Associate Director of Data Science

Location: Columbia, MD, us, Remote

Company Description

Blend is a premier AI services provider, committed to co-creating meaningful impact for its clients through the power of data science, AI, technology, and people. With a mission to fuel bold visions, Blend tackles significant challenges by seamlessly aligning human expertise with artificial intelligence. The company is dedicated to unlocking value and fostering innovation for its clients by harnessing world-class people and data-driven strategy. We believe that the power of people and AI can have a meaningful impact on your world, creating more fulfilling work and projects for our people and clients. For more information, visit www.blend360.com 

Job Description

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Data Scientust to join our team. In this pivotal role, you will lead our data science initiatives, driving innovation and delivering data-driven insights to support strategic decision-making across the organization.

• Lead the delivery of AI and data science projects, managing a team of 4–5 developers and data scientists.

• Design and implement AI solutions leveraging advanced techniques, including prompt engineering, agentic architectures, RAG, computer vision, predictive modeling, deep learning, and optimization.

• Collaborate with stakeholders to translate business requirements into scalable data science solutions.

• Ensure high-quality project execution, including architecture design, solution validation, deployment, and CI/CD management.

• Mentor and guide team members, fostering growth and knowledge sharing.

• Communicate complex technical concepts effectively to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• Maintain oversight of project timelines, resource allocation, and risk management.

Qualifications

• 8–10 years of professional experience in Data Science, including 2–3 years in a Delivery Lead or Team Lead capacity.

• Strong expertise in AI, including prompt engineering, agentic architectures, RAG, and computer vision.

• Proven experience in predictive modeling, deep learning, optimization, algorithm design, and solution architecture.

• Hands-on programming experience with Python and SQL.

• Demonstrated leadership and team management skills.

• Excellent problem-solving, project delivery, and business communication abilities.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Domain knowledge in civil engineering, manufacturing, structural engineering, or mechanical/industrial engineering.

• Project management experience and familiarity with Azure cloud infrastructure.

• Experience with software deployment, quality assurance, CI/CD pipelines, and release cycle management.

Why Join Us:

• Opportunity to lead cutting-edge AI projects across diverse industries.

• Work with a collaborative, high-performing team of data scientists and engineers.

• Influence the strategic direction of AI initiatives within the organization.