Data Scientist

Job Description

Job Description

Data Scientist

Location: Hartford, CT (Hybrid — 2 days onsite weekly; candidates should live within ~100 miles)
1+ year long contract
Schedule: Monday–Friday, 7:30 AM–4:00 PM EST
Hours: 40 hours/week

Project Overview

The Data Scientist will support a statewide analytics initiative focused on transforming large structured and unstructured datasets into actionable insights. This role contributes to the development of a scalable analytics product used for data-driven decision-making, legislative evaluation, and policy improvement. The position requires close collaboration with database teams, business stakeholders, data owners, and analytics committees.

Scope of Work

This role is responsible for delivering measurable impact through data-driven recommendations and developing reliable machine learning models. The Data Scientist will support end-to-end analytics activities, including exploratory analysis, model development, model validation, deployment, and ongoing monitoring. The position also contributes to improving data science best practices and infrastructure.

Key Responsibilities

• Translate business challenges into data science problems and develop analytical solutions.
• Collect, clean, and preprocess large structured and unstructured datasets.
• Assist in developing, validating, and deploying machine learning models.
• Perform statistical analysis and hypothesis testing.
• Assist in the design and analysis of A/B testing.
• Build predictive and prescriptive models.
• Communicate insights clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Collaborate with data engineers and cross-functional teams.
• Monitor model performance and retrain models as needed.
• Contribute to data science documentation and best practices.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Engineering, or related field.
• 2+ years of experience in data science, analytics, or machine learning.
• Proficiency in Python (pandas, NumPy, scikitlearn).
• Experience with SQL and relational databases.
• Strong statistical foundation (probability, hypothesis testing, statistical modeling).
• Experience building and validating ML models (classification, regression, clustering, neural networks).
• Experience with data visualization tools (Tableau, Power BI, etc.).
• Experience working with large datasets.

Preferred Skills

• Experience with deep learning frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch).
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS or Azure).
• Familiarity with MLOps tools (MLflow, Airflow, Docker).
• Experience deploying models within SDLC environments.
• Domain experience in criminal justice or public-sector data (nice to have).
• Strong analytical thinking and problem-solving.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate complex results into actionable insights.
• Self-starter with strong ownership mindset.
• Collaborative and team-oriented.

Administrative Details

• Hybrid schedule with onsite attendance for key meetings.
• Workstation provided.
• Must pass a background investigation and sign confidentiality agreements.
• All work product becomes property of the governing board.
• No travel reimbursement included.