Data Scientist - Premera Blue Cross

**Join Our Team: Do Meaningful Work and Improve People's Lives** Our purpose, to improve customers' lives by making healthcare work better, is far from ordinary. And so are our employees. Working at Premera means you have the opportunity to drive real change by transforming healthcare. To better serve our customers, we're creating a culture that promotes employee growth, collaborative innovation, and inspired leadership. We are committed to creating an environment where employees can do their best work and where best-in-class talent comes, stays, and thrives! As a result of these efforts we are proud to share that Forbes ranked Premera among America's 2023 Best Midsize Employers (https://www.forbes.com/lists/best-midsize-employers/?sh=58210f5e210f) and America's 2023 Best Employers By State (https://www.forbes.com/lists/best-employers-by-state/?sh=21c7c3d1983b) . Learn how Premera supports our members, customers and the communities that we serve through our Healthsource blog: https://healthsource.premera.com . As a **Data Scientist** , you will design, develop, and implement data-driven solutions to address pressing issues within the delivery of healthcare. You will use computing, business, and quantitative skills to programmatically solve increasingly complex business analytic problems (scenario planning, prediction, discovery) and combine analytics and programming to explore new problem spaces using Machine Learning and Data Mining methods with structured and unstructured data. **This is a virtual/telecommuter position, working from home. This position can be hired at a Level III or Level IV, depending upon experience.** **What you'll do:** + Solve new business problems using quantitative, business and healthcare principles, and scientific methods using computational methods and machine learning skills. + Create data models, APIs, and pipelines for use in data products. + Conduct exploration and in-depth evaluation of source system data and processes, as well as exogenous data sources to provide strategic level insights and recommendations for data science applications. + Consult with senior and executive level business leaders to develop a deep understanding of needs, pace, and direction of business. Anticipate customer's analytics needs and proactively conceptualize and champion high value analytic solutions. + Architect and implement rigorous experimental designs leveraging advanced statistical methodologies and machine learning paradigms to validate and optimize analytical algorithms. Collaborate with domain experts to construct robust A/B tests, multivariate experiments, and causal inference frameworks, ensuring statistical power and minimizing confounding variables. + Work with AI Engineers to optimize data science and machine learning algorithms. Act as a resource to technical community and business partners. + Ensure the monitoring of production models and continually assess their fitness for use. Troubleshoot issues as they arise solving problems independently as well as collaboratively. + Routinely assess business value realized by ML/AI solutions. + Implement and ensure adherence to SDLC, peer review, and responsible AI best practices, including ethical considerations like fairness and explainability. + Peer mentor and train other team members by introducing them to new technologies, methods, and learning resources. + Maintain regular contact with customers through development cycle to ensure each step of implementation tracks customer's needs. + Lead small analytics projects applying a working knowledge of Agile and SCRUM project methodologies utilizing Azure DevOps. + Champion continuous upskilling in cutting-edge ML paradigms and data architectures, fostering a culture of adaptive expertise. Exemplify proficiency in emerging technologies to catalyze team-wide technical evolution. **What you'll bring:** **Minimum Qualifications** + Bachelor's Degree in Statistics, Computer Science, Programming, Data Science, or similar quantitative field. **(Required for both Level III and Level IV)** + (5) years of experience in quantitative analytics, programming, and/or data engineering or data science. **(Required for Level III)** + (8) years of experience in quantitative analytics, programming, and/or data engineering or data science. **(Required for Level IV)** **Preferred Qualifications** + Master's Degree or PhD in Statistics, Computer Science/Engineering, Data Science, or similar quantitative field. + Experience with programming or scripting preferably in Python, as well as a working familiarity with cloud computing environments such as Azure. + Experience working with and contributing to open-source libraries and tools. + Experience with data model building and validation, as well as familiarity with scaling solutions to large-scale transactional production environments. + Experience leading multidisciplinary as well as