Senior Optum Data Science Jobs in Rutherford, NJ

About the Job

Do you get excited when a messy, ambiguous business problem finally yields to the right model? Do you think in systems, speak fluently across the technical-business divide, and want your work to do more than sit in a notebook - you want it to actually ship, scale, and matter?

With over 2,000 employees, 36 offices on five continents, and world-class clients like Samsung, L'Oreal, and Mattel, Artefact is a consulting firm that transforms data into measurable value and business impact. We've launched in the US with offices in NYC and Los Angeles - and we're looking for a Senior Data Scientist to help define what world-class data science looks like on our founding team.

Who We Are

Founded and headquartered in Paris, Artefact is a next-generation consulting firm specializing in data, analytics, and AI consulting - dedicated to transforming data into business impact across the entire value chain of organizations. We don't just advise; we build, implement, and deliver results our clients can measure.

We have 2,000 employees across 36 offices focused on accelerating digital transformation for some of the world's most recognizable brands. Our state-of-the-art data technologies, lean AI agile methodologies, and cohesive teams of elite business consultants, data analysts, data scientists, data engineers, and digital experts are all laser-focused on delivering real value to every client. We design data-driven solutions tailored to each client's specific needs - always conceived with a business-first mindset and delivered with tangible, measurable results. Our expertise is built on deep AI knowledge acquired through 1,000+ client engagements across the globe.

Find out more at artefact.com.

What You Will Be Doing

As a Senior Data Scientist, you'll be the technical engine behind some of our most complex and consequential client engagements. You'll move fluidly between data exploration, model development, and executive communication - bringing scientific rigor to business problems and translating results into strategies that clients actually implement.

This isn't a role where you hand off findings and walk away. You'll be embedded with clients, co-owning outcomes, and ensuring that the models you build don't just perform in a test environment - they create real, lasting impact in production. You'll also be a technical anchor for our US team, setting standards, mentoring junior data scientists, and contributing to the methodologies that define Artefact's edge.

Key responsibilities include:

• Designing and building end-to-end machine learning and statistical models that solve high-stakes business problems - from framing the question to deploying the solution
• Conducting rigorous exploratory data analysis to uncover patterns, anomalies, and opportunities that inform both technical and strategic decisions
• Translating complex model outputs and analytical findings into clear, compelling narratives for senior client stakeholders - making the technical accessible without dumbing it down
• Partnering with client teams and data engineers to ensure models are production-ready, scalable, and built on clean, reliable data pipelines
• Defining the analytical approach for client engagements - selecting the right methods, tools, and frameworks for the problem at hand, not just the ones you're most comfortable with
• Contributing to new business proposals - helping articulate Artefact's technical capabilities and translating data science into clear client value
• Developing thought leadership and internal methodologies - publishing research, building reusable frameworks, and raising the technical bar across the practice
• Mentoring junior data scientists and analysts, actively investing in the team's technical depth and growth

What We Are Looking For

We want someone who is as comfortable whiteboarding a modeling strategy with a client's Chief Analytics Officer as they are debugging a pipeline at 11pm before a big delivery. You've shipped models that people actually use. You've sat in rooms where the business stakes were real, and you've delivered. You know the difference between a technically elegant solution and a practically useful one - and you always choose useful.

You'll arrive ready with the following:

• 4-7 years of hands-on experience in data science, machine learning, or advanced analytics - with a demonstrable track record of end-to-end model delivery in a client-facing or high-stakes business environment
• Advanced degree (MSc or PhD) in a quantitative field - statistics, mathematics, computer science, engineering, or equivalent; strong undergraduate candidates with exceptional experience will be considered
• Expert-level proficiency in Python and/or R; you write clean, maintainable, production-quality code
• Deep expertise in machine learning and statistical modeling - regression, classification, clustering, time series, NLP, recommendation systems, and/or deep learning, depending on your specialization
• Strong command of SQL and experience working with large-scale datasets across cloud platforms (GCP, AWS, or Azure)
• Experience with MLOps practices - model versioning, monitoring, deployment pipelines, and productionization - is a significant differentiator
• Exceptional communication skills - you can explain a gradient boosting model to a CFO and a business case to an ML engineer, and both conversations land
• Demonstrated ability to lead technical workstreams and mentor junior team members
• Consulting or client-facing experience is highly desirable; the ability to manage ambiguity, scope problems, and deliver under pressure is essential
• Exposure to marketing analytics, customer analytics, or demand forecasting in a consumer-facing industry is a meaningful asset

Why You Should Join Us

At this level, you're not just looking for a job - you're looking for the right environment to do your best work. Here's what makes Artefact different:

Variety that keeps you sharp. In a product role, you go deep on one problem. Here, you'll work across industries, business functions, and problem types - building the kind of range that makes exceptional data scientists exceptional. No two engagements are the same.

Your work actually ships. We have a relentless focus on adoption and impact. The models you build are designed from day one to live in production, influence decisions, and create measurable value - not to gather dust in a final report.

A global technical community. With 2,000 data and AI specialists across 36 offices, you'll have access to some of the most sophisticated data science thinking in the world. You'll contribute to - and benefit from - a community of practitioners working on the frontier.

Founding team energy. We're building our US practice, which means the norms, standards, and culture you help create now will define Artefact in North America for years to come. That's a rare opportunity at any stage of a career.

We are united by our values and strengthened by our hybrid expertise:

• There is always a way - We're builders, diggers, and makers. Ideas only count if they get executed.
• Client trust is won in the field - We show up where it matters, working side by side with our clients to solve what's real.
• If not used, it is useless - We build for adoption and impact. True brilliance is measured by what changes, not what's delivered.
• If not shared, our work is not done - Sharing knowledge is how we close the loop - for our clients and for each other.
• We learn every day - In a field moving at the speed of light, intellectual curiosity isn't optional. It's survival.

our clients grow their data and digital capabilities, and that we're also growing in parallel.

We have 2,000 employees across 26 offices who are focused on accelerating digital transformation. Our state-of-the-art data technologies, lean AI agile methodologies, and cohesive teams of the finest business consultants, data analysts, data scientists, data engineers, and digital experts are all dedicated to bringing extra value to every client. We design data-based solutions to meet our clients' specific needs, always conceived with a business-centric approach and delivered with tangible results. Our data-driven services are built upon the deep AI expertise we've acquired with our 1000+ client base around the globe.

Find out more at artefact.com.

What You'll Be Doing

As a Junior Data Consultant, you'll sit at the intersection of business strategy and data - helping clients make smarter decisions, faster. You'll work directly with clients to understand their challenges, dig into their data, uncover insights that change how they operate, and communicate those findings in ways that drive action.

This is not a back-office analytics role. You'll be client-facing, intellectually challenged, and given real responsibility from day one. Our best junior consultants don't stay junior for long.

Day-to-day responsibilities include:

• Collecting, cleaning, and organizing data from diverse sources - databases, spreadsheets, APIs, and web-based tools
• Preparing and structuring data for analysis, including quality checks, error correction, and formatting for statistical software
• Analyzing data using tools such as Excel, SQL, Python, or R to surface trends, patterns, and actionable insights
• Translating complex data findings into clear, compelling narratives for both technical and non-technical audiences
• Partnering with clients to deeply understand their business objectives and co-developing data-driven strategies to meet them
• Staying sharp: actively investing in your own professional development as the data and AI landscape evolves rapidly

What we are looking for

We want builders, thinkers, and fast learners - people who are energized by ambiguity, motivated by impact, and who can hold their own in a room with a senior client. You're the kind of person who asks "why?" before jumping to "how," and you never stop at "good enough."

• An undergraduate degree with strong academic performance
• 1-2 years of full-time experience in consulting, data/analytics, marketing, finance, or tech
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills - you can represent Artefact confidently in front of clients
• Proven ability to collaborate across diverse, multicultural teams; strong intercultural communication skills are essential
• Advanced proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint
• A genuine passion for data, digital, and the broader tech economy
• A natural desire to teach and develop others; you lift the people around you
• Exposure to strategy consulting and/or digital marketing is a strong asset, but not a dealbreaker

Why Join Artefact?

We're not just a workplace - we're a community of people who believe that data, applied well, can change how businesses operate and how the world works. We move fast, we challenge each other, and we celebrate people who make things happen.

Our values aren't decorations on a wall - they're how we actually work:

• There is always a way - We're builders and problem-solvers. An idea only counts if it gets executed.
• Client trust is won in the field - We show up, sleeves rolled up, working side by side with our clients.
• If it's not used, it's useless - We build for adoption and impact, not for slide decks.
• If it's not shared, we're not done - Knowledge shared compounds. We invest in each other's growth.
• We learn every day - In a field that moves this fast, standing still means falling behind. We embrace the challenge.

Compensation & Benefits

The estimated base compensation for this role is $125,000 - $135,000. Individual compensation is determined by skills, qualifications, and experience. In addition, this role is eligible for competitive benefits.