Senior Associate, Data Science (Value Creation)
Compensation: $300,000 to $360,000 total cash equivalent
Location: New York City (hybrid)
Private equity value creation, data-led
A top-tier global private equity firm is building out its New York-based data science function and hiring multiple Senior Associate-level hires. This team sits close to the investment and portfolio leadership, helping identify value creation opportunities, pressure test deals pre-signing, and then partner with portfolio companies to ship pragmatic, measurable data products after close.
You are not being hired to optimize a single model for a year. You will be expected to move quickly, communicate clearly, and tie your work back to commercial impact.
Responsibilities
- Partner with investment teams to support pre-deal diligence through data analysis and rapid, decision-grade insights
- Work directly with portfolio companies to identify where data science can drive growth or efficiency, then build proof of concepts and help roll them out
- Translate ambiguous business problems into executable data science workstreams
- Build and implement models with a value-first mindset, not research for research’s sake
- Present findings to non-technical stakeholders in clear business terms, including senior portfolio leadership
What they are looking for
- Strong data science foundations and comfort implementing solutions end to end
- Evidence you can connect technical work to business outcomes (not just accuracy metrics)
- Clear communication and strong executive presence with non-technical stakeholders
- Comfort operating at pace, across industries, with shifting context
- Bonus points for experience in consulting, private equity, or other environments where you have to structure messy problems fast
Tech stack and environment
- Python-first data science and analytics work
- Business problem coverage typically includes churn and retention, demand and elasticity, inventory optimization, forecasting, product usage analysis, and growth opportunity mapping
- Blend of pre-deal analysis and post-deal implementation, often with imperfect real-world data
Compensation and contract notes
- Structured as a 1099 annual contract with strong expectation of renewal and a clear growth path
- The team is actively benchmarking to keep the all-in package competitive with senior data science roles at top consulting and tech organizations
- Visa sponsorship is unlikely for this structure
Interview process
- Initial conversation (high-signal fit check focused on how you think and communicate impact)
- Technical deep dive plus structured case-style discussion
- Take-home case (48 hours to complete, designed to test problem framing, execution, and communication)
- Final conversation with senior technical leadership (more of a team fit and working style discussion)
About People In AI
People In AI is a specialist recruiting firm focused on AI, machine learning, data science, and the engineering functions that support them. We work directly with hiring leaders to give candidates a clear view of role scope, expectations, and the real evaluation criteria, so you can decide quickly and confidently whether it is the right move.
