Hourly Data Scientist Jobs in Basking Ridge, NJ (NOW HIRING)

The Associated Press' Metadata and Data Science Team seeks a Data Scientist based in New York, NY.   

Why this role matters:  

The Data Scientist will design and implement data science and applied machine learning solutions supporting new product development, search and discovery on platform, content enrichment and metadata generation. As a member of cross-functional project teams, the Data Scientist will perform data analysis, evaluate commercial and open-source models, and deliver solutions with real-world impact. 

The team works closely with various departments and functions across the organization to design, implement and manage end-to-end content metadata, to maintain the integrity of schema standards, and to build solutions with data, analytics and machine learning methods.  

What you will do:  

• Evaluate, fine-tune, and maintain statistical and machine learning models used in run-time production environments, measuring and communicating performance improvements to stakeholders 

• Partner with cross-functional teams to design and optimize AI/ML solutions that deliver new product capabilities and internal workflow improvements, using news articles, photos, videos, election results, and other news data 

• Research, evaluate, and recommend models and methodologies across the AI/ML landscape, presenting recommended solutions to technical and non-technical stakeholders 

• Identify and address gaps in model quality and performance metrics, synthesizing findings into clear, actionable recommendations 

• Contribute to the design and enhancement of data and ML pipelines, including multimodal embedding generation and knowledge extraction, with a focus on accuracy, efficiency, and scalability 

• Design user-centered solutions and search algorithms focused on quality and performance 

• Stay current with emerging technologies and advances in NLP, machine learning, and data science, proactively surfacing opportunities for improvement 

• Support the full model development lifecycle, from problem definition and prototyping through integration, deployment, monitoring, and iteration 

• Communicate analysis and present findings clearly, adapting to a range of technical and business audiences 

Who you are: 

• 3+ years of relevant data science experience, with strong proficiency in Python including NumPy, Pandas, and large-scale semi-structured JSON data 

• Bachelor's degree in Data Science or Computer Science  

• Experienced applying core machine learning methods including classification, clustering, regression, and ranking 

• Hands-on experience with NLP techniques such as entity recognition, disambiguation, semantic similarity, and embedding-based retrieval 

• Experience with transformer models for structured extraction, classification, summarization, and generation 

• Experience with hybrid search algorithms, retrieval pipelines, intent detection, query expansion, and relevance tuning in Elasticsearch or OpenSearch 

• Experience working with both language and multimodal models 

• Experience and comfort working with real-world data, including text and visuals, at scale  

• Familiar with ML engineering and ML Ops practices, with a track record of delivering runtime solutions 

• Familiarity with cohort analysis, session segmentation, A/B testing, and confidence calibration 

• Analytical and curious, with strong problem-solving skills and a practical focus on high-impact, cost-aware solutions 

• Able to effectively manage multiple project deliverables simultaneously  

• Comfortable being accountable for deliverables across the full product development lifecycle, from problem definition through launch and iteration 

• An effective communicator who can tailor analysis and presentations to both technical and non-technical audiences 

• Collaborative and empathetic, with a genuine focus on user impact and a desire to grow data literacy across the organization 

• Advanced-level professional competency in written and spoken English 

• Authorization to work in the United States for any employer 

What will set you apart: 

• Experience in news media or working with news as data strongly preferred 

• Master's degree in Data Science or a related field 

• Familiarity with graph data models and designing entity-relationship schemas 

• Eagerness to learn the technical nuances of large-scale media operations and identify opportunities within evolving systems 

Location:

This role is based in New York City with a hybrid work schedule. AP employees are onsite three days a week, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Local candidates are preferred, but all qualified applicants are encouraged to apply. 

Salary & Benefits:   

The anticipated salary range for this position is $116,000 - $160,000, based on a candidate's skills, qualifications, and location. The Associated Press offers comprehensive benefits, which include:   

• Competitive medical, dental and vision coverage   

• Retirement benefits   

• Company paid life insurance   

• Paid vacation and sick days   

• Paid parental leave for any new parent   

• Mental well-being resources   

Deadline for applications is 11:59pm ET on June 22, 2026.