Senior Data Scientist

Nelnet Business Services (NBS), a division of Nelnet, Inc., provides payment technology and education services to more than 1,200 higher education institutions, nearly 12,000 K-12 schools, and millions of individual students, families, and supporters across the globe. Our culture of service enables us to form long-lasting and trusted partnerships, while our focus on creativity and innovative solutions empowers our customer communities to thrive.

The Senior Data Scientist is responsible for leading the development and implementation of machine learning models to solve complex business problems. This position works with large datasets, cleans and pre-processes data, and performs exploratory data analysis to understand the underlying patterns and trends. The Senior Data Scientist is also responsible for mentoring more junior Data Scientists, collaborating with cross-functional teams, and presenting findings and recommendations to senior leadership.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Conduct advanced analyses and statistical deep dives, with a focus on producing actionable recommendations and strategic guidance for decision makers.

2. Develop and deploy custom models and algorithms using data and machine learning libraries to solve complex business problems.

3. Mine, clean, process, transform and join data from a variety of sources including SQL servers, AWS environments, Azure, SnowFlake, SalesForce, internal systems, and flat files.

4. Identify, wrangle, scrape, and assemble new data sources from the web, data aggregators, and public sources.

5. Build rich, interactive dashboards and visualizations from the ground up using PowerBI.

6. Compile and present key findings and reports to all levels of the organization, including senior leadership.

7. Continuously seek out opportunities to add value through process automation and programmatic solutions to manual tasks and monitor and improve Data Science model performance.

8. Act as a subject matter expert within the data science field. Continuously learn, grow, and explore new emerging technologies. (Stay up to date with industry trends and best practices.

9. Problem-solve, generate new ideas, and provide creative solutions.

10. Mentor, model, act as a resource, and provide guidance for more junior analysts and team members.

11. Lead development, testing and implementation of machine-learning models and algorithms using data and machine learning to solve complex business problems.

Salary range for this role is: $63,000- $127,000

This position offers a hybrid work option. Nelnet values flexibility and understands the importance of work-life integration. Our hybrid work environment allows associates living within 30 miles of an office location to work remotely for part of the week, while also fostering collaboration and team connection through in-office presence three days per week.

Please note that we are unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position. To be considered, candidates must already be authorized to work in the United States without the need for current or future sponsorship.

EDUCATION :

PHD degree required in a Quantitative (heavy in mathematics, statistics or analysis, such as Applied Mathematics, Optimization, Psychology, or Economics) or Programming discipline.

EXPERIENCE :

1. 2+ years of experience in data analysis.

2. 1+ years of programming experience.

3. Significant experience working with large, complex data sets and common data science tools.

4. Experience working with database Python.

5. Experience designing, building, deploying, and validating machine-learning predictive models, ideally within a business framework.

6. Experience training multi model design to structure and train for unstructured data matching.

7. Experience training LLM models for specialized use cases

COMPETENCIES – SKILLS/KNOWLEDGE/ABILITIES:

1. Highly inquisitive and self-motivated.

2. Ability to map out solutions with a starting point and end goal, but with few steps identified in-between.

3. Exceptional ability to analyze and synthesize data.

4. Advanced proficiency in SQL and Python.

5. Competency navigating and working within the AWS cloud suite.

6. Competency designing self-learning models that result in logarithm trends to identify trends in data to predict potential outcomes or missing data fields.

7. Core understanding of statistical concepts and methods.

8. Competency in the MS Office Suite.

9. Highly accountable and inquisitive, able to manage multiple tasks in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

10. Self-motivated.

11. Excellent communication skills (written, verbal, and interpersonal) to coordinate across teams and deliver polished presentations.

12. Experience with training NumPy and Pandas models.

Our benefits package includes medical, dental, vision, HSA and FSA, generous earned time off, 401K/student loan repayment, life insurance & AD&D insurance, employee assistance program, employee stock purchase program, tuition reimbursement, performance-based incentive pay, short- and long-term disability, and a robust wellness program. Click here to learn more about our benefits: Benefits & Perks - Nelnet Inc (

Nelnet is committed to providing a welcoming and respectful workplace where all associates have the opportunity to succeed. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we ensure that all qualified applicants are considered for employment. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion/creed, national origin, gender, sex, marital status, age, disability, use of a guide dog or service animal, sexual orientation, military/veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law. We value the unique contributions of every team member and believe that a positive work environment benefits everyone.

Qualified individuals with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations in order to apply or compete for positions at Nelnet may request such accommodations by contacting Corporate Recruiting at View phone number on click.appcast.io or View email address on click.appcast.io .

Nelnet is a Drug Free and Tobacco Free Workplace.

Use of Artificial Intelligence in Hiring

We may use automated or artificial intelligence enabled tools to assist with the initial review of applications, such as identifying relevant skills or experience. These tools are used to support human review and do not make hiring decisions. A recruiter reviews applications and determines which candidates move forward in the hiring process. For more information, see our Privacy Policy and Pre-Use Notice: Automated Tools in Hiring

You may know Nelnet as the nation’s largest student loan servicer – but we do more than that. A lot more. We’re also a professional services company, consumer loan originator and servicer, payment processor, renewable energy innovator, and K-12 and higher education expert (and that’s just a shortlist). For over 40 years, we’ve been serving our customers, associates, and communities to make dreams possible.

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