Data Specialist

VIA•Somerville, MA

3h•$85,000 - $105,000•Hybrid

About The Position

As a Data Specialist at VIA, you'll play a pivotal role in the growth of our solutions. You are turning raw, complex data into the trusted, AI-enhanced intelligence that powers VIA’s data products. Operating on a high-velocity Agile team with developers, data and modeling specialists, and client delivery professionals, your work directly empowers our customers to make high-impact decisions where precision, security, and clarity are non-negotiable.

Requirements

3+ years of experience in a data-driven role or equivalent in data-related research projects
Bachelor’s or Master's degree in science, mathematics, engineering, or a data-driven field
Competence in Python, R, or equivalent programming language
Competence in at least two of the following technologies: Database technologies (e.g., SQL, PostgreSQL), Data science libraries (e.g., NumPy, pandas), Data pipelining workflows and tools (e.g., Dagster, Airflow, dbt), Cloud providers (e.g. AWS, Azure), including software development kits used to access data and services on these platforms
Ability to translate complex data findings into clear, compelling narratives
Strong communication capability to decompose complex operational workflows into clear, repeatable steps that both teammates and AI tools can act on
Passionate about data integrity, with a proven track record of transforming raw inputs into high quality, trusted datasets
A self-starter attitude and demonstrated ability to learn new technologies quickly

Nice To Haves

Generative AI tools (e.g. AWS Bedrock, LangChain)
Testing frameworks (e.g. pytest)

Responsibilities

Understand the data and the domain
Partner with VIA's client delivery team and customers to translate domain knowledge into data infrastructure requirements, validate assumptions, and resolve data-related issues
Explore raw customer data to build a clear picture of files, columns, and characteristics (e.g. averages, expected ranges, trends, standard deviations) and make suggestions grounded in the data
Build and own data pipelines
Design and implement end-to-end, AI-enhanced ETL/ELT pipelines — striving for maximum automation and self-healing — that move raw customer data into standardized relational and non-relational databases ready for the rest of the data science stack
Coordinate with internal stakeholders and customers when information is missing or discrepancies are found
Run quality control on data and data products through both automated tests and targeted manual review, and document the assumptions and decisions made along the way so the work stays traceable
Build AI-powered data products
Build AI into VIA's data products — automated insights, anomaly detection, AI-assisted data quality checks, and natural-language interfaces over operational data
Evaluate the quality and reliability of AI/ML outputs against domain expectations, and design the human-in-the-loop checks that keep our data products trustworthy
Deliver data-based products to external customers, including interactive data analysis and investigation platforms, data quality reports, statistical analysis, and visualizations that turn complex findings into clear stories
Improve the platform
Contribute to the continual improvement of internal tools for data cleaning and data quality assessment by identifying key data-related challenges that are ideal candidates for automation and AI enhancement

Benefits

Competitive benefits
Flexible work options
Individualized mentoring and growth opportunities
Salary range of $85,000 - $105,000 USD
401(k) plan with up to 5% employer contribution
Fully funded, top-tier health benefits plan, including vision and dental coverage, fully covered from day one, for your whole family
Up to 24 weeks paid parental leave
A 4-week paid ramp-back program
$10K family forming benefit (covering fertility treatments, adoption, and surrogacy)
Flexible Vacation Policy with no set annual limit or accrual period
Summer Fridays
Extended holiday period in December
Paid parental leave, supporting new parents and families
Ability to enjoy the best of both worlds with flexibility to work from home as needed, as well as access to four well-located offices, designed for collaboration and stocked with everything you could need
Opportunities to work remotely from eligible locations for up to 2 months per year
Individualized growth opportunities, including internal and external mentorship panels, custom goals and feedback sessions, and/or access to learning and development programs, including VIA’s unrivaled leadership program
A dedicated wellness advisor to help you navigate the programs and opportunities available at VIA
Benefits to support commuting costs
In-person events to foster team bonding and collaboration across different teams