Data Science Lead Jobs in New York
Data Science Lead jobs in New York are among the most active in the country, concentrated in finance, media, healthcare, and technology across a market that ranges from early-career team leads to senior principal roles. Most hiring is centered in New York City, with additional clusters in Buffalo and Albany, where employers like JPMorgan Chase, IBM, and Memorial Sloan Kettering maintain lasting data science practices. The most in-demand specialties are machine learning engineering, NLP, and applied analytics for financial modeling and clinical research. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Requisition ID
94081
Department
Tech Data AI Ventures
Job Function
Tech Data AI Ventures
Location
New York, New York, United States
Role Location Designation
Hybrid - 3 days per week
Role Overview
As part of the Artificial Intelligence & Data (AI&D) organization, you will contribute to New York Life’s AI-led transformation by developing and supporting the deployment of AI and Machine Learning solutions that enhance efficiency, enable a seamless customer experience, and improve client, agent, and employee experiences, delivering unparalleled value as the firm continues to become tech, data, and AI enabled.
This role will support the development of AI solutions spanning traditional Machine Learning, Generative AI, and Agentic AI, while also providing technical leadership through mentoring junior data scientists and interns, supporting their growth and development. You will work in close partnership with business product owners to champion new ideas that advance AI adoption, while helping measure, articulate, and communicate business value.
You will collaborate closely with business stakeholders, data scientists, engineers, and product and technology partners, contribute to hiring decisions for full-time employees, interns, and contractors, and continue to build expertise in enterprise AI practices, model lifecycle management, responsible AI principles, and New York Life’s technology ecosystem.
What You’ll Do:
- Lead the execution of AI/ML and GenAI initiatives in partnership with data, technology, product, and business teams to deliver scalable solutions
- Partner with tech and business lead to redesign and operationalize business workflows that embed the AI, GenAI and Agentic solutions.
- Own business-aligned OKRs for AI initiatives, ensuring efforts are outcