Senior Data Scientist

Cary, NC, US Senior Data Scientist

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Skills & Technologies

AwsAzureGcpPower BiPrompt EngineeringPythonRag

About This Role

AI job market dashboard showing open roles by category

As passionate about our people as we are about our mission.

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Why Join Q2?

Q2 is a leading provider of digital banking and lending solutions to banks, credit unions, alternative finance companies, and fintechs in the U.S. and internationally. Our mission is simple: build strong and diverse communities through innovative financial technology—and we do that by empowering our people to help create success for our customers.

What Makes Q2 Special?

Being as passionate about our people as we are about our mission. We celebrate our employees in many ways, including our “Circle of Awesomeness” award ceremony and day of employee celebration among others! We invest in the growth and development of our team members through ongoing learning opportunities, mentorship programs, internal mobility, and meaningful leadership relationships. We also know that nothing builds trust and collaboration like having fun. We hold an annual Dodgeball for Charity event at our Q2 Stadium in Austin, inviting other local companies to play, and community organizations we support to raise money and awareness together.

The Job At\-A\-Glance:

Q2’s Relationship Pricing platform, used by thousands of commercial bankers across hundreds of banks of all sizes, empowers bankers to win better deals and grow stronger relationships. As a Senior Data Scientist on the team, you will work closely with cross\-functional teams to lead large complex data science projects from exploration to deployment. You will help build and operate production systems that power the analytics and insights uncovered from one of the world’s largest commercial banking datasets and play an active role in shaping the product roadmap by identifying where data science and AI can create highest business and user value.

A Typical Day:

  • Explore and engineer features from large, complex commercial banking datasets including loan pricing, relationship profitability, and deal performance data
  • Design and prototype machine learning models — including pricing recommendation, deal win likelihood, and anomaly detection — and see them through to production deployment
  • Build and evaluate LLM\-powered features including RAG pipelines, prompt engineering, and embedding\-based retrieval over banking data
  • Partner with product and business stakeholders to translate commercial banking problems into data science solutions, and contribute to roadmap prioritization
  • Collaborate with engineering teams to deploy and maintain production\-grade models and analytics systems
  • Mentor junior team members and contribute to best practices in modeling, experimentation, and responsible AI
  • Communicate findings and model insights through compelling visualizations and presentations to both technical and non\-technical audiences

Bring Your Passion, Do What You Love. Here’s What We’re Looking For:

  • Typically requires a Bachelor’s degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, or a relevant field and 8 years of related experience; or an advanced degree with 6\+ years of experience; or equivalent related work experience
  • Strong proficiency in Python or R, SQL, and machine learning libraries
  • Hands\-on experience with large language models including prompt engineering, RAG and LLM evaluation frameworks
  • Proven ability to lead end\-to\-end data science projects from discovery through production
  • Experience writing clean, maintainable code and using version control (e.g., Git).

Preferred experience:

  • Familiarity with vector databases and embedding\-based retrieval
  • Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure)
  • Experience with BI tooling (PowerBI or equivalent)
  • Experience with financial services, banking or fintech – commercial banking familiarity strongly preferred

*This position requires fluent written and oral communication in English.*

*Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.*

Health \& Wellness

  • Hybrid Work Opportunities
  • Flexible Time Off
  • Career Development \& Mentoring Programs
  • Health \& Wellness Benefits, including competitive health insurance offerings and generous paid parental leave for eligible new parents
  • Community Volunteering \& Company Philanthropy Programs
  • Employee Peer Recognition Programs – “You Earned it”

Click here to find out more about the benefits we offer.

Our Culture \& Commitment:

We’re proud to foster a supportive, inclusive environment where career growth, collaboration, and wellness are prioritized. And our benefits go beyond healthcare—offering resources for physical, mental, and professional well\-being. Click here to find out more about the benefits we offer. Q2 employees are encouraged to give back through volunteer work and nonprofit support through our Spark Program (see more). We believe in making an impact—in the industry and in the community.

We are 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, age, disability, genetic information, or veteran status.

*Applicants in California or Washington State may not be exempt from federal and state overtime requirements*

Role Details

Company Q2ebanking
Title Senior Data Scientist
Location Cary, NC, US
Category Data Scientist
Experience Senior
Salary Not disclosed
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 4,317 AI roles we're tracking, Data Scientist positions make up 8% of the market. At Q2ebanking, 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

Aws (28% of roles) Azure (22% of roles) Gcp (15% of roles) Power Bi (5% of roles) Prompt Engineering (14% of roles) Python (52% of roles) Rag (21% 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 $192,890 based on 789 positions with disclosed compensation. Senior-level AI roles across all categories have a median of $227,400.

Across all AI roles, the market median is $215,000. Top-quartile compensation starts at $266,300. The 90th percentile reaches $320,790. For comparison, the highest-paying categories include AI Safety ($287,500) and Research Engineer ($272,100). By seniority level: Entry: $110,000; Mid: $194,400; Senior: $227,400; Director: $274,554; VP: $241,000.

Q2ebanking AI Hiring

Q2ebanking has 1 open AI role right now. They're hiring across Data Scientist. Based in Cary, NC, US.

Location Context

Across all AI roles, 15% (635 positions) offer remote work, while 3,657 require on-site attendance. Top AI hiring metros: New York (1,650 roles, $220,000 median); San Francisco (1,335 roles, $265,000 median); Los Angeles (708 roles, $214,112 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 4,317 open positions tracked in our dataset. By seniority: 138 entry-level, 2,071 mid-level, 1,655 senior, and 453 leadership roles (Director, VP, C-Level). Remote roles make up 15% of the market (635 positions). The remaining 3,657 roles require on-site or hybrid attendance.

The market median for AI roles is $215,000. Top-quartile compensation starts at $266,300. The 90th percentile reaches $320,790. Highest-paying categories: AI Safety ($287,500 median, 34 roles); Research Engineer ($272,100 median, 227 roles); AI Engineering Manager ($244,000 median, 23 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 4,317 open positions across 15 role categories. The largest categories by volume: AI/ML Engineer (3,004), Data Scientist (345), AI Software Engineer (309). 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 (138) are outnumbered by mid-level (2,071) and senior (1,655) 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 453 positions, representing the bottleneck between technical execution and organizational strategy.

Remote work availability sits at 15% of all AI roles (635 positions), with 3,657 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 $215,000. Top-quartile roles start at $266,300, and the 90th percentile reaches $320,790. 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 $287,500 median, while Prompt Engineer roles sit at $145,000. 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 (2,249 postings), Aws (1,224 postings), Azure (938 postings), Rag (915 postings), Gcp (660 postings), Pytorch (640 postings), Prompt Engineering (624 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

Based on 789 roles with disclosed compensation, the median salary for Data Scientist positions is $192,890. 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 15% of the 4,317 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.
Q2ebanking 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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