Senior Applied Data Scientist

Job Description

Join Our Talented Team at Protagonist

We fuse rigorous, methodologically sound analysis with our cutting-edge technology platform, Narrative Analytics®. This powerful combination enables us to quantitatively analyze open-source media, deliver strategic recommendations, and craft executive-level communication strategies for clients with missions that matter.Why Us?

Our team is a vibrant mix of communication specialists, data scientists, and subject matter experts with extensive experience across U.S. Government agencies, non-profit organizations, and Fortune 500 companies. By joining Protagonist, you'll immerse yourself in a collaborative environment where innovation thrives, and your contributions truly matter.What We Do

Innovative Solutions: We co-develop cutting-edge solutions with our clients to address tough communication problems and capitalize on opportunities to make a tangible impact.

Data-Driven Insights: Our tools and methodologies provide actionable insights that help clients meet their communication objectives and stay ahead of global challenges.

Applied Expertise: We integrate our solutions within client organizations, leveraging our profound expertise to address critical issues and ensure sustainable success.Be Part of Something Bigger

At Protagonist, you'll work on compelling projects that make a real difference. We seek talented individuals eager to contribute to our mission and grow alongside us. If you're passionate about communication, data analysis, and making an impact, we invite you to explore a career with Protagonist.Explore Your Future with Us!

Ready to take the next step in your career? Join us at Protagonist and be part of a team that's making a difference.

Job Description

You are a visionary data science professional with a passion for applying best-in-class data science methodologies to solve real-world challenges. With extensive experience in designing, building, and deploying sophisticated data solutions, you excel at transforming raw, unstructured data into actionable insights. You lead internal data efforts—from rigorous data cleaning to impactful data visualizations—and effectively present data findings to clients. Ideally, you are an analyst at heart, possessing the curiosity and acumen to know when to ask the right questions of data and what questions will drive meaningful insights.Responsibilities

Applied Data Science & Solution Implementation:

Design, develop, and deploy scalable, production-ready data science solutions that align with business and project goals.

Leverage AI, machine learning, and advanced statistical techniques to extract insights from complex, large-scale, or unstructured datasets.

Apply techniques such as classification models, clustering algorithms, and other AI methods to drive discovery and inform decision-making.

Build and iterate on applied models tailored to project and client needs.

Translate analytical findings into actionable recommendations, delivering measurable impact for both internal and external stakeholders.

Provide direct support to the Engineering team as needed to implement solutions.

Data Preparation, Cleaning & Visualization:

Write and maintain efficient, reproducible data pipelines using Python, R, SQL, or similar tools.

Perform complex data cleaning, transformation, and wrangling to ensure high-quality analytical output.

Create compelling dashboards and visualizations using Tableau, Superset, or other tools to communicate insights to both clients and internal teams.

Cross-Team Collaboration, Client Engagement & Business Development:

Collaborate with engineering and product teams to build integrated analytical solutions supporting the company's Narrative Analytics approach.

Partner closely with engineering to translate data science requirements into scalable, production-ready tools and pipelines.

Contribute to data architecture decisions, tool selection, and infrastructure development to ensure alignment between analytics and engineering capabilities.

Present data findings to clients with clear communication and actionable recommendations.

Contribute to business development efforts requiring data science expertise, including writing technical sections of proposals, white papers, and concept notes.

Leadership & Internal Data Initiatives:

Lead improvements to internal data science workflows and methodologies.

Mentor junior team members, promote technical upskilling, and foster open discussion of best practices and emerging techniques.

Collaboration & Professional Conduct:

Demonstrate ownership, professionalism, and timely follow-through in all responsibilities and communications.

Thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment by adapting to shifting priorities and proactively identifying opportunities to improve processes and analytic contributions.

Communicate technical insights clearly and translate complex data science needs into actionable guidance for both technical and cross-functional teams.

Foster collaboration across teams with openness to feedback, respect for diverse expertise, and a commitment to continuous learning.Requirements

Eligibility & Security:

Must be able to work on U.S. Government contracts that may be restricted to U.S. citizens; active or prior SECRET (or higher) clearance preferred.

Bachelor's degree with 5+ years, or advanced degree with 3+ years of work experience in data science, with a strong track record of driving significant business impact through applied analytics.

Preferred Educational Background:

Advanced degree (Master's or Ph.D.) in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, or a related field.

Technical Expertise:

Proficiency in Python and/or R for data analysis, modeling, and machine learning.

Strong SQL skills for data extraction, transformation, and integrity assurance.

Experience with statistical and predictive modeling techniques such as support vector machines, random forests, and classification models.

Familiarity with modern data tools and data lake architectures supporting scalable, data-driven solutions.

Skilled in building insightful visualizations using tools like Tableau, Superset, Power BI, or Looker.

Interpersonal Skills:

Exceptional ability to communicate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Effective working both independently and in cross-functional teams, with a collaborative and solution-oriented mindset.Join Us

Protagonist is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Salary Range: $82,216-$129,885 based on education and level of relevant experience.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Full-time