Entry Level Data Scientist Jobs in Berkeley, CA (NOW HIRING)

Ready to think boldly, work with some of the world's most recognized brands, and kick-start your career? Welcome to IBM's Associate Program for university hires. From day one, you will collaborate with global clients and IBM teams on projects that help organizations solve tough challenges across digital transformation, cloud strategy, AI adoption, process redesign, analytics, generative AI, and agentic AI-enabled transformation.

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Bring your curiosity. Grow your skills. Build what's next - like an IBMer. This role is a strong fit for analytical problem solvers who want to use data science, machine learning, and GenAI/ Agentic AI-enabled workflows responsibly to uncover patterns, evaluate intelligent systems, and help clients make better decisions.

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Your role and responsibilities

As an Associate Data Scientist, you will help solve business problems using statistics, machine learning, and data science techniques while contributing to generative AI and agentic AI workflows, along with open-source tools such as Python, R, and TensorFlow, IBM tools, and AI application suites. You will prepare, analyze, and understand data to deliver insight, predict emerging trends, evaluate model and workflow performance, and provide recommendations to stakeholders.

Collaborating closely with diverse teams, you will help selectappropriate modelingapproaches,identifythe critical data needed for analysis, and translate complex model results into clear recommendations for technical and non-technical audiences.

In your role, you maybe responsible for:

• Prepare, cleanse, join, and analyze structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data for analytics, machine learning, GenAI, and agentic AI workflows.
  
• Implement and validate predictive, prescriptive, statistical, and machine learning models with a focus on measurable client and business outcomes.
  
• Design experiments, features, prompts, evaluation datasets, metrics, and tests to assess model outputs, workflow accuracy, reliability, bias, and business value.
  
• Build GenAI, RAG, and agentic AI workflows by evaluating retrieval quality, grounding, generated responses, tool-use outcomes, and end-to-end agent performance.
  
• Work in an Agile, collaborative environment with data scientists, data engineers, AI engineers, consultants, architects, and database administrators to bring analytical rigor and responsible AI practices to client challenges.
  
• Communicate with internal and external clients to understand business needs, select appropriate modeling techniques, and explain assumptions, limitations, and recommendations.
  
• Evaluate modeling results and present insights clearly to technical and non-technical audiences, translating findings into practical actions.

High School Diploma/GED

Preferred education

Bachelor's Degree

Required technical and professional expertise

• Strong fundamentals in mathematics, statistics, computer science, algorithms, and analytical reasoning.
• Familiarity with programming language such as Python, SQL, R, or similar.
• Foundational understanding of predictive modeling, prescriptive modeling, statistical methods, machine learning, Gen AI and Agentic AI.
• Basic understanding of cloud environments, data platforms, or AI platforms such as AWS, Azure, Google Cloud or similar.
• Strong technical and analytical abilities, problem solving, debugging, troubleshooting, teamwork, and communication skills.
• Willingness to travel up to 100%, based on project requirements.

• Bachelor's degree in a related field such as Computer Science, Data Science, Statistics, Mathematics, MIS, Engineering, AI/ML, or another quantitative field.
• Coursework, projects, internship experience, or portfolio work involving data science, machine learning, analytics, GenAI and Agentic AI.
• Familiarity with LLMs, embeddings, vector databases, retrieval systems, prompt workflows, RAG, model behavior evaluation, and AI agent workflow patterns.
• Exposure to orchestration and agentic AI frameworks such as LangChain, LangGraph, LlamaIndex, Semantic Kernel, AutoGen, MCP-based tooling, or similar tools.
• Understanding of Git, containers, APIs, testing frameworks, CI/CD, MLOps, LLMOps, observability, model monitoring, data governance, privacy, security, or responsible AI practices.

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IBM offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits program. Eligible employees may have access to:

- Healthcare benefits including medical & prescription drug coverage, dental, vision, and mental health & well being

- Financial programs such as 401(k), cash balance pension plan, the IBM Employee Stock Purchase Plan, financial counseling, life insurance, short & long- term disability coverage, and opportunities for performance based salary incentive programs

- Generous paid time off including 12 holidays, minimum 56 hours sick time, 120 hours vacation, 12 weeks parental bonding leave in accordance with IBM Policy, and other Paid Care Leave programs. IBM also offers paid family leave benefits to eligible employees where required by applicable law

- Training and educational resources on our personalized, AI-driven learning platform where IBMers can grow skills and obtain industry-recognized certifications to achieve their career goals

- Diverse and inclusive employee resource groups, giving & volunteer opportunities, and discounts on retail products, services & experiences

We consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable law.

This position was posted on the date cited in the key job details section and is anticipated to remain posted for 21 days from this date or less if not needed to fill the role.

IBM will not be providing visa sponsorship for this position now or in the future. Therefore, in order to be considered for this position, you must have the ability to work without a need for current or future visa sponsorship.

The compensation range and benefits for this position are based on a full-time schedule for a full calendar year. The salary will vary depending on your job-related skills, experience and location. Pay increment and frequency of pay will be in accordance with employment classification and applicable laws. For part time roles, your compensation and benefits will be adjusted to reflect your hours. Benefits may be pro-rated for those who start working during the calendar year.

Job Title

Associate Data Scientist 2027 - AI & Data Analytics

Date posted

14-Aug-2026

Job ID

128537

City / Township / Village

State / Province

California

Country

United States

Work arrangement

Onsite

Area of work

Data & Analytics

Employment type

Regular

Contract type

Regular

Projected Minimum Salary per year

88,800.00

Projected Maximum Salary per year

133,200.00

Position type

Entry Level

Up to 100% or 5 days a week (home on weekends - based on project requirements)

Company

(0147) International Business Machines Corporation

Shift

General (daytime)

Is this role a commissionable/sales incentive based position?