Senior Data Scientist

Elanco•Indianapolis, IN

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

At Elanco (NYSE: ELAN) – it all starts with animals! As a global leader in animal health, we are dedicated to innovation and delivering products and services to prevent and treat disease in farm animals and pets. At Elanco, we are driven by our vision of Food and Companionship Enriching Life and our purpose – all to Go Beyond for Animals, Customers, Society and Our People. At Elanco, we pride ourselves on fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. We believe that diversity is the driving force behind innovation, creativity, and overall business success. Here, you’ll be part of a company that values and champions new ways of thinking, work with dynamic individuals, and acquire new skills and experiences that will propel your career to new heights. Making animals’ lives better makes life better – join our team today! Your Role: Senior Data Scientist We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Senior Data Scientist to join our Enterprise Analytics and Governance organization. This role is critical in transforming complex data into strategic insights and scalable solutions that drive business value. The ideal candidate will combine strong expertise in advanced analytics, operations research, and AI/ML with the ability to translate ambiguous business challenges into impactful, production-ready solutions.

Requirements

PhD in Statistics, Data Science, Computer Science, Operations Research or a related STEM field with 2+ year of experience, OR Master’s degree with 5+ years of relevant experience.
Strong expertise in machine learning, deep learning, statistics and/or optimization.
Advanced proficiency in Python (and /or R), SQL, with experience building and maintaining data pipelines in Databricks or similar environments.
Solid foundation in software engineering best practices, including Git, unit and integration testing, CI/CD and model deployment capabilities.
Proficiency in data visualization tools such as Power BI, Tableau or Databricks Dashboard.
Proven ability to deploy and manage high-performance models in production environments using machine learning ops tools and technologies.

Nice To Haves

Experience building end-to-end observability frameworks, including model monitoring, drift detection, and business performance tracking.
Familiarity with Natural Language Processing, Generative AI techniques (e.g., LLMs, RAG architectures, AI Agents).
Experience working with large-scale enterprise data platforms and cloud ecosystems (Azure, AWS, GCP).
Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in ambiguous, fast-paced environments.

Responsibilities

Lead end-to-end data science initiatives - from problem definition and data exploration to deployment of scalable, production-grade solutions.
Apply advanced modeling techniques, including machine learning, deep learning, statistical methods and operations research (e.g., optimization, simulation), to solve complex business problems.
Partner with cross-functional business stakeholders to translate strategic objectives into actionable analytical solutions.
Design and develop robust data pipelines and models leveraging platforms such as Databricks, Azure Synapse, and SAP.
Build and maintain interactive dashboards and data products using Databricks dashboard, Power BI or Tableau to enable real-time decision-making.
Implement best practices in software engineering, including modular code design, testing, version control, and CI/CD pipelines.
Ensure model transparency, explainability and interpretability using Explainable AI (XAI) approaches.
Monitor, evaluate, and optimize model performance in production environments, including establishing observability and feedback loops.
Communicate complex analytical insights clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Provide technical leadership and mentorship to junior team members.