Sr/Staff Data Scientist (Remote - US)

BNSF Railway

23h • Remote

About The Position

This is a full-time remote position within BNSF | Tech, the technology division of BNSF, a major freight rail company. The role focuses on transforming data assets into a real-time enterprise by leading initiatives in data science and artificial intelligence. BNSF is committed to a culture of safety, inclusion, and excellence, aiming to support the movement of essential products across North America. The position offers the opportunity to drive change and advance a career in a dynamic and supportive environment, reshaping the future of freight rail. Employees can work from anywhere within the contiguous 48 states of the United States, with occasional travel required to the corporate headquarters in Fort Worth, TX, with expenses covered by BNSF. The company is open to sponsoring H-1B transfers, TN nonimmigrant status, and STEM OPT candidates.

Requirements

• Minimum 6 years of experience with building optimization algorithms or relevant experience.
• Advanced proficiency in programming languages such as Python, R, SQL, and Java.
• Demonstrated expertise in utilizing data visualization tools to communicate insights clearly and effectively.
• In-depth experience with data science cloud platforms and their integration into business solutions.
• Exceptional intellectual curiosity and a proven ability to thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative team environment.
• Track record of rapidly acquiring new technical skills and adapting to cutting-edge technologies.
• Strong communication skills to articulate technical concepts to diverse audiences with clarity and professionalism.
• Deep understanding and application of statistical analysis and advanced machine learning techniques.
• Must understand and have proficiency in the core architecture of LLMs (e.g., transformers and attention mechanisms).
• Experience with prompt engineering techniques, including chain-of-thought prompting, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), fine-tuning of language models, and evaluation methodologies.
• Experience with Vector Databases and embeddings.
• Experience with Model Fine-tuning.
• Experience with GPU optimization.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Operations Research, Computer Science, Industrial Engineering or a related field. Ph.D is a plus.
• Knowledge of geospatial analytics, route optimization, and GIS concepts.
• Previous hands-on experience with AI/Machine Learning frameworks and tools, showcasing innovative solutions.
• Extensive background in Rail, Shipping, Airline, Logistics, Warehousing, Supply Chain, or Transportation industries, or in the High-Tech sector.
• Proficiency in leveraging open-source libraries and frameworks to drive data science initiatives.
• Seasoned in Agile methodologies like Scrum, Kanban, or SAFe for efficient project management and delivery at a senior level.

Responsibilities

• Lead cross-functional collaboration to identify and define analytic initiatives, formulate strategies, and develop solutions to achieve business goals through effective use of data machine learning models.
• Apply data science skills to analyze large, complex datasets and identify meaningful patterns that lead to actionable insights and data-driven solutions to business problems.
• Lead the development and deployment of advanced machine learning models to forecast outcomes and optimize workflows.
• Engage closely with stakeholders to grasp their requirements and deliver actionable insights that drive strategic decision-making.
• Design and present compelling visualizations and reports to effectively communicate analytical findings.
• Oversee the maintenance and enhancement of data pipelines to uphold data quality and precision.
• Keep abreast of emerging trends and breakthroughs in data science and machine learning fields.
• Proficiently extract, aggregate, and transform data from SQL and NoSQL databases, leveraging languages like R, Python, or other relevant tools for analysis and modeling.
• Build, test, and validate statistical, and machine learning models and analyses using Python, R, or other appropriate language as part of overall solution development.
• Lead implementation of analytic solutions into reporting platforms or production systems by leading the solution design, development, testing, and monitoring.

Benefits

• An industry-leading 401(k) and renowned Railroad Retirement program.
• A range of robust health care options for you and your dependents (including domestic partners), including medical, dental, vision, telemedicine, mental health, cancer support, and high-quality care network options.
• Health care spending accounts (HSA) with employer contributions, as well as life and disability insurance, provided at no cost.
• Family benefits including parental, pediatric and family building support, adoption and surrogacy reimbursement, and dependent care spending account (with employer match).
• Access to discounts on travel, gym memberships, counseling services and wellness support.
• Annual bonus (Incentive Compensation Program)
• Generous leave / time off policies.

What This Job Offers

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