Data Scientist - Pharmacy Benefits

$79K - $173K New York, NY, US Mid Level Data Scientist

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Skills & Technologies

GcpPythonRag

About This Role

AI job market dashboard showing open roles by category

We’re building a world of health around every individual — shaping a more connected, convenient and compassionate health experience. At CVS Health®, you’ll be surrounded by passionate colleagues who care deeply, innovate with purpose, hold ourselves accountable and prioritize safety and quality in everything we do. Join us and be part of something bigger – helping to simplify health care one person, one family and one community at a time.

Position Summary

Within the data science department (“Analytics & Behavior Change”), you’ll have the opportunity to drive the next level of PBM (Pharmacy Benefit Manager) member experience and service quality at a leading national healthcare brand.

We’re looking for motivated data professionals to drive efficiency and growth in Caremark's PBM business, using advanced analytics, predictive modeling, statistics, and generative AI. We expect the candidate to leverage business acumen and good data storytelling to help Caremark improve member well-being and its product and services. PBM Analytics is one of the key teams within the Analytics & Behavior Change department and partners with the PBM leadership to drive innovation and develop cutting edge solutions.

This is a hands-on data scientist role, with a combination of business / stakeholder consulting and data analysis/science. You will work with a squad of 10+ data scientists and engineers to manage the whole lifecycle from ideation to deployment and monitoring.

  • Partner closely with clinical and operational experts to unpack complex operational processes, identify bottlenecks, and translate requirements into technical solutions.
  • Design, build, and validate data science solutions—ranging from Generative AI pipelines and predictive models to rules-based logic.
  • Manage end-to-end delivery from initial data extraction and modeling to production deployment and lifecycle monitoring (e.g., testing, performance dashboards, alert thresholds).
  • Extract, curate, and analyze large-scale operational data using SQL and Python.
  • Translate complex modeling outputs into clear, business-driven narratives and presentations for clinical and business leadership.

Required Qualifications

  • 1+ years of professional experience writing production-grade code in Python and querying complex datasets using SQL.
  • 1+ years of professional experience building, validating, and deploying machine learning models, statistical models, algorithmic solutions, or LLM-based solutions.
  • Experience using Git/GitHub for version control and collaborative code development.
  • Experience delivering presentations, reports, or business reviews to cross-functional stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Initiative: Proven ability to independently investigate ambiguous problems, interview process owners, and structure solutions rather than waiting for defined specifications.
  • Stakeholder Communication: Ability to translate complex data science concepts into clear business risks and opportunities for non-technical partners.
  • ML Model & Generative AI: Practical experience building ML solutions or LLM-based solutions (e.g., prompt design, RAG architectures, model evaluation frameworks).
  • Production Monitoring: Experience establishing model performance guardrails, such as drift detection, production monitoring, and alerting systems.
  • Domain Experience: Familiarity with healthcare data (e.g., pharmacy claims, clinical workflows, or unstructured clinical notes).
  • Cloud & Tools: Familiarity with Google Cloud Platform (GCP) or similar enterprise cloud environments, as well as AI-assisted software development tools.

Education

  • Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience in Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Analytics, Engineering, or a related quantitative field.
  • Master's degree in a quantitative field or MBA strongly preferred.

Anticipated Weekly Hours

40Time Type

Full timePay Range

The typical pay range for this role is:

$79,310.00 - $173,040.00 This pay range represents the base hourly rate or base annual full-time salary for all positions in the job grade within which this position falls. The actual base salary offer will depend on a variety of factors including experience, education, geography and other relevant factors. This position is eligible for a CVS Health bonus, commission or short-term incentive program in addition to the base pay range listed above.

Our people fuel our future. Our teams reflect the customers, patients, members and communities we serve and we are committed to fostering a workplace where every colleague feels valued and that they belong.

Great benefits for great people

We take pride in offering a comprehensive and competitive mix of pay and benefits that reflects our commitment to our colleagues and their families.

This full‑time position is eligible for a comprehensive benefits package designed to support the physical, emotional, and financial well‑being of colleagues and their families. The benefits for this position include medical, dental, and vision coverage, paid time off, retirement savings options, wellness programs, and other resources, based on eligibility.

Additional details about available benefits are provided during the application process and on Benefits Moments.

We anticipate the application window for this opening will close on: 11/15/2026 Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all federal, state and local laws.

Salary Context

This $79K-$173K range is in the lower quartile for Data Scientist roles in our dataset (median: $161K across 138 roles with salary data).

View full Data Scientist salary data →

Role Details

Company CVS Health
Title Data Scientist - Pharmacy Benefits
Location New York, NY, US
Category Data Scientist
Experience Mid Level
Salary $79K - $173K
Remote No

About This Role

Data Scientists extract insights and build predictive models from data. In the AI era, many roles now include LLM-powered analytics, automated reporting, and integration with generative AI tools. The role has evolved from 'the person who runs SQL queries' to 'the person who builds AI-powered data products.'

Modern data science roles fall into two camps: analytics-focused (insights, dashboards, experimentation) and ML-focused (building predictive models, recommendation systems, NLP features). The best data scientists can operate in both modes. The AI shift means that even analytics-focused roles now involve building automated insight pipelines using LLMs, going well beyond one-off reports.

Across the 9,079 AI roles we're tracking, Data Scientist positions make up 4% of the market. At CVS Health, this role fits into their broader AI and engineering organization.

Data Scientist roles remain in high demand, though the definition keeps shifting. Companies increasingly want candidates who can bridge traditional statistics with modern ML and LLM capabilities. The 'pure insights' data scientist role is consolidating into analytics engineering, while the 'build models' data scientist role is merging with ML engineering.

What the Work Looks Like

A typical week includes: analyzing experiment results for a product feature launch, building a predictive model for customer churn, creating an automated reporting pipeline using LLM-powered summarization, presenting insights to stakeholders, and cleaning data (always cleaning data). The ratio of analysis to engineering varies by company, but expect both.

Data Scientist roles remain in high demand, though the definition keeps shifting. Companies increasingly want candidates who can bridge traditional statistics with modern ML and LLM capabilities. The 'pure insights' data scientist role is consolidating into analytics engineering, while the 'build models' data scientist role is merging with ML engineering.

Skills Required

Gcp (6% of roles) Python (18% of roles) Rag (7% of roles)

Python, SQL, and statistical modeling are the foundation. Increasingly, roles want experience with LLMs for data analysis, automated insight generation, and building AI-powered data products. Familiarity with cloud data platforms (Snowflake, BigQuery, Databricks) and ML frameworks (scikit-learn, PyTorch) covers most job requirements.

Experimentation design and causal inference are underrated skills that separate strong candidates. Companies care about whether their product changes cause improvements, and can distinguish causation from correlation. A/B testing methodology, Bayesian statistics, and the ability to communicate uncertainty to non-technical stakeholders are high-value skills.

Good postings specify the data stack, the types of problems you'll work on, and the team structure. Look for companies that differentiate between analytics and ML data science. Vague 'data scientist' postings that list every skill under the sun usually mean the company doesn't know what they need.

Compensation Benchmarks

Data Scientist roles pay a median of $190,000 based on 1,503 positions with disclosed compensation. Mid-level AI roles across all categories have a median of $193,200. This role's midpoint ($126K) sits 34% below the category median. Disclosed range: $79K to $173K.

Across all AI roles, the market median is $213,000. Top-quartile compensation starts at $263,911. The 90th percentile reaches $318,400. For comparison, the highest-paying categories include AI Safety ($256,000) and Research Engineer ($252,000). By seniority level: Entry: $111,000; Mid: $193,200; Senior: $229,300; Director: $272,300; VP: $235,830.

CVS Health AI Hiring

CVS Health has 9 open AI roles right now. They're hiring across Data Scientist, AI Product Manager, AI/ML Engineer, MLOps Engineer. Positions span New York, NY, US, Hartford, CT, FL, US. Compensation range: $173K - $334K.

Location Context

AI roles in New York pay a median of $221,000 across 3,078 tracked positions. That's 4% above the national median.

Career Path

Common paths into Data Scientist roles include Data Analyst, Statistician, Quantitative Researcher.

From here, career progression typically leads toward Senior Data Scientist, ML Engineer, AI Product Manager.

Start with statistics and SQL. Build a real analysis project on public data that demonstrates insight generation alongside model building. The market values data scientists who can communicate findings clearly to business stakeholders. If you want to move toward ML engineering, invest in software engineering fundamentals and production deployment skills.

What to Expect in Interviews

Interviews combine statistics, coding, and business acumen. SQL is almost always tested, often with complex joins and window functions. Expect a case study round where you're given a business problem and asked to design an analysis plan. Coding rounds focus on pandas, statistical modeling, and visualization. The strongest differentiator is how well you communicate insights to non-technical stakeholders during presentation rounds.

When evaluating opportunities: Good postings specify the data stack, the types of problems you'll work on, and the team structure. Look for companies that differentiate between analytics and ML data science. Vague 'data scientist' postings that list every skill under the sun usually mean the company doesn't know what they need.

AI Hiring Overview

The AI job market has 9,079 open positions tracked in our dataset. By seniority: 106 entry-level, 4,384 mid-level, 3,343 senior, and 1,246 leadership roles (Director, VP, C-Level). Remote roles make up 6% of the market (531 positions). The remaining 8,478 roles require on-site or hybrid attendance.

The market median for AI roles is $213,000. Top-quartile compensation starts at $263,911. The 90th percentile reaches $318,400. Highest-paying categories: AI Safety ($256,000 median, 66 roles); Research Engineer ($252,000 median, 457 roles); AI Engineering Manager ($251,622 median, 55 roles).

Data Scientist roles remain in high demand, though the definition keeps shifting. Companies increasingly want candidates who can bridge traditional statistics with modern ML and LLM capabilities. The 'pure insights' data scientist role is consolidating into analytics engineering, while the 'build models' data scientist role is merging with ML engineering.

The AI Job Market Today

The AI job market spans 9,079 open positions across 16 role categories. The largest categories by volume: AI/ML Engineer (6,862), AI Product Manager (453), AI Software Engineer (451). These three account for the majority of open positions, though smaller categories often have higher per-role compensation because of specialized skill requirements.

The seniority mix tells a story about where AI teams are in their maturity. Entry-level roles (106) are outnumbered by mid-level (4,384) and senior (3,343) positions, reflecting that most companies are past the 'build a team from scratch' phase and need experienced engineers who can ship production systems. Leadership roles (Director, VP, C-Level) total 1,246 positions, representing the bottleneck between technical execution and organizational strategy.

Remote work availability sits at 6% of all AI roles (531 positions), with 8,478 requiring on-site or hybrid attendance. The remote share has stabilized after the post-pandemic correction. Senior and specialized roles (Research Scientist, ML Architect) are more likely to be remote-eligible than entry-level positions, partly because experienced hires have more negotiating power and partly because these roles require less hands-on mentorship.

AI compensation is structured in clear tiers. The market median sits at $213,000. Top-quartile roles start at $263,911, and the 90th percentile reaches $318,400. These figures include base salary with disclosed compensation. Total compensation (including equity, bonuses, and sign-on) runs 20-40% higher at companies that offer those components.

Category matters for compensation. AI Safety roles lead at $256,000 median, while Prompt Engineer roles sit at $141,440. The spread between highest and lowest-paying categories reflects the premium on specialized technical skills versus broader analytical roles.

The most in-demand skills across all AI postings: Python (1,649 postings), Aws (898 postings), Azure (723 postings), Rag (671 postings), Gcp (536 postings), Pytorch (434 postings), Claude (410 postings), Kubernetes (406 postings). Python dominates, appearing in the vast majority of role descriptions regardless of category. Cloud platform experience (AWS, GCP, Azure) is the second most common requirement. The newer entrants to the top skills list (RAG, vector databases, LLM APIs) reflect the shift from traditional ML toward generative AI applications.

Frequently Asked Questions

Based on 1,503 roles with disclosed compensation, the median salary for Data Scientist positions is $190,000. Actual compensation varies by seniority, location, and company stage.
Python, SQL, and statistical modeling are the foundation. Increasingly, roles want experience with LLMs for data analysis, automated insight generation, and building AI-powered data products. Familiarity with cloud data platforms (Snowflake, BigQuery, Databricks) and ML frameworks (scikit-learn, PyTorch) covers most job requirements.
About 6% of the 9,079 AI roles we track offer remote work. Remote availability varies by company and seniority level, with senior and leadership roles more likely to offer location flexibility.
CVS Health is among the companies actively hiring for AI and ML talent. Check our company profiles for detailed breakdowns of open roles, salary ranges, and hiring trends.
Common next steps from Data Scientist positions include Senior Data Scientist, ML Engineer, AI Product Manager. Progression depends on whether you lean toward technical depth, people management, or product strategy.

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