Strategic Support Associate, Data and Artificial Intelligence

Jackson•Lansing, MI

4d•Onsite

About The Position

Looking for an internship? We've got something better. Ignite—Jackson's premier career exploration program—provides you the skills, contacts and hands-on experience to launch your career. This unique opportunity is a paid rotational program which offers hands-on experience in Data and Artificial Intelligence (DAI). You'll work with skilled teams on innovative technology projects that drive business success and improve customer satisfaction. As part of Jackson's talent pipeline, you'll support key business functions while developing valuable skills. This flexible, part-time role allows you to build your schedule, learn in a fast-paced environment, and make a meaningful impact—now and in the future. Go beyond an internship and ignite your career.In the Data and Artificial Intelligence Career Development Program (DAI CDP), you will gain hands-on experience across the full data and analytics life cycle—from data collection and preparation through analysis, modeling, and solution deployment. You will help design and build data-driven solutions that provide insights to improve business outcomes, working alongside experienced data engineers, data scientists, and analytics professionals across the organization.Throughout the program, you will participate in meaningful projects that support enterprise initiatives focused on service ease and accessibility, intelligent customer interactions, associate engagement, and risk management. You will make a direct impact while learning how data and analytics drive business decisions.Join us for a year long program which includes 1:1 mentorship, career consultation, networking opportunities, professional skill-building workshops, and program capstone and achievement certifications to support your growth and development.

Requirements

Knowledge of data analysis, statistics, and machine learning concepts, with interest in applying them to real business problems.
Knowledge of programming languages commonly used in data and analytics work, such as Python, R, SQL, or Java.
Knowledge of advanced statistical methods, Bayesian learning techniques, pattern recognition and outlier detection algorithms, as well as advanced topics such as decision trees, random forests, neural networks, and other deep learning methods.
Exposure to data pipeline tools and frameworks (e.g., Spark, Airflow, or similar) and an understanding of database concepts, data structures, and data management practices.
Experience or interest in data visualization using tools such as Power BI, Tableau, ggplot, matplotlib, or Shiny to communicate insights effectively.
Familiarity with AI and advanced analytics techniques, including Natural Language Processing, text mining, and emerging generative AI approaches such as large language models (LLMs) including GPT, RAG, and Transformer architectures.
Familiarity with UNIX, shell scripting, distributed/parallel computing, a scripting language such as Python or Perl or similar.
Ability to work with large datasets to identify patterns, develop insights, and support model development and evaluation.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, curiosity, and willingness to learn new technologies and methods.
Demonstrates professionalism, effective time management, and the ability to organize and prioritize tasks in a fast-paced environment.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to collaborate effectively in team settings and work independently when needed.
Program runs year-round, with summer work required.
This position requires you to be in office at our Corporate Headquarters.
Minimum of 18 hours required per week with a maximum up to 29 hours dependent on business needs.
Flexible shifts offered Monday-Friday from 6:30 AM - 7:00 PM with preferred availability during core business hours (7:00 AM - 6:00 PM).
Shift duration preference: With cohort-style training, we strongly prefer three shifts per week to be a minimum of three hours in duration, all others a minimum of 2 hours.
H.S. Diploma required.
Actively pursuing a 4-year degree in statistics, data science, computational or mathematical finance, computer science, engineering or related technical field required.
Juniors or Seniors pursuing a four-year degree with a 3.0 minimum GPA strongly preferred (Exceptional Master’s students or recent graduates will be considered).

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of data modeling, data warehousing, and query optimization techniques preferred.
Experience in machine learning frameworks and tools such as Spark ML/MLlib, Scikit-Learn, Pandas, PyTorch, TensorFlow, etc. preferred.
Experience in natural language processing and text mining preferred.
Experience in generative AI and large language models (LLMs) preferred.
Experience working with cloud-based data platforms and services (e.g., AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud) for data storage, processing, and analytics preferred.

Responsibilities

Design, build, and maintain data pipelines to collect, organize, and transform structured and unstructured data for analysis and reporting.
Prepare, clean, and analyze data to generate insights and recommendations that inform business strategies.
Assist in developing and testing analytical models and data-driven tools that address real business challenges.
Explore and apply foundational techniques in data analysis, visualization, and predictive modeling.
Support the development of AI and machine learning solutions, including Natural Language Processing and other applied methodologies.
Utilize data visualization and storytelling techniques to communicate complex findings clearly to business stakeholders.
Participate in the deployment and monitoring of data and analytical solutions to ensure continued performance and reliability.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to investigate problems, design scalable solutions, and operationalize data-driven processes.
Performs other duties and/or projects as assigned.