Scientist 5, Data Science

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end system design and architecture for production ML/AI solutions, including data design, model selection, and infrastructure.
• Lead hands-on technical delivery by prototyping, validating, and shipping models and agentic components into live systems.
• Act as the primary technical escalation point to resolve cross-team tradeoffs and make critical architecture decisions.
• Mentor and grow engineering teams, including ML, data, and OR engineers, while setting high engineering standards.
• Translate research into product by evaluating papers, leading IP efforts such as patents, and supervising research-to-production pipelines.
• Drive multiple projects in parallel, aligning technical plans with business KPIs and measurable ROI.
• Collaborate with product, platform, security, and legal teams to ensure compliance and safe, explainable model behavior.

Requirements

• 12+ years of experience in Machine Learning/AI engineering and solution delivery.
• Deep expertise in generative models, LLM-based systems (RAG, fine-tuning), and agentic orchestration.
• Proven ability to design and scale production ML platforms, including data ingestion, training, serving, and monitoring.
• Strong MLOps and DevOps skills, including CI/CD for models, containerization (Docker/Kubernetes), and automated retraining pipelines.
• Proficiency in Python and modern ML frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow.
• Experience with distributed system design, including feature stores, streaming/batch pipelines, and high-availability architectures.
• Prior experience publishing research and participating in IP creation (patents or trade secrets) is required.
• Demonstrated experience mentoring senior engineers and leading cross-functional technical initiatives.

Preferred Qualifications

• Background in reinforcement learning and foundation models.
• Hands-on experience with cloud platforms (AWS/GCP) and hybrid on-prem deployments.
• Strong software engineering fundamentals in scalable microservices and API design.
• Familiarity with Operations Research (OR) techniques and their integration with ML pipelines.

About the Company

Western Digital is a global leader in data storage solutions, dedicated to powering innovation and pushing the boundaries of technology. From supporting the infrastructure of major cloud providers to enabling smart cities and connected cars, Western Digital provides the essential technology that makes the impossible possible.