Senior Data Scientist, Responsible AI

Empower • Overland Park, KS

3d • $105,700 - $149,275 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Data Scientist of Responsible AI serves as a senior individual contributor within Empower’s Responsible AI (RAI) team. This role embeds directly with multiple AI delivery teams as a matrixed partner, ensuring AI and GenAI systems are measurable, transparent, safe, and aligned with Responsible AI principles. The position focuses on evaluation methodology, model behavior analysis, and operationalizing Responsible AI practices in collaboration with engineering, QA, security, and governance partners.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 6+ years of professional data science experience.
• Demonstrated experience developing or evaluating AI/ML systems in production or pre-production environments.
• Strong grounding in experimental design, statistical analysis, and model evaluation methodology.
• Experience collaborating with engineering and product teams in an agile, iterative delivery environment.
• Proficiency in Python and SQL for data analysis and evaluation workflows.
• Experience working with modern cloud platforms such as AWS.
• Strong communication skills and ability to operate effectively in a matrixed team model.
• Reliable high-speed internet with a wired connection as well as a place in your home to work with limited disruption.
• Reliable connectivity from an internet service provider that is fiber, cable or DSL internet.

Nice To Haves

• Experience evaluating Generative AI or LLM-based systems.
• Hands-on work with explainability, fairness analysis, hallucination detection, or robustness testing techniques.
• Familiarity with Responsible AI principles, governance frameworks, or model documentation practices.
• Experience translating research or experimental methods into repeatable, production-aligned workflows.

Responsibilities

• Lead evaluation and validation of AI and GenAI systems, including assessment of hallucination, fairness, robustness, explainability, and other model behavior risks.
• Design and implement repeatable evaluation workflows, benchmark datasets, and structured model behavior tests.
• Serve as the Responsible AI data science partner for assigned AI delivery teams, guiding the integration of RAI metrics, guardrails, and evaluation practices.
• Translate research findings and experimental methods into scalable, platform-ready evaluation capabilities.
• Collaborate with AI/ML engineers and QA analysts to align evaluation logic with testing pipelines and deployment workflows.
• Support the creation of model cards, evaluation documentation, and transparency artifacts required for governance and review.
• Provide Responsible AI consultation to product, engineering, risk, legal, and governance stakeholders.
• Mentor junior and mid-level data scientists on evaluation design, experimental rigor, and Responsible AI practices.
• Contribute to Responsible AI and security-by-design practices by ensuring evaluation methods consider safety, misuse, and model risk.
• Partner with engineering, security, and governance teams to identify, document, and mitigate AI-related risks surfaced through evaluation activities.
• Support evolving security and risk requirements as they relate to AI system behavior, testing, and governance reviews.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision and life insurance
• Retirement savings – 401(k) plan with generous company matching contributions (up to 6%), financial advisory services, potential company discretionary contribution, and a broad investment lineup
• Tuition reimbursement up to $5,250/year
• Business-casual environment that includes the option to wear jeans
• Generous paid time off upon hire – including a paid time off program plus ten paid company holidays and three floating holidays each calendar year
• Paid volunteer time — 16 hours per calendar year
• Leave of absence programs – including paid parental leave, paid short- and long-term disability, and Family and Medical Leave (FMLA)
• Business Resource Groups (BRGs) – BRGs facilitate inclusion and collaboration across our business internally and throughout the communities where we live, work and play. BRGs are open to all.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Associate degree