Lead Data Scientist

Lead Data Scientist Summary of Position: Lennar is seeking a Lead Data Scientist to drive the most complex modeling work powering pricing, forecasting, recommendation, and applied AI across the business. This is a senior individual contributor role on the Applied AI & Data Science team, sitting at the intersection of applied science, software engineering, and business strategy. The ideal candidate is a seasoned applied scientist with deep practical experience taking models from research through production deployment. They are fluent across the modern ML and applied AI stack—classical supervised learning, time-series forecasting, causal inference, recommendation systems, and LLM-based approaches—and they know which technique fits which problem. They bring strong opinions on experimentation, validation, and explainability, and they raise the bar for the data scientists around them through code review, design review, and mentorship without managing direct reports. You’ll work alongside data scientists, AI engineers, and ML engineers—owning and shipping the most visible data and AI products in the company across pricing, forecasting, personalization, and emerging agentic AI use cases, deployed across 40 divisions of one of the nation’s largest homebuilders. Responsibilities: Own the most complex, ambiguous modeling problems on the team end-to-end—from problem framing and research through experimentation, deployment, and post-launch measurement. Set the technical bar across the team—leading design reviews, code reviews, and modeling deep dives; mentoring senior and mid-level data scientists on production data science practices without managing direct reports. Build, validate, and ship production-grade models across pricing, forecasting, personalization, and applied AI—selecting the right techniques for the problem (causal inference, time-series, supervised learning, recommendation systems, embeddings, LLM-based approaches). Build pricing recommendation and elasticity models that optimize sales velocity, revenue, and division-level targets; develop sales forecasting and demand prediction models that support pricing and inventory decisions. Design and run experiments (A/B tests, multi-armed bandits, uplift modeling, causal inference) and ensure post-deployment measurement is built in from day one. Engineer and maintain the data pipelines and inference paths that support your models, partnering with ML Engineering on the platform surface (model registry, retraining, monitoring) and with AI Engineering on agentic and LLM-based product integrations. Translate complex modeling work for executive audiences and division leaders—framing tradeoffs, expected impact, confidence levels, and risks in language that supports clear decision-making. Proactively gather feedback from divisions and adapt models for adoption and measurable business impact; favor incremental, explainable solutions that deliver quick wins and build into scalable long-term systems. Contribute to internal patterns, libraries, and standards for how data science work is done across the team—raising the engineering bar without slowing the team down. Partner closely with AI Engineering, ML Engineering, AI Product, and Data Engineering counterparts to ensure models are productionized cleanly on a modern MLOps stack with proper version control, retraining, and observability. Education and Experience Requirements: Bachelor’s degree or higher in a quantitative field such as Statistics, Computer Science, Operations Research, Economics, Mathematics, or Engineering. Advanced degree (MS/PhD) preferred. 7 years of applied data science experience (5 with MS, 3 with PhD) with a track record of owning multiple production models end-to-end and delivering measurable business impact. Deep proficiency in Python and the modern ML stack (scikit-learn, XGBoost/LightGBM, pandas) and strong SQL skills for working with large-scale warehouse data. Hands-on production experience across at least two of: pricing or revenue optimization (elasticity, demand modeling); time-series forecasting; recommender systems or personalization; applied AI or LLM-based modeling. Strong experience with experimentation frameworks beyond A/B testing—uplift modeling, multi-armed bandits, causal inference—with strong intuition for validation strategy and post-deployment measurement. Experience deploying models on a cloud-native ML platform (AWS SageMaker preferred) and partnering with ML Engineering on MLOps practices including model registries, experiment tracking, and retraining pipelines. Familiarity with modern applied AI tooling—foundation models on AWS Bedrock, embeddings, RAG, agent frameworks—and comfort partnering with AI Engineering on agentic and LLM-based product surfaces. Demonstrated technical leadership without direct reports: setting standards, leading design reviews, mentoring data scientists, and raising the bar across a team. Strong communicator who can translate technical work for executive audiences and align technical solutions with business priorities; comfortable operating with autonomy in ambiguous environments, scoping work, setting realistic timelines, and raising blockers proactively. Bonus: Experience in real estate, homebuilding, pricing, supply chain, or other operationally complex industries; exposure to machine vision (CNNs, transfer learning, embeddings) for feature extraction; experience with reinforcement learning, simulation modeling, or feature stores. What we offer: The opportunity to deliver impact across one of the largest homebuilders in the United States. A corporate culture focused on growth and development. Freedom to try new impactful ideas. Ability to deploy your work to teams across 40 divisions and interact directly with those teams. End-to-end project ownership. Occasional travel for team activities and meetings. Remote work schedule, with a preference for candidates based in Miami, FL; Bentonville, AR; or Dallas, TX. Healthcare (medical, dental, vision) and 401k matching Physical Requirements: This is primarily a sedentary office position that requires the Lead Data Scientist to have the ability to operate computer equipment, speak, hear, bend, stoop, reach, lift, and move and carry up to 25 lbs. Finger dexterity is necessary. This description outlines the basic responsibilities and requirements for the position noted. This is not a comprehensive listing of all job duties of the Associates. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice. LI-GQ1 This information is intended to be a general overview and may be modified by the company due to factors affecting the business. General Overview of Compensation & Benefits: We reasonably expect the base compensation offered for this position to range from an annual salary of $152,600.00 - $190,700, subject to adjustment based on business-related factors such as employee qualifications, geographic pay differentials (e.g., cost of labor/living, etc.), and operational considerations. This position may be eligible for bonuses. This position may be eligible for commissions. This position will be eligible for the described benefits listed in the above section in accordance with Company Policy. This information is intended to be a general overview and may be modified by the Company due to factors affecting the business. Life at Lennar At Lennar, we are committed to fostering a supportive and enriching environment for our Associates, offering a comprehensive array of benefits designed to enhance their well-being and professional growth. Our Associates have access to robust health insurance plans, including Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage, ensuring their health needs are well taken care of. Our 401(k) Retirement Plan, complete with a $1 for $1 Company Match up to 5%, helps secure their financial future, while Paid Parental Leave and an Associate Assistance Plan provide essential support during life's critical moments. To further support our Associates, we provide an Education Assistance Program and up to $30,000 in Adoption Assistance, underscoring our commitment to their diverse needs and aspirations. From the moment of hire, they can enjoy up to three weeks of vacation annually, alongside generous Holiday, Sick Leave, and Personal Day policies. Additionally, we offer a New Hire Referral Bonus Program, significant Home Purchase Discounts, and unique opportunities such as the Everyone’s Included Day. At Lennar, we believe in investing in our Associates, empowering them to thrive both personally and professionally. Lennar Associates will have access to these benefits as outlined by Lennar’s policies and applicable plan terms. Visit Lennartotalrewards.com to view our suite of benefits. Join the fun and follow us on social media to see what's happening at our company, and don't forget to connect with us on Lennar: Overview | LinkedIn for the latest job opportunities. Lennar is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local fair employment practices laws.aa415a4b-8b21-40fc-a65c-70d2b25ca29a