data mining techniques: GLM/Regression, Random Forest, Boosting, Trees, text mining, social network analysis, etc.
  • Experience querying databases and using statistical computer languages: R, Python, SLQ, etc.
  • Experience using web services: Redshift, S3, Spark, DigitalOcean, etc.
  • Experience creating and using advanced machine learning algorithms and statistics: regression, simulation, scenario analysis, modeling, clustering, decision trees, neural networks, etc.
  • Experience analyzing data from 3rd party providers: Google Analytics, Site Catalyst, Coremetrics, Adwords, Crimson Hexagon, Facebook Insights, etc.
  • Experience with distributed data/computing tools: Map/Reduce, Hadoop, Hive, Spark, Gurobi, MySQL, etc.
  • Experience visualizing/presenting data for stakeholders using: Periscope, Business Objects, D3, ggplot, etc.

 

With all the time you save writing job descriptions, you can move on to the next key piece: honing your interview process with resources from Glassdoor – from How to Conduct a Behavioral Interview to utilizing checklists and interview templates. You can also take some time to leverage feedback from Interview Ratings on your Glassdoor profile to improve candidate experience every step of the way.