Lead Data Scientist

Job Description

Job Title: Lead Data Scientist

IndiGo is India's largest and most preferred passenger airline and amongst the fastest growing airlines in the world.

We have a simple philosophy: offer fares that are affordable, flights that are on time, and provide a courteous and hassle-free travel experience across our unparalleled network. We show that low cost does not mean low quality. With our fleet of over 320 aircraft, we operate well over 2000+ daily flights, connecting over 118 destinations (of which 32 international), welcoming 100 million customers on board last year. We have an industry leading on-time performance and one of the highest customer NPS in the Indian market. At IndiGo, we will continue to extend our scope, by spreading our wings internationally, developing from a domestic carrier to a global aviation giant.

Job Summary:

We are seeking a highly motivated and technically proficient Data Scientist to join our dynamic team, with a specialized focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Natural Language Processing (NLP). This role is ideal for a self-driven individual who thrives in an intellectually stimulating environment and can independently lead and execute complex, high-impact data science initiatives. The ideal candidate will demonstrate a deep understanding of cutting-edge AI/NLP techniques and be passionate about applying them to solve real-world problems at scale.

Key Responsibilities:

- Lead the design and development of AI and NLP models tailored to complex business and research challenges.
- Own the full data science lifecycle from problem definition and data exploration to modeling, evaluation, and deployment.
- Collaborate with product managers, data engineers, and domain experts to deliver end-to-end solutions.
- Stay updated on the latest advancements in AI and NLP and integrate relevant innovations into ongoing projects.
- Present findings and recommendations clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Develop reusable components, frameworks, and pipelines to accelerate future AI/NLP initiatives.
- Conduct rigorous model validation, performance benchmarking, and continuous improvement of deployed models.
- Contribute to the creation of technical documentation, research papers, or internal knowledge-sharing sessions.
- Mentor junior data scientists and support team capability building in AI/NLP.
- Ensure ethical AI practices, data privacy compliance, and responsible model deployment across projects.

Key Skills & Competencies:

- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a proven ability to translate business needs into technical solutions.
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills across multidisciplinary teams.
- Ability to work independently and take ownership of project deliverables and timelines.
- Demonstrated experience in real-world applications of AI/NLP, including research, industry deployments, or open-source contributions.

Technical Experience Required:

- Expertise in machine learning and deep learning techniques applied to NLP tasks such as text classification, entity recognition, semantic search, summarization, and language modeling.
- Proficiency in Python and libraries such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, Hugging Face, spaCy, scikit-learn, NLTK.
- Strong understanding of statistical methods, experimental design, and data-driven decision-making.
- Experience with model deployment, performance optimization, and working in cloud environments (AWS, GCP, Azure).
- Familiarity with MLOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, and containerization tools (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes) is a plus.

Education & Experience:

- Bachelor's / Master's Degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Computational Linguistics, or a related field.
- Ph.D. (completed or expected within 3 months) preferred.
- 5+ years of experience into Data science role.

At IndiGo, we believe in the innate strength of an energetic, diverse, and inclusive workforce, where the viewpoints and life experiences of our employees help us foster strong connection with all our customers. Our diversity equity and inclusion efforts are designed to attract, nurture, and advance the lives of our employees and customers irrespective of their, but not limited to, gender, race, color, religion, caste, creed, ethnicity, origin, language, social and economic status, sexual orientation, persons with disabilities, nationality, age, marital and maternity status.

IndiGo does not charge fees for Job Interviews, Registration, Verification or Offer Letters. All Official communication will be from verified IndiGo IDs (e.g., [Confidential Information]). Please report any fake job offer to eco.goindigo.in

At IndiGo we are committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable workplace. All employment decisions are made solely on the basis of merit and qualifications, without regard to a candidate's gender, race, color, religion, caste, creed, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation, marital status, maternity status, disability, or social and economic background