Principal Applied Data Science

This role is for one of the Weekday's clients

Min Experience: 13 years

Location: Bengaluru

JobType: full-time

We are seeking an experienced and visionary Principal Applied Data Scientist to lead the design, development, and deployment of cutting-edge AI and Machine Learning solutions. This role is ideal for a highly accomplished professional with deep expertise in Machine Learning, Large Language Models (LLMs), and Natural Language Processing (NLP), along with a proven track record of translating research into scalable, production-grade applications.

As a technical leader, you will work closely with cross-functional teams to solve complex business problems, define AI strategy, and mentor high-performing data science teams. You will drive innovation across the AI lifecycle—from problem formulation and model development to deployment, monitoring, and continuous optimization.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the architecture, design, and implementation of advanced Machine Learning and AI solutions for enterprise-scale applications.
• Build, fine-tune, and optimize Large Language Models (LLMs) for domain-specific use cases, including conversational AI, information retrieval, summarization, and intelligent automation.
• Develop and enhance NLP pipelines for text classification, semantic search, entity recognition, sentiment analysis, document understanding, and knowledge extraction.
• Design scalable ML systems using modern MLOps practices, ensuring reliability, reproducibility, and operational excellence.
• Collaborate with engineering, product, and business stakeholders to identify AI opportunities and translate requirements into impactful solutions.
• Evaluate emerging AI technologies, foundation models, and research trends to drive continuous innovation.
• Establish best practices for experimentation, model evaluation, responsible AI, and performance optimization.
• Mentor senior data scientists and engineers, providing technical leadership and fostering a culture of excellence and innovation.
• Drive end-to-end deployment of AI models while ensuring scalability, security, and compliance with organizational standards.
• Communicate technical concepts and strategic recommendations effectively to executive leadership and business stakeholders.

Required Skills & Qualifications

• 13–21 years of professional experience in Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, or Machine Learning, with significant experience leading complex AI initiatives.
• Strong expertise in Machine Learning, including supervised, unsupervised, deep learning, and reinforcement learning techniques.
• Extensive hands-on experience with Large Language Models (LLMs), prompt engineering, fine-tuning, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), model evaluation, and AI agents.
• Deep understanding of Natural Language Processing (NLP) concepts, transformer architectures, embeddings, and language understanding techniques.
• Strong proficiency in Python and experience with frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, Hugging Face Transformers, LangChain, or similar ecosystems.
• Experience with vector databases, model serving, distributed computing, and cloud-native AI platforms.
• Solid understanding of MLOps, model lifecycle management, CI/CD for ML, and production deployment strategies.
• Experience working with large-scale structured and unstructured datasets and modern data engineering practices.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills with the ability to influence technical and business decisions.

Preferred Qualifications

• PhD or Master's degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, or a related quantitative discipline.
• Contributions to AI research, patents, publications, or open-source initiatives are highly valued.
• Experience leading enterprise AI transformation programs and mentoring large technical teams.
• Familiarity with responsible AI frameworks, governance, explainability, and ethical AI practices.