Data Scientist at Patrick J Mcgovern Foundation

The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation (PJMF) is a private foundation dedicated to advancing artificial intelligence and data science solutions to create a thriving, equitable, and sustainable future for all. PJMF works in partnership with public, private and social institutions to drive progress on our most pressing challenges, including digital health, climate change, broad digital access, and data maturity in the social sector.


For more information, please visit our website at https://www.mcgovern.org/. Core to PJMF’s mission is inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA). We apply the IDEA framework to all we do, from growing a diverse team within the foundation to coalition building with organizations and people around the world, and to democratizing the development and rewards of AI and data. 



The Patrick J McGovern Foundation (PJMF) is seeking an experienced, multi-faceted and self-driven Data Scientist. This role sits within the Data Solutions team and will be directly engaged with the development, deployment and maintenance of AI products that will drive positive social impact around the world. The charter of the Data Solutions team is to identify, develop and deploy strategic data and AI solutions, focused on unlocking opportunities and addressing broad challenges the social good sector is facing now, and in the near future. The Data Scientist is responsible for training, validating, and deploying AI models using a rapid prototyping methodology. We are a small, high performance team and in many ways function as a startup. As such, the ideal candidate will be someone who can also manage some elements of the data engineering and MLOps roles that you would typically find in larger teams.



How you will make an impact:

Work closely with the Technical Product Manager, along with partners and end-users, to understand their challenges in order to build an effective and safe AI product
Identify, ingest, preprocess and clean the appropriate datasets needed for model training
Training, validation, and deployment of a model that addresses a specific social sector challenge
Monitor and maintain model performance, scalability and security
Seek out potential harm the data and AI product can cause (training/prediction bias, privacy violations, grossly inaccurate predictions, etc) and work to address those harms
Employ rapid prototyping techniques to quickly develop and iterate on AI product deployment and fast integration of end-user feedback loop
Integrate necessary data technologies, platforms, tools, and 3rd party tools needed for product deployment and functionality
Ensure AI product performs as intended and expected by end-users
Ensure appropriate maintenance, bug fix and feature requests are resolved
Create appropriate system diagrams and documentation, including model explainability



What you will need to succeed:

Experience - Demonstrated experience in training, development and deployment of supervised and unsupervised machine learning, deep learning algorithms and applied AI. Strong understanding and experience in analytical and statistical modeling and methods. MLOps experience in deploying and maintaining models is a plus.
Technologies - Strong experience with Python/R programming, cloud services and infrastructure, containerization and orchestration tools. Experience with CI/CD, software bug tracking and feature request management, using tools like Jenkins, Jira, GitHub, etc.
Learning - Our data and AI products can span a range of applied AI focus areas. From NLP-based solutions to image recognition and processing, the applications are essentially unrestricted. Hence, this role will require an individual with an appetite for (quickly) learning and applying the various techniques needed to address the specific focus area
Communication - Ability to communicate effectively with cross-functional teams, engineers, partners and end-users. Excellent written and verbal communication skills to technical and non-technical audiences. Excellent technical writing and documentation skills
Teamwork - Effective team player who understands the responsibility every individual brings to the table and how to encourage and drive results from each team member
High Performance - Ability to quickly learn new technologies and methodologies to ensure successful and timely completion of product development
Results-oriented - Highly organized and detail-oriented, self-driven and able to adapt to learning and implementing new technologies, and creative in solving issues as they arise
Cultural alignment - An advocate for social progress; interest in emerging technologies and their ability to advance societal outcomes



What we offer:

Compensation – Anticipated starting salary range of $110,000-$140,000, with flexibility based on experience
Health Coverage – Foundation-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees, spouses/domestic partners, and dependents. HSA/FSA plans, life insurance, and short- and long-term disability coverage
Long-term Rewards – 401(k) retirement plan with generous matching up to 6% of annual pay, plus an additional discretionary match at the end of year
Flexible PTO – Unlimited paid time off, which allows team members to take the time they need for vacation or illness so they can return to work able to contribute fully to our mission. The foundation recognizes 11 paid national holidays per year and may also announce closure for local, regional, or state holidays
Remote Work Environment - Ability to work 100% remotely, but not alone - with mature, socially minded professionals
Wellness Support – Access to Ginger, Gympass, Headspace, and SmartSpend Plus, along with financial well-being providers
Parental Leave – Up to 6 months of gender-neutral paid leave for parents and caregivers when they have a new addition to their families
Learning Reimbursements – Foundation policy encouraging employees to explore development opportunities such as peer learning, internal trainings, and external activities; savings on student loans (available via insurance provider)
Philanthropic Gift Matching – opportunity for team members to support vulnerable communities, reflecting PJMF’s commitment to social impact



The attributes listed above represent our current thinking for the role. You can be a great candidate even if you don't fit everything we've described below. You can also have important skills we haven't thought of. If that's you - even if you’re on the fence - we encourage you to apply and tell us about yourself!

We have built an environment that celebrates the differences in backgrounds and experiences. PJMF invests in activities that lead to greater inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility in how AI and data are conceptualized, developed, applied, and deployed. We are applying the same framework as our team grows and expands. We are an equal opportunity employer and we especially encourage and invite members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply.

All PJMF team members must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.