Contract Data Scientist (40 hrs/wk)

Layer Health • Boston, MA

18h • Hybrid

About The Position

Layer Health is hiring a contract Data Scientist to work with its ML team, applying existing machine learning workflows to tailor models for specific clinical use cases. The role involves designing, building, evaluating, and iterating on models by combining data science fundamentals with modern LLM techniques to deliver accurate, production-ready solutions across new clinical domains. This is a high-velocity, high-ownership role focused on investigating model errors, making targeted improvements, and connecting model performance to real-world impact. The contract requires full-time hours.

Layer Health is an AI healthcare company founded in 2023 by machine learning researchers from MIT and Harvard Medical School. Its LLM-powered platform synthesizes information from medical records and currently accelerates clinical registry abstraction for health systems. The company aims to reduce friction in healthcare and safely transform patient care.

The position is hybrid, with the employee expected to work with the team in either the Boston or NYC office three days per week. Expected compensation is $40–$70 per hour, dependent on experience, role fit, and candidate location.

Requirements

• Good data science fundamentals, including knowledge of best practices for evaluating model performance and conducting error analysis.
• Familiarity with modern applied LLM techniques and their practical implementations, such as standard prompting techniques, LLM frameworks, and structured output usage.
• Solid programming skills in Python.
• Strong technical communication skills and ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment.
• A proactive mindset and willingness to identify and solve problems while continuously improving data science capabilities.
• An adaptable, collaborative team-player approach.
• Willingness to work in a hybrid arrangement at the Boston or NYC office three days per week.

Nice To Haves

• A proven track record of successful projects in healthcare or clinical applications.
• Experience using modern applied LLM techniques, such as prompting techniques, LLM frameworks, or structured outputs.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end development of models for specific use cases, from initial prototyping through production refinement.
• Build and iterate on models using the company's ML- and LLM-powered workflows for new clinical areas.
• Conduct rigorous evaluations of model performance and perform deep error analysis to identify systematic failure modes and drive targeted improvements.
• Ship frequent, high-quality model updates based on data, feedback, and observed edge cases.
• Apply modern LLM techniques, including prompting strategies, structured outputs, tool use, and evaluation frameworks, to improve accuracy and robustness.
• Contribute to metrics, reporting, and internal dashboards tracking model performance and downstream impact.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Education Level: No Education Listed