When you join Sallie, you become a champion for all students. Sallie's Education Services team is a diverse group of growth-obsessed entrepreneurs, data analysts, engineers, and developers with a passion for imagining and building scalable businesses for students and families on their unique journey to-through and immediately after higher education. We're on a mission to revolutionize how students and their families plan, pay and complete this journey with confidence. Join a team of seekers, challengers and creative thinkers to change the way students plan for their future for the better. A little bit about us: Would you like to work in an exciting fast-paced start-up place with the backing of a household name company like Sallie Mae to help millions of people meet their educational needs every day? Together, we're connected by the same drive-to be a champion for all students and help them make smart decisions with confidence. Do more than join something-change something…for students, for future generations, and for the future of education. Our new venture, SallieSM, is looking for people like you to be the founding members who will define the future of education services for students and their families in the US. As the first education solutions company, we're creating products and experiences that help students when they need it most. We're connecting students to free money for school, providing tools and resources to plan for college, sharing inside advice on campus life, and so much more. Visit https://www.sallie.com/about to learn more about us. What You'll Contribute We are seeking an experienced Senior Data Scientist to help shape the future of data products at Sallie. This highly visible and impactful role is ideal for someone who thrives at the intersection of advanced analytics, machine learning, and product innovation. You will design and develop cutting-edge data solutions and prototypes that directly support business strategy. As a Senior Data Scientist, you will collaborate with cross-functional teams-including product managers, solution architects, software and data engineers, and external partners-to build intelligent, scalable, and data-driven products. You will drive the development of foundational data architecture, apply machine learning (ML) and generative AI to accelerate product development, and reduce system complexity to support long-term growth. This role plays a central part in evangelizing data-driven decision-making across all operations. Your contributions will directly influence product strategy and help enable high-quality, high-velocity decisions across the organization. You'll bring deep technical expertise along with strong business intuition and leadership skills. You'll be at the forefront of applying state-of-the-art ML and AI to revolutionize how we approach digital advertising, personalization, and learning experiences. You will help shape responsible AI practices and ensure we adopt the best technologies and methods for long-term impact. What You'll Do * Advanced Analytics and Insight Generation: Partner with cross-functional teams to identify analytical opportunities, develop predictive models, and deliver actionable insights that drive product development, customer engagement, and financial performance. Translate complex business problems into data solutions that inform strategic decisions across the organization. * Machine Learning and Generative AI Development: Design, prototype, and deploy machine learning models and generative AI applications to power personalization, intelligent recommendations, and automation across financial products. Continuously refine model performance and ensure scalability in production environments. * Data Architecture and Pipeline Optimization: Collaborate with Data Engineering to define scalable data architecture and build efficient pipelines that support real-time analytics, experimentation, and model training at scale. * Cross-Functional Collaboration and Influence: Work closely with product managers, engineers, designers, and external partners to embed data science into the product lifecycle. Translate technical findings into clear business recommendations that influence roadmaps and strategy. * Responsible AI and Model Governance: Promote best practices in model development, monitoring, and compliance. Ensure fairness, transparency, and accountability in all AI applications, especially when working with sensitive financial or personal data. * Innovation and Industry Awareness: Stay current with the latest trends in ML, AI, and fintech, and bring forward new tools, frameworks, and methodologies to maintain Sallie's competitive edge and technological leadership. The above information is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employees assigned to this job; it is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees in this role. What you have Minimum: Indicate minimum education, skills and experience required. * BS in Computer Science, Data Science, Statistics, Mathematics, or a related quantitative field. Master's degree preferred. * 7+ years of hands-on experience in data science, including the design, implementation, and deployment of statistical models or machine learning solutions in a product-oriented environment * Demonstrated success working across the full technology product lifecycle within distributed, multi-tiered systems involving algorithms, APIs, and large-scale databases * Strong proficiency in SQL and experience working with relational and cloud-based databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL, Snowflake) to extract and analyze product and user behavior data * Advanced programming skills in Python or R, with experience using libraries and frameworks for statistical modeling, machine learning, and data manipulation * Expertise in customer segmentation, cohort analysis, and behavioral analytics to inform personalized user experiences and data-driven marketing strategies * Track record of leveraging advanced data analytics and experimentation (e.g., A/B testing, multivariate testing) to guide strategic decisions, improve business outcomes, and optimize product performance. * Strong quantitative and problem-solving skills, with a track record of translating data into actionable insights and measurable outcomes * Excellent organizational and time-management skills, with attention to detail and a commitment to quality execution. Preferred: Indicate "nice to haves" regarding education, skills, and experience. * PhD in Computer Science, Data Science, Mathematics, or a related quantitative field * Experience with cloud computing platforms (e.g., AWS, GCP) and orchestration of machine learning workflows using tools like SageMaker, Lambda, Step Functions, or Vertex AI * Familiarity with generative AI and large language model development or integration (e.g., OpenAI, Hugging Face) * Experience developing custom algorithms and working with both open-source toolkits and self-developed code * Prior experience in highly regulated industries (e.g., fintech, insurance, healthcare), with an understanding of data privacy, compliance, and risk management in product design * Working knowledge of experimentation platforms and frameworks for causal inference, uplift modeling, or attribution modeling The Americans with Disabilities Act The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) prohibits discrimination by employers, in compensation and employment opportunities, against qualified individuals with disabilities who, with or without reasonable accommodation, can perform the "essential functions" of a job. A function may be essential for any of several reasons, including: the job exists to perform that function, the employee holding the job was hired for his/her expertise in performing the function, or only a limited number of employees are available to perform that function. Feeling your best helps you do your best: Our benefits take care of the whole you-so you can build your work around your life (not the other way around!). * Competitive base salaries * Bonus incentives * Generous PTO, Floating Holidays and 12 Federal Holidays observed * Support for financial-well-being and retirement 401k with employer match * Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, hospital indemnity, critical illness, pet insurance and more * Employer paid short-term/long-term disability and basic life insurance * Flexible hybrid working arrangements. * Paid parental leave and adoption reimbursement programs * Free access to on-site staffed fitness centers (in Delaware) and gym subsidy (for locations outside Delaware) * Confidential counseling support (EAP), Health Advocacy services and Wellness program with financial incentives * Tuition Reimbursement and Family Scholarship Programs * Career development and training opportunities Not the right fit? Let us know you're interested in a future opportunity by clicking Introduce Yourself in the top-right corner of the page or create an account to set up email alerts as new job postings become available that meet your interest! Sallie Mae is proud to be an equal opportunity (EEO) employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, genetic information, gender identity, disability, Veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. Click here to view the U.S. Pay Transparency Policy, here for federal job applicant notices, and here to view the California Employee Privacy Notice. Reasonable accommodations are available for applicants with disabilities in all phases of the application and employment process. To request an accommodation please call (855) 756-2007 and choose option 9. All information you provide will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extent required to provide needed reasonable accommodations.