Lead Data Scientist\nLocation: Columbus, Ohio (Onsite)Employment Type: Contract to Perm\n \nRole Overview\nAn AI Center of Excellence (CoE) is seeking a skilled Lead Data Scientist with expertise in modern AI technologies. The ideal candidate will apply knowledge in machine learning, natural language processing, and artificial intelligence to design, develop, and deploy models that support strategic decision-making. This role will be dedicated to AI Automation value streams and will lead data science initiatives from concept through deployment.\n \nKey Responsibilities\nCollaborate with the Product Owner to manage the end-to-end AI development lifecycle, including requirements gathering, data sourcing, model development, proof-of-concept demonstrations, risk governance reviews, and production deployment across both on-premises and AWS environments.Demonstrate professional ownership in managing project activities, maintaining transparent communication with leadership, and proactively surfacing risks or resource needs.Apply automation techniques to streamline manual processes, enhance productivity, and develop reusable, scalable self-service tools and assets.Stay current with emerging machine learning, cloud, and AI technologies, driving innovation by evaluating and integrating new capabilities into existing workflows.\nRequired Qualifications\nEducation: PhD or Master’s degree in Statistics, Economics, Data Science, or a related field.\n \nExperience: Three to five years of related work experience in AWS cloud machine learning or a similar AI platform.\n \nTechnical Skills: Proficiency in programming languages including Python (preferred) or R, and Spark. Working knowledge of Large Language Models (e.g., Llama, Claude, Titan), including experience with frameworks such as LangChain, vector databases, embeddings, and prompt engineering. Familiarity with AWS Sagemaker, Lambda, S3, and Athena.\n \nPreferred Qualifications\nWillingness to step outside traditional modeling tasks to solve broader technical or business challenges.Hands-on experience with LLM fine-tuning.Practical understanding of advanced Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) methods such as MMR, multi-vector retrieval, RAG-fusion, and retrieval evaluation frameworks.Knowledge and practical experience with Agentic AI and agentic workflows, including task orchestration, multi-agent collaboration, and tool-use agents.Hands-on experience with advanced AWS AI/ML services such as Bedrock, JumpStart, Textract, and related ML orchestration capabilities.\nCompensation & Benefits\nA competitive compensation and benefits package will be provided. Specific details will be discussed during the interview process. Our organization is committed to pay equity and providing a comprehensive benefits program to eligible employees.\n \nThis employer is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability. We encourage veterans and military personnel to apply.\n \nApex uses a virtual recruiter as part of the application process. Click here for more details.\n \nIf you have visited our website in search of information on employment opportunities or to apply for a position, and you require an accommodation in using our website for a search or application, please contact our Benefits Department at leaverequest@apexsystems.com or 804-523-8228.