Senior Data Scientist
Contract to Hire
Onsite in Houston, TX
$70-80/hr
Overview
We are partnering with a rapidly growing Data & AI organization within a leading energy company that is building enterprise-scale AI and advanced analytics capabilities. This centralized innovation team serves as the organization's hub for Data Science, AI, and Data Engineering, developing reusable solutions that accelerate business value across multiple business units.
This is a Lead Data Scientist opportunity for an experienced technical leader who thrives at the intersection of Data Science, Machine Learning Engineering, and Data Engineering. The ideal candidate has successfully moved AI and machine learning solutions from experimentation into production and is passionate about building scalable, governed, enterprise-grade AI platforms.
Working closely with Data Engineers, AI Engineers, and business stakeholders, you will lead the design, development, deployment, and operationalization of advanced analytics and AI solutions while helping establish best practices for MLOps, governance, and production AI.
This is a highly visible opportunity to influence the organization's AI strategy while remaining hands-on with modern cloud technologies.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the design, development, deployment, and operationalization of machine learning and AI solutions within Azure and Databricks environments.
- Architect scalable data science workflows that transition models from research and experimentation into production.
- Partner with Data Engineering teams to design robust ETL/ELT pipelines supporting enterprise AI initiatives.
- Build and optimize machine learning pipelines using Python, PySpark, Spark SQL, Databricks, and Azure services.
- Establish and improve MLOps and/or AgentOps practices, including model lifecycle management, monitoring, deployment automation, and governance.
- Implement CI/CD pipelines utilizing Git, GitHub, Azure DevOps, or similar tooling to automate testing, deployment, and release management.
- Collaborate with AI Engineers to develop and productionize Generative AI, LLM, and intelligent agent solutions where appropriate.
- Drive best practices around AI governance, model management, reproducibility, security, and responsible AI.
- Mentor junior Data Scientists and Engineers while providing technical leadership across cross-functional initiatives.
- Translate complex business challenges into scalable AI and analytics solutions that can be reused across the enterprise.
- Work closely with business stakeholders to prioritize high-impact opportunities and deliver measurable business value.
- Influence architectural decisions and contribute to the long-term roadmap for enterprise AI capabilities.
Required Qualifications
- 7+ years of experience in Data Science, Machine Learning Engineering, Data Engineering, or a related technical field.
- Demonstrated experience leading production AI or advanced analytics initiatives within enterprise environments.
- Strong hands-on experience with Databricks and Azure Cloud (other major cloud platforms considered).
- Advanced proficiency in Python, PySpark, Spark SQL, and SQL.
- Experience building scalable ETL/ELT pipelines and modern data architectures.
- Experience deploying machine learning models into production using MLOps frameworks and best practices.
- Hands-on experience implementing CI/CD pipelines using Git, GitHub, Azure DevOps, or comparable technologies.
- Experience working with large-scale distributed data processing platforms.
- Strong understanding of data governance, model governance, security, and enterprise AI best practices.
- Ability to lead technical initiatives while remaining hands-on with development.
- Excellent communication skills with experience partnering across technical teams and business stakeholders.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with Generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), AI Agents, or AgentOps.
- Experience with MLflow, Azure Machine Learning, Databricks Model Registry, or similar MLOps platforms.
- Familiarity with containerization and orchestration technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes.
- Experience establishing enterprise AI governance frameworks.
- Prior experience within Energy, Oil & Gas, Manufacturing, or other industrial environments.
- Experience mentoring engineers or serving as a technical lead.
Technical Environment
- Azure Cloud
- Azure Databricks
- PySpark
- Spark SQL
- Python
- SQL
- Delta Lake
- Azure Data Factory
- Git / GitHub
- Azure DevOps
- MLflow
- CI/CD Pipelines
- MLOps / AgentOps
- Enterprise AI & Machine Learning
Team & Environment
- Reports into a Data Science leadership organization working alongside AI Engineering and Data Engineering teams.
- Serves as a technical leader on a growing enterprise AI team focused on production AI solutions.
- Supports multiple business units through reusable AI and advanced analytics capabilities.
- High-visibility role with significant influence on the organization's AI roadmap and digital transformation initiatives.
- Preference for candidates located in or willing to relocate to the Houston area, with the ability to work onsite in a hybrid environment.
- Strong preference for candidates interested in long-term conversion to a full-time role.
Disclaimer: Brooksource, Medasource, and Calculated Hire are part of the Eight Eleven Group family of companies and operate under Eight Eleven Group, LLC. All employees receive the same benefits, policies, and terms of employment.
EEO: We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and applicants. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, citizenship, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation, and related conditions), or any other protected status in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws.
Benefits & Perks: Brooksource offers competitive medical, dental, vision, Health Savings Account, Dependent Care FSA, and supplemental coverage with plans that can fit each employee’s needs. We offer a 401k plan that includes a company match and is fully vested after you become eligible, paid time off, sick time, and paid company holidays. We also offer an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that provides services like virtual counseling, financial services, legal services, life coaching, etc.
Pay Disclaimer: The pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.
Pay: $70.00 - $80.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Vision insurance
Application Question(s):
- Are you willing to be onsite in Houston, TX?
- How many years of experience do you have with Databricks?
- Are you open to contract to hire roles?
- Are you currently a US Citizen or Green Card Holder?
Work Location: In person
