Cognizant is looking for a Senior Data Scientist to join our Technology Consulting - Data & AI team. You will design, build, and deploy advanced machine learning and generative AI solutions to solve complex business challenges for clients, working closely with client stakeholders, data engineers, and cloud architects.

What You'll Do

Design, develop, and optimize machine learning and AI models to address real-world business problems across industries.
Lead data exploration, feature engineering, model training, validation, and performance evaluation aligned to business objectives.
Build and operationalize scalable ML pipelines using cloud-native platforms and MLOps best practices.
Collaborate with generative AI engineers to integrate ML models with LLM-based solutions, including retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) and hybrid AI architectures.
Partner with client stakeholders to translate analytical insights into clear, actionable recommendations and measurable outcomes.

What We're Looking For

8+ years of experience in technology consulting, data science, or applied machine learning in a client-facing environment.
Strong hands-on experience developing, testing, and deploying machine learning models using Python and modern ML frameworks.
Solid foundation in statistics, probability, and analytical techniques for model validation and decision support.
Experience working with cloud-based data and ML platforms (e.g., Azure or AWS) and production ML pipelines.
Proven ability to communicate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Nice to Have

Experience with generative AI and large language models (LLMs), including prompt engineering and evaluation techniques.
Exposure to MLOps practices such as CI/CD pipelines, model monitoring, versioning, and governance.
Familiarity with tools such as Databricks, data lakes, feature stores, or containerized ML deployments.
Consulting experience leading client workshops, contributing to solution design, or supporting pre-sales activities.
A collaborative mindset, comfort with ambiguity, and a strong focus on client outcomes.