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About This Role
At Moody's, we unite the brightest minds to turn today’s risks into tomorrow’s opportunities. We do this by striving to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome to be who they are—with the freedom to exchange ideas, think innovatively, and listen to each other and customers in meaningful ways. Moody’s is transforming how the world sees risk. As a global leader in ratings and integrated risk assessment, we’re advancing AI to move from insight to action—enabling intelligence that not only understands complexity but responds to it. We decode risk to unlock opportunity, helping our clients navigate uncertainty with clarity, speed, and confidence.
If you are excited about this opportunity but do not meet every single requirement, please apply! You still may be a great fit for this role or other open roles. We are seeking candidates who model our values: invest in every relationship, lead with curiosity, champion diverse perspectives, turn inputs into actions, and uphold trust through integrity.
Skills and Competencies* Experience in data science, machine learning, or applied AI, including experience working on projects or collaborating with data scientists and engineers
- Hands-on experience building, training, and evaluating machine learning and deep learning models, including modern architectures such as transformers — comfortable reasoning about where these techniques outperform classical methods and where they do not
- Strong programming skills in Python, with practical experience deploying models and services into production
- Practical, hands-on experience using AI coding assistants and agentic developer tools such as Claude Code and OpenAI Codex to accelerate development, testing, and code review, with familiarity across the software development lifecycle and machine learning operations practices
- Strong working knowledge of large language models (LLMs), including prompting, fine-tuning, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and evaluation techniques, and the ability to apply them to real product challenges
- Exposure to agentic AI frameworks and libraries in Python, such as AWS Bedrock AgentCore, LangChain/LangGraph, CrewAI, or the OpenAI Agents SDK, with an understanding of agent design patterns including tool use, orchestration, memory, and multi-agent workflows
- Ability to own the full model-development lifecycle: problem framing, data exploration, solution design, estimation, validation, deployment, and ongoing monitoring
- Ability to explain, present, and demonstrate complex modeling work clearly to senior leaders, cross-functional partners, and non-technical stakeholders
- Working knowledge of cloud-based data and machine learning platforms such as AWS, Azure, GCP, and Databricks, as well as the broader ecosystem used to build and deploy AI and machine learning products
- Deep expertise in artificial intelligence, with a track record of implementing advanced AI solutions to drive strategic transformation and operational efficiency. Strong experience using AI tools to lead innovation initiatives. Demonstrated leadership in managing AI-related risks, ensuring ethical governance, and fostering a culture of responsible AI adoption across the organization
Education* Degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Statistics, Applied Mathematics, Engineering, or a related quantitative field is required; a Master's or Ph.D. in a related discipline is preferred, but not required
Responsibilities Lead the design, development, and delivery of innovative AI, machine learning, and generative AI solutions that create meaningful value for clients and advance product capabilities across the Corporate and Governments business.* Lead the end-to-end design, development, and deployment of machine learning, AI, and generative AI solutions that enhance existing products and enable new client-facing capabilities
- Partner with product, engineering, and business stakeholders across the Corporate and Governments business to translate client needs and market opportunities into well-scoped data science initiatives
- Own model selection, experimentation, and validation end-to-end, ensuring solutions are accurate, scalable, compliant with applicable regulations and legal frameworks, and production-ready
- Identify opportunities for automation and model-based enhancement, applying machine learning and deep learning methods to improve accuracy, efficiency, and overall performance
- Foster best practices in coding, experimentation, machine learning operations, and software engineering excellence
- Drive responsible AI practices across the team, including risk management, model governance, and the ethical use of AI and machine learning techniques
- Communicate technical work clearly and concisely, ensuring insights, limitations, and implications are understood by a broad range of stakeholders, including senior leaders
About the Team Our Data Science, Machine Learning and Engineering team, part of the broader Corporate and Governments Data Team, is responsible for designing, building, and enhancing products through AI, machine learning, and generative AI solutions that deliver innovation and value to clients. By joining the team, you will work at the forefront of applied AI and generative AI, translating advanced techniques into client-facing products, collaborating with a global cross-functional data organization, and helping shape a growing practice focused on the responsible, ethical, and impactful use of artificial intelligence.
