Principal Data Scientist

About Ferguson Ferguson is the largest value-added distributor serving the specialized professional in the residential and non-residential North American construction market We help make our customers complex projects simple successful and sustainable by providing expertise and a wide range of products and services from plumbing HVAC appliances and lighting solutions to pipe valves and fittings water and wastewater solutions and more Headquartered in Newport News Virginia Ferguson has sales of 29 6 billion fiscal year 24 and approximately 35 000 associates in nearly 1 800 locations ANSR is the market leader in enabling organizations to build manage and scale global teams through Global Capability Centers GCCs ANSR s full-stack GCC platform comprising end-to-end Al- enabled products and services is trusted by the world s best companies to help them set up manage and run their high-impact technology centers Since its inception ANSR has established over 125 GCCs aggregating to over 125k enterprise talent with over 2B in investment and using over 12M sq ft of workspace Visit ansr com for more information Duties and Responsibilities Lead the design and deployment of enterprise-grade data science and AI solutions ensuring scalability reliability and performance You will leverage tools such as Azure Machine Learning Databricks and other AI frameworks to support analytics machine learning and automation initiatives Architect and lead sophisticated data pipelines and workflows for machine learning ML model development testing and deployment Ensure pipelines are optimized for performance and adhere to MLOps best practices Develop implement and optimize advanced machine learning models to solve business-critical problems Ensure the models are explainable reliable and aligned with ethical AI standards Act as a technical advisor for data scientists AI engineers analysts and business collaborators Translate complex business requirements into robust AI-driven solutions ensuring alignment with organizational goals and measurable outcomes Identify troubleshoot and resolve performance bottlenecks in ML pipelines data workflows and AI models Lead efforts to optimize model performance and system efficiency Ensure all AI and data solutions adhere to governance security and regulatory standards Implement strong data quality frameworks monitor alignment to data ethics and reinforce robust security protocols Provide technical mentorship and guidance to junior and mid-level data scientists AI engineers and data engineers Foster a collaborative innovative environment that encourages continuous learning and professional development Maintain comprehensive documentation of AI models data science workflows and technical designs Champion knowledge sharing and cross-functional collaboration to improve organizational expertise Stay current with advancements in AI machine learning and data science technologies Proactively propose and implement innovative solutions such as generative AI NLP and predictive analytics to drive operational excellence and business impact Qualifications and Requirements Bachelors degree or equivalent experience in Data Science Artificial Intelligence Computer Science or a related field Equivalent practical experience in leading data science and AI projects will also be considered Extensive experience with Azure AI ML tools including Azure Machine Learning Databricks Synapse Analytics and cognitive services like Azure OpenAI Experience with MDM tools like Stibo STEP and Reltio is a plus Proven track record of leading technical teams and managing large-scale AI ML projects including model deployment monitoring and retraining Familiarity with Agile methodologies and project management tools Strong understanding of MLOps frameworks CI CD pipelines version control systems e g Git and containerization technologies e g Docker Kubernetes Proficiency in programming languages and tools relevant to data science and AI including Python R TensorFlow PyTorch Scikit-learn and SQL Demonstrated expertise in developing and optimizing machine learning models for classification regression clustering and NLP tasks Experience with deep learning and generative AI models is a strong plus Exceptional problem-solving skills with the ability to analyze complex datasets uncover insights and develop innovative AI-driven solutions Strong communication and storytelling skills to effectively convey technical concepts and insights to both technical and non-technical stakeholders Commitment to continuous learning and staying updated on the latest advancements in AI machine learning and data science technologies including ethical considerations for AI solutions At Ferguson we care for each other We value our well-being just as much as our hard work We are committed to a holistic approach towards benefits plans and programs that support the mental physical and financial well-being of our associates Our competitive offering not only includes benefits like health dental vision paid time off life insurance and a 401 k with a company match but our associates also enjoy additional meaningful and inclusive enhancements that are adaptable to their diverse situations and needs including mental health coverage gender affirming and family building benefits paid parental leave associate discounts community involvement opportunities and more