Applied Data Scientist - AI Enablement (Transportation)

HDR•Omaha, NE

About The Position

The Applied Data Scientist – AI Enablement is a high-impact individual contributor role within HDR’s Transportation Business Group. Initially, the role focuses on building internal AI capabilities, developing AI solutions, improving data and technology foundations, and identifying systemic constraints that limit the organization’s ability to scale artificial intelligence. As internal capabilities mature, the role will progressively transition to client-facing AI delivery and advisory work, using internally proven solutions as repeatable services. The stated utilization expectations are 40% internal AI solution development, 40% client AI delivery and pilot engagements as capabilities mature (0% in year one), and 20% skill development and continuous learning. The role develops and deploys AI solutions for internal transportation needs, builds reusable components and data workflows, and manages model lifecycles. It also identifies gaps in data, systems, tooling, governance, and processes, and partners with IT, data architects, and business stakeholders on improvements. The position collaborates across teams to turn ambiguous problems into structured AI solutions and communicates AI concepts to technical and non-technical audiences. Future work includes supporting client pursuits and pilots and helping develop repeatable AI services. Other duties may be assigned as required.

Requirements

A degree in a closely related field or a combination of education and relevant experience.
At least 3 years of experience with data engineering tools and languages such as SQL, Power Query, and Pandas.
At least 3 years of experience with business intelligence tools such as Power BI, Tableau, Plotly, Seaborn, and Matplotlib.
At least 3 years of experience with data science languages such as Python and R.
In-depth knowledge of machine learning algorithms, statistical models, and data analytics.
Experience completing multiple data science projects.
Self-motivated and detail-oriented, with the ability to multitask.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Word and Outlook.
Ability to handle confidential information.
Strong math and organizational skills.
Excellent writing and people skills, including verbal and written communication, grammar, punctuation, proofreading, spelling, and telephone skills.
Flexibility and the ability to prioritize and handle multiple tasks and various managers in a fast-paced environment.
Commitment to being an active participant in HDR’s employee-owned culture.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in a closely related field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Experience with generative AI and modern AI services.
Hands-on experience developing, deploying, and maintaining data and AI solutions in cloud environments such as Azure, AWS, or GCP, including cloud-native data pipelines, scalable compute, and production model deployment.
Experience managing end-to-end data science projects and model lifecycles.
Strong analytical skills.
Advanced degree.
Experience designing or improving data pipelines and AI infrastructure.
Consulting or professional services experience.
Six Sigma or other process improvement certifications.

Responsibilities

Design, develop, and deploy AI solutions for internal transportation business needs, such as document intelligence, predictive analytics, copilots, and workflow automation.
Build reusable AI components, data pipelines, and workflows that can scale for future client delivery.
Manage the full model lifecycle, including development, deployment, monitoring, drift detection, retraining, and inference.
Identify limitations in data availability, system integration, tooling, governance, and processes that inhibit AI adoption.
Partner with IT, data architects, and business stakeholders to recommend scalable improvements.
Document technical debt and architectural gaps that need to be addressed before AI capacity can scale.
Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders to translate ambiguous problems into structured AI solutions.
Communicate AI concepts clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.
Support client pursuits and pilot projects using internally developed AI capabilities as internal capabilities mature.
Contribute to the evolution of repeatable AI services and offerings.
Perform other duties as required.