For US-based roles only: the anticipated hiring base salary range for this position is $116,500.00 - $169,000.00, depending on factors such as experience, education, level, skills, and location. This range is based on a full-time position. In addition to base salary, this role is eligible for incentive compensation. Moody’s also offers a competitive benefits package, including not but limited to medical, dental, vision, parental leave, paid time off, a 401(k) plan with employee and company contribution opportunities, life, disability, and accident insurance, a discounted employee stock purchase plan, and tuition reimbursement.
Moody’s is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender, age, religion or creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital or familial status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Moody’s also provides reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities or based on a sincerely held religious belief in accordance with applicable laws. If you need to inquire about a reasonable accommodation, or need assistance with completing the application process, please email [email protected]. This contact information is for accommodation requests only, and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.
For San Francisco positions, qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered for employment consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.
This position may be considered a promotional opportunity, pursuant to the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act.
Click here to view our full EEO policy statement. Click here for more information on your EEO rights under the law. Click here to view our Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination statement.
Candidates for Moody's Corporation may be asked to disclose securities holdings pursuant to Moody’s Policy for Securities Trading and the requirements of the position. Employment is contingent upon compliance with the Policy, including remediation of positions in those holdings as necessary.
For more information on the Securities Trading Program, please refer to the Securities Trading Policy on Moody’s Compliance Expo page
Please note: STP categories are assigned by the hiring teams and are subject to change over the course of an employee’s tenure with Moody’s.
Salary Context
This $116K-$169K range is below the median for Data Scientist roles in our dataset (median: $162K across 195 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 11,520 AI roles we're tracking, Data Scientist positions make up 4% of the market. At Moody's, 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 1,564 positions with disclosed compensation. Mid-level AI roles across all categories have a median of $193,200. This role's midpoint ($142K) sits 25% below the category median. Disclosed range: $116K to $169K.
Across all AI roles, the market median is $213,480. Top-quartile compensation starts at $264,000. The 90th percentile reaches $318,400. For comparison, the highest-paying categories include AI Safety ($266,050) and AI Engineering Manager ($253,461). By seniority level: Entry: $112,320; Mid: $193,200; Senior: $230,000; Director: $272,250; VP: $235,830.
Moody's AI Hiring
Moody's has 6 open AI roles right now. They're hiring across AI/ML Engineer, Data Scientist. Positions span US, New York, NY, US. Compensation range: $139K - $236K.
Location Context
AI roles in New York pay a median of $221,000 across 3,257 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 11,520 open positions tracked in our dataset. By seniority: 140 entry-level, 5,630 mid-level, 4,176 senior, and 1,574 leadership roles (Director, VP, C-Level). Remote roles make up 6% of the market (708 positions). The remaining 10,737 roles require on-site or hybrid attendance.
The market median for AI roles is $213,480. Top-quartile compensation starts at $264,000. The 90th percentile reaches $318,400. Highest-paying categories: AI Safety ($266,050 median, 70 roles); AI Engineering Manager ($253,461 median, 58 roles); Research Engineer ($252,000 median, 476 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 11,520 open positions across 16 role categories. The largest categories by volume: AI/ML Engineer (8,769), AI Software Engineer (586), AI Product Manager (511). 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 (140) are outnumbered by mid-level (5,630) and senior (4,176) 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 1,574 positions, representing the bottleneck between technical execution and organizational strategy.
Remote work availability sits at 6% of all AI roles (708 positions), with 10,737 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 $213,480. Top-quartile roles start at $264,000, 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 $266,050 median, while Prompt Engineer roles sit at $140,000. 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 (2,267 postings), Aws (1,178 postings), Azure (972 postings), Rag (924 postings), Gcp (715 postings), Pytorch (586 postings), Claude (572 postings), Kubernetes (559 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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