Principal Data Scientist

How You'll Help Us Keep Climbing (Overview & Key Responsibilities)At Delta Air Lines, connection is at the heart of everything we do and guides our every action. We strive to welcome and care for all of our customers during their travels with us and aim to deliver an elevated experience.Customer Experience Design (CXD) organization is founded on delivering the Delta Brand experience via welcoming, elevating, and caring service, offering distinctive and premium choices to our customers across all destinations, and personalizing the experience to create memorable connections and deepened relationship with Delta.CXD’s Customer Insights & Prioritization (CXI&P) team is established to unlock new capabilities for Personalization, Insights, and Analytics. This team will deliver tangible, immediate incremental value to Delta using Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, simulation, optimization, visualization, and advanced analytics.CX Advanced Analytics is seeking a Principal Data Scientist to take on developing data-driven solutions aimed at continually improving the customer experience. In this role you will be responsible for transforming data from disparate systems to provide insights and analytics for business stakeholders. This position requires strong analytical capabilities with a deep understanding of data modeling and design tools, while performing model monitoring and calibration. You will also work with business stakeholders and present analysis to these business users in a digestible way. This individual will also collaborate with other Data Scientists to develop advanced analytics for complex business problems.Primary FunctionsResponsible for the development and maintenance of models and tools (e.g., forecasting, optimization, performance, etc.)Collaborates with CX Advanced Analytics team and business owners to take a data-driven approach in identifying key customer pain-points, uncover insights, and develop techniques to address these issuesDetailed understanding of data science techniques, calibrating and enhancing existing models, and monitoring model performanceLeverage emerging technologies and identify efficient and meaningful ways to deliver meaningful insights to the businessHands-on experience with data modeling, design tools, and business case deliveryDesign and implement robust statistical models and machine learning algorithms to solve complex business problemsRespond to high-priority, ad hoc analytical requests from executive leadership, delivering clear, data-driven insights to support strategic decision-makingPresents analysis to business users in a digestible wayWhat You Need To Succeed (Minimum Qualifications)6+ years of relevant hands-on experience in data science or advanced analytics, with a demonstrated ability to execute complex projects independentlyHands-on experience with Generative AI (Gen AI), Large Language Models (LLMs), and Natural Language Processing (NLP), including fine-tuning, prompt engineering, and deploying models like GPT, BERT, or similar in-production environments. Ability to leverage these technologies to build intelligent applications such as chatbots, summarization tools, or content generation systems.Strong understanding of statistical modeling, A/B testing, and data visualizationSkilled in feature engineering, generating statistical models, and measuring feature importance and model evaluationProficiency in Python, R, SQL, and machine learning librariesExperience in executing end-to-end analytical projects with minimal oversight, from problem definition to solution deliveryConsistently prioritizes safety and security of self, others, and personal data. Embraces diverse people, thinking, and styles. Possesses a high school diploma, GED, or high school equivalency. Is at least 18 years of age and has authorization to work in the United States.What Will Give You a Competitive Edge (Preferred Qualifications)Masters’s degree in data science, statistics, mathematics, computer science or related quantitative fieldPhD degree in data science, statistics, mathematics, computer science or related quantitative fieldWorking knowledge of statistical/machine learning tools (e.g., SAS, R, TensorFlow) preferredExperience in designing data models for cloud-based solutions from leading cloud providers such as AWS, Azure, etc.Self-motivated and take pride in building great experiences for users, whether they are employees or customers.Resourceful in finding the data and tools you need to get the job doneNot afraid to ask for help when you need it, or help teammates when they need a boostIntensely curious about finding a solution to the pain-points of our customers along the entire travel experienceBenefits And Perks To Help You Keep ClimbingOur culture is rooted in a shared dedication to living our values – Care, Integrity, Resilience, Servant Leadership, and Teamwork – every day, in everything we do. At Delta, our people are our success. At the heart of what we offer is our focus on Sharing Success with Delta employees. Exploring a career at Delta gives you a chance to see the world while earning great compensation and benefits to help you keep climbing along the way:Competitive salary, industry-leading profit sharing program, and performance incentives 401(k) with generous company contributions up to 9% Paid time off including vacation, holidays, paid personal time, maternity and parental leave Comprehensive health benefits including medical, dental, vision, short/long term disability and life benefits Family care assistance through fertility support, surrogacy and adoption assistance, lactation support, subsidized back-up care, and programs that help with loved ones in all stages Holistic Wellbeing programs to support physical, emotional, social, and financial health, including access to an employee assistance program offering support for you and anyone in your household, free financial coaching, and extensive resources supporting mental health Domestic and International space-available flight privileges for employees and eligible family members Career development programs to achieve your long-term career goals World-wide partnerships to engage in community service and innovative goals created to focus on sustainability and reducing our carbon footprint Business Resource Groups created to connect employees with common interests to promote inclusion, provide perspective and help implement strategies Recognition rewards and awards through the platform Unstoppable Together Access to over 500 discounts, specialty savings and voluntary benefits through Deltaperks such as car and hotel rentals and auto, home, and pet insurance, legal services, and childcare