RDQ427R169

While candidates in the listed locations are encouraged for this role, we are open to remote candidates in other locations.

Databricks is looking for a Principal Data Scientist to serve as the statistical voice of the Data Science organization. This person will make Databricks smarter and more data-driven at the highest levels of leadership — translating the full power of data science into clear, actionable narratives for our CEO, C-suite, and Board of Directors.

Our vision is simple: data drives every Databricks decision and action. To get there, we need a world-class statistician and communicator — someone who can bridge the gap between deep analytical rigor and executive decision-making. This is a pure IC role with company-wide influence: no direct reports, maximum leverage.

Databricks was founded in 2013 by the original creators of Apache Spark, Delta Lake, and MLflow. We built the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform to help organizations unify their data, analytics, and AI workloads. With more than 10,000 organizations worldwide — including over half of the Fortune 500 — relying on Databricks, and a team of 7,000+ employees, we are at the forefront of the data and AI revolution. We have been recognized as a leader by Gartner, Forrester, and IDC, and have raised more than $4 billion in funding at a $62 billion valuation.

The Impact You Will Have

• Executive translation. Translate complex data science findings into clear, actionable narratives for the CEO, C-suite, and Board of Directors — ensuring data science insights directly inform the company's most critical decisions.
• Statistical authority. Serve as the company's chief statistical voice and the final quality backstop for analytical rigor in high-stakes executive decisions. Advance the state-of-the-art in how Databricks applies statistical methods to business problems.
• Org-wide uplevel. Raise the communication bar across the entire Data Science organization by setting standards, coaching teams, and co-authoring key executive-facing deliverables. Make every DS team better at telling their story.
• Strategic insights. Produce deep strategic analyses on revenue, platform health, operational efficiency, and competitive positioning — the kind of synthesized, judgment-rich insight that AI cannot autonomously create.
• Cross-functional influence. Partner with engineering VPs, product leaders, and executive staff to embed a data-driven decision-making culture across the company. Be the trusted analytical advisor in rooms where critical decisions are made.
• External thought leadership. Represent Databricks externally as a data science thought leader at industry conferences, in publications, and in the broader statistical community. Build an external identity that attracts world-class talent.
• Methodology and standards. Define and evolve company-wide scientific methodologies — experimentation frameworks, forecasting systems, causal inference approaches — to match and push industry state-of-the-art.

What We Look For

Required

• 15+ years of experience in data science, statistics, or quantitative research spanning industry and/or academia.
• Proven track record of presenting statistical and data science concepts to C-suite and Board-level audiences, with measurable impact on executive decision-making.
• Broad expertise across data science disciplines: experimentation, causal inference, forecasting, optimization, and machine learning.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication — the ability to make complex statistical concepts intuitive and compelling for non-technical executives.
• Track record of upleveling teams: setting analytical standards, mentoring senior data scientists, and improving org-wide output quality.
• Experience at the intersection of statistics and large-scale technology or data platforms.
• Ph.D. in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, or a related quantitative field.

Preferred

• Academic research or teaching background in statistics or a quantitative field.
• Industry experience at multiple tier-1 technology companies.
• Published research or recognized thought leadership in applied statistics.
• Experience building or leading a "Chief Statistician" or equivalent function.
• Experience in infrastructure, platform, or systems-oriented data science.

About Us: At Emendata, we help bridge the gap between data and the real world. We partner with organizations that have a social mission and help them tackle their problems using analytics. Our role in these partnerships goes end to end—we handle everything from wrangling the data to analyzing the problem to turning the results into something actionable. We know that this analytics pipeline does not live in a vacuum. Getting to meaningful numbers requires more than just the right methods; it calls for understanding the people, policies, data, and systems involved. 

With this approach, our small but fast-growing team is having a big impact taking on challenges in healthcare program integrity – safeguarding programs like Medicare and Medicaid by preventing fraud, waste, and abuse. We are growing our team with people who enjoy figuring out hard problems, want their work to matter, and set a high bar for themselves and their teammates.

About the Role: For this role, we are looking for someone to serve as a technical lead on statistical projects analyzing healthcare programs. This position is responsible for translating high-level direction from management or clients into studies/analyses that leverage statistically robust methods. We are looking for you to:

• Operationalize research questions from management and clients into robust analytic frameworks, research activities, and deliverables with minimal direction
• Apply a broad set of statistical methods to analyze and interpret data, including survey data, health records, and other administrative data
• Prepare research for dissemination to a variety of technical and non-technical audiences; produce materials (e.g., reports, presentations) that summarize the data and methodology, interpret analytic findings, and provide conclusions and recommendations
• Support project teams internally by providing input on study design and application of statistical methods
• Support development of data analysts through technical mentoring, code review, trainings, and other assistance
• Continue growing subject matter expertise by staying up-to-date on the latest statistical techniques and applications; contribute to the development of the company’s institutional knowledge
• Engage with stakeholders to understand client needs/priorities, business processes, program policy, data, etc. 

Required Qualifications: We are looking for you to have the following qualifications:

• Education: M.S. or Ph.D. in statistics or related field
• Experience: 2+ years applied research experience with statistical sampling and applying statistical models
• Technical Expertise: Strong familiarity with statistical sampling, probability, regression modeling, and practical applications
• Programming: Experience performing analyses using Python, R, or SQL 
• Communication: Ability to write clearly and communicate effectively with technical and non-technical audiences
• Interests: Strong interest in social science research
• Working Style: Capable of working with minimal supervision and a high level of initiative; practical approach to problem-solving; comfortable working both independently and collaboratively on client-facing projects 

Desired Qualifications: If you do not meet all the criteria below but still think you would be a good fit for this role, please apply so we can see if we can find the right spot for you on the team.

• Experience: Strong track record of research excellence in a professional setting (experience in consulting preferred)
• Technical Expertise: Familiarity with artificial intelligence and machine learning methods, tools, and practical applications a plus
• Domain Expertise: Knowledge of healthcare data, policy, and program integrity efforts strongly preferred (e.g., Medicare policy, CMS data)

This position is full-time onsite in San Francisco. Working side by side accelerates learning, mentorship, and the kind of collaboration that leads to producing our best work. Additionally, to be considered for this position, applicants must have the ability to work in the U.S. without a need for current or future visa sponsorship. Staff will be required to complete a successful background investigation, including the Questionnaire for Public Trust Position SF-85.Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, all qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records will be considered for employment.