highly technical project teams. + Strong track record of innovating in machine learning algorithms and applications within a high-volume production environment. **Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities** + Ability to use a wide variety of data technologies which will evolve and change over time. Examples include Azure, Snowflake, Dataiku DSS, MS SQL Server, Python, Java, and Tableau. + Able to apply a wide range of advanced analytics techniques such as cluster analysis, k-means, Bayesian, CART analysis, random forest, decision trees, neural network, and AI/machine learning to perform exploratory data analysis, data analysis, and data experiments. + Proficient in applying state-of-the-art analytics and machine learning techniques across the entire data science lifecycle, including: + Dimensionality reduction (t-SNE, UMAP) + Advanced ensemble methods (XGBoost, LightGBM) + Deep Learning frameworks (Pytorch, Tensorflow) + Bayesian networks and Markov random fields (Pyro, PyMC, pgmpy) + Explainable AI (SHAP, integrated gradients, DICE/FACE) + Representation learning (SwAV, BYOL) + Expert knowledge of various database technologies such as relational databases (SQL), graph databases (Neo4j), time-series databases (TimescaleDB), and vector databases (Pinecone). + Familiarity with Data Warehousing (Snowflake) and Data Lakes (Hadoop). + Demonstrated experience in data extraction, manipulation, data management, predictive and descriptive data modeling, forecasting, trending, interpreting, displaying, and communicating results/recommendations. + Good written communication skills and ability to communicate complex quantitative analysis in a clear, precise, and actionable manner. + Good interpersonal skills with the ability to work both independently and as a member of a team. + Strong proficiency in probability theory and statistical learning theory, as well as advanced machine learning paradigms and mathematical modeling techniques. + Able to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions, as well as find relationships among seemingly unrelated business or healthcare events. + Able to anticipate business customer's analytics needs and proactively conceptualize and champion high-value data product solutions. **National Salary Range (Level III):** $93,300.00 - $158,600.00 **National Plus Salary Range (Level III):** $106,300.00 - $180,700.00 **National Salary Range (Level IV):** $112,900.00 - $191,900.00 **National Plus Salary Range (Level IV):** $128,700.00 - $218,800.00 _*National Plus salary range is used in higher cost of labor markets including Western Washington and Alaska._ **What we offer** + Medical, vision and dental coverage + Life and disability insurance + Retirement programs (401K employer match and pension plan) + Wellness incentives, onsite services, a discount program and more + Tuition assistance for undergraduate and graduate degrees + Generous Paid Time Off to reenergize + Free parking **Equal employment** **opportunity/affirmative** **action:** Premera is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Premera seeks to attract and retain the most qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation, genetic information or any other protected characteristic under applicable law. If you need an accommodation to apply online for positions at Premera, please contact Premera Human Resources via email at careers@premera.com or via phone at 425-918-4785. **Premera is hiring in the following states, with some limitations based on role or city:** Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin _._ The pay for this role will vary based on a range of factors including, but not limited to, a candidate's geographic location, market conditions, and specific skills and experience. **National Salary Range:** $112,900.00 - $191,900.00 **National Plus Salary Range:** $128,700.00 - $218,800.00 _*National Plus salary range is used in higher cost of labor markets including Western Washington and Alaska_ _._ At Premera, we make healthcare work better. By focusing on improving our customers' experience purposefully and serving their needs passionately, we make the process easier, less costly, and more positive. Through empathy and advocacy, we change lives. As the leading health plan in the Pacific Northwest, we provide comprehensive health benefits and services to more than 2 million customers, from individuals to Fortune 100 companies. Our services include innovative programs focused on health management, wellness, prevention, and patient safety. We deliver these programs through health, life, vision, dental, disability, and other related products and services. Premera Blue Cross is headquartered in Mountlake Terrace, WA, with operations in Spokane and Anchorage. The company has operated in Washington since 1933 and in Alaska since 1952. With more than 80 years of experience in the region, we deliver innovation, choice, and expertise.