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About This Role
Job Family:
Data Science & Analysis, Data Science Consulting Travel Required:
None Clearance Required:
None Guidehouse is seeking a Databricks Data Scientist to join our AI & Data team to support client projects involving advanced analytics, machine learning, and data science solutions. This role focuses on working with data to develop models, generate insights, and support data-driven decision-making across teams. The role requires strong Python and SQL skills, analytical thinking, and the ability to collaborate with clients and stakeholders to deliver scalable data science solutions.
This position offers virtual work flexibility within the United States. While remote candidates will be considered, preference will be given to candidates located near a Guidehouse office in one of the following markets: Arlington, VA; Washington, DC; New York, NY; Chicago, IL; Austin, TX; Atlanta, GA; Boston, MA; and Boulder, CO.
Please note, this requisition supports hiring across multiple levels to support our Databricks Data Science Teams. The posted salary range represents a range of potential compensation and will vary based on the selected candidate’s experience, qualifications, location, and the level at which the position is filled.
What You Will Do:
- Develop, train, and evaluate machine learning and statistical models to support business and mission needs using the Databricks platform.
- Prepare, clean, and maintain datasets for modeling, experimentation, and analysis.
- Write, optimize, and maintain Python and SQL workflows for data exploration, feature engineering, and model development.
- Work with large-scale datasets using Databricks, Spark, and Delta Lake platforms.
- Design reusable feature engineering workflows and model training pipelines using Databricks notebooks, workflows, and MLflow.
- Register, version, promote, and document models using MLflow Model Registry and Unity Catalog-based model governance practices.
- Monitor deployed models for performance, drift, data quality, usage patterns, and operational issues; recommend retraining, tuning, or retirement actions as needed.
- Analyze data to identify trends, patterns, and insights to support business decisions.
- Translate business requirements into analytical approaches, models, and data science solutions.
- Perform data validation, quality checks, and issue resolution to ensure accuracy and consistency.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams including data engineers, analysts, and business stakeholders.
- Communicate model outputs, analytical findings, and recommendations to both technical and non-technical audiences.
- Document models, datasets, and methodologies to support reproducibility, transparency, and reuse.
- Follow data governance, security, and compliance standards within the platform.
What You Will Need:
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, mathematics, statistics, or another relevant field.
- 3-8 years of relevant experience in data science, machine learning, or advanced analytics.
- Strong experience with Python and SQL for data analysis, modeling, and transformation.
- Experience with Databricks, Spark, Delta Lake, or similar cloud-native data platforms.
- Hands-on experience designing, building, evaluating, and deploying machine learning models, including experience moving models from prototype to production or production-like environments.
- Experience with ML lifecycle practices including experiment tracking, model evaluation, model registry, version control, deployment workflows, monitoring, and retraining approaches.
- Familiarity with model serving patterns, API-based inference, scheduled batch scoring, and integration of model outputs into dashboards, applications, or operational workflows.
- Experience with data preparation, feature engineering, and model development.
- Ability to analyze data and communicate insights clearly.
- Ability to troubleshoot technical issues, communicate recommendations clearly, and work effectively in team-based delivery environments.
- Experience supporting AI governance practices, including model documentation, validation, monitoring, version control, and responsible AI considerations.
- Ability to work across data science, data engineering, cloud, security, and client stakeholder teams to translate analytical prototypes into scalable, maintainable solutions.
What Would Be Nice to Have:
- 2+ years of hands-on experience with the Databricks platform.
- Active Databricks Machine Learning Engineer, GenAI Engineer, Data Analyst, or related certification.
- Experience with Databricks MLflow, Feature Engineering, Feature Store, Model Serving, Workflows, Unity Catalog, Mosaic AI, Vector Search, AI Gateway, or related Databricks AI/ML capabilities.
- Experience developing GenAI, LLM, RAG, agentic AI, or prompt evaluation workflows using Databricks Mosaic AI, MLflow, open-source frameworks, or cloud-native AI services.
- Experience with CI/CD, automated testing, code packaging, environment promotion, and source control practices for data science and machine learning workloads.
- Experience with machine learning frameworks and statistical modeling techniques.
- Experience with cloud platforms such as Azure, AWS, or GCP.
- Experience working in project-based or consulting delivery environments.
- Familiarity with data modeling, data warehousing, and large-scale data processing concepts.
The annual salary range for this position is $113,000.00-$188,000.00. Compensation decisions depend on a wide range of factors, including but not limited to skill sets, experience and training, security clearances, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs. What We Offer:
Guidehouse offers a comprehensive, total rewards package that includes competitive compensation and a flexible benefits package that reflects our commitment to creating a diverse and supportive workplace.
About Guidehouse
Guidehouse is an Equal Opportunity Employer–Protected Veterans, Individuals with Disabilities or any other basis protected by law, ordinance, or regulation.
Guidehouse will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable law or ordinance including the Fair Chance Ordinance of Los Angeles and San Francisco.
If you have visited our website for information about employment opportunities, or to apply for a position, and you require an accommodation, please contact Guidehouse Recruiting at 1-571-633-1711 or via email at [email protected]. All information you provide will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extent required to provide needed reasonable accommodation.
All communication regarding recruitment for a Guidehouse position will be sent from Guidehouse email domains including @guidehouse.com or [email protected]. Correspondence received by an applicant from any other domain should be considered unauthorized and will not be honored by Guidehouse. Note that Guidehouse will never charge a fee or require a money transfer at any stage of the recruitment process and does not collect fees from educational institutions for participation in a recruitment event. Never provide your banking information to a third party purporting to need that information to proceed in the hiring process.
If any person or organization demands money related to a job opportunity with Guidehouse, please report the matter to Guidehouse’s Ethics Hotline. If you want to check the validity of correspondence you have received, please contact [email protected]. Guidehouse is not responsible for losses incurred (monetary or otherwise) from an applicant’s dealings with unauthorized third parties.
Guidehouse does not accept unsolicited resumes through or from search firms or staffing agencies. All unsolicited resumes will be considered the property of Guidehouse and Guidehouse will not be obligated to pay a placement fee.
Salary Context
This $113K-$188K range is below the median for Data Scientist roles in our dataset (median: $161K across 138 roles with salary data).
View full Data Scientist salary data →Role Details
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 Guidehouse, 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
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 ($150K) sits 21% below the category median. Disclosed range: $113K to $188K.
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.
Guidehouse AI Hiring
Guidehouse has 6 open AI roles right now. They're hiring across Data Scientist, AI/ML Engineer. Positions span Washington, DC, US, New York, NY, US, Philadelphia, PA, US. Compensation range: $148K - $188K.
Location Context
Across all AI roles, 6% (531 positions) offer remote work, while 8,478 require on-site attendance. Top AI hiring metros: New York (3,078 roles, $221,000 median); San Francisco (2,646 roles, $261,000 median); Los Angeles (1,486 roles, $210,000 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
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