Associate Applied Scientist

What youll be part of

Garner is on a mission to transform the U.S. healthcare system and were the only proven player doing exactly that. We partner with employers to redesign how healthcare works: applying 550 proprietary clinical metrics across 80 specialties to a dataset of 320M patients to identify the best-performing doctors then using compelling incentives to steer members to the care that helps them get healthier faster.

The result is a rare win win better care and lower costs for both members and just five years our work has helped over 2.5 million people access higher-quality care and saved $1B in healthcare costs. We recently raised our Series E and have doubled five years running. If youve ever wanted your work to solve a problem that touches every person in this country this is the opportunity to do exactly that. Youd be joining a team fundamentally reimagining healthcare in the U.S. and using AI to scale that impact further and faster than anyone else can.

Who we want

This is a role for someone who wants to work on a hard problem deliver real impact and be pushed to be the best version of themselves. As an Associate Applied Scientist youll be embedded in the Applied Science team. Our members rely on us to answer hard questions Which doctor should I see What will it cost When should we reach out and how and the quality of those answers is determined by the algorithms behind them.

This is not a dashboards or descriptive-analytics role. You will own production systems end-to-end: framing the problem defining the objective function choosing the right approach (ML optimization heuristics expert systems or a hybrid) shipping it and improving it against real-world outcomes. The closest analog outside healthcare is a quantitative researcher at a top hedge fund.

What you will do

• Ship production algorithmic systems end-to-end from problem framing to launch to iteration
• Frame messy real-world healthcare and business constraints into clear objectives tradeoffs and decision frameworks
• Define the set of metrics needed to judge whether a solution is working and validate solutions before they ship
• Choose the right approach for each problem from machine learning to optimization to heuristics to simple rules based on what the problem actually calls for
• Bring new ideas to your work experimenting with approaches beyond the obvious to get better results
• Produce rigorous well-validated work others can rely on and review your peers code and analyses
• Build a deep understanding of the healthcare economy and Garners place in it

To make the role concrete here are two problems on our near-term roadmap:

• Provider tiering optimization. Build a tiering algorithm that jointly optimizes geographic access and total-cost-of-care savings across our doctor network. The objective function constraints and tradeoff surface are all open design questions.
• Member engagement model. Build an ML system that ingests claims data and in-app behavior to choose the right channel and moment for each touchpoint SMS push phone or email to influence member behavior toward better-quality lower-cost care.

What were looking for

• A Bachelors or Masters degree (in progress) in Computer Science Mathematics Statistics Economics or a related STEM field with an expected graduation date of Fall 2026 or Spring 2027.
• A bias toward action quickly translating ideas into working prototypes to test approaches.
• Strong applied problem-solving skills with the ability to define good metrics and then deliver solutions that improve them.
• A solid command of the methods your work calls for and the data your models depend on.
• Strong judgment in choosing between statistical models heuristics optimization approaches and simpler algorithmic methods depending on the problem.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to present your work clearly to senior stakeholders.
• A desire to do work that matters: and to be held to a high standard while doing it. Youre energized by a mission with measurable outcomes not just good intentions. You engage with AI tools as part of how you do your best work and hold yourself accountable to outcomes that matter beyond your teams metrics.

What youll get here

Youll work on problems that matter at a company working to change healthcare at scale. Youll work at the intersection of AI and systemic healthcare reform where the problems we solve are as interesting and compelling as the mission.

At Garner youll take on real ambitious problems with real ownership and autonomy alongside exceptional principles-based people who genuinely want you to win. Its demanding by design. Youll be challenged to stretch beyond what you thought possible and receive consistent coaching to help you grow and do the best work of your career. This isnt the right fit for everyone and thats intentional. The people here are driven by whats at stake for real people and thats what gives our intensity its purpose.

Technologies we use

• Python SQL AWS Snowflake pandas XGBoost PyTorch HuggingFace modern LLM tooling and eval frameworks. We pick tools based on the problem not the resume bring your judgment.

Please note: we are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time.

Compensation

The target base comp range for this role is $150000. Individual compensation will depend on qualifications skills and applicable laws.

In addition to base compensation this role is eligible to participate in our equity incentive plan and benefits package including: flexible PTO Medical/Dental/Vision plan options 401(k) with company match flexible spending accounts Teladoc Health and more.

Few roles offer this combination: work that is genuinely hard a mission that is genuinely important and a team that is genuinely invested in your success. If thats what youre looking for wed love to meet you.

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Equal Employment Opportunity:

Garner Health is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and values diversity in the workplace. We do not discriminate based upon race religion color national origin sex (including pregnancy childbirth reproductive health decisions or related medical conditions) sexual orientation gender identity gender expression age status as a protected veteran status as an individual with a disability genetic information political views or activity or other applicable legally protected characteristics.

Garner Health is committed to providing accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in our recruiting process. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability you may contact us at .

Required Experience:

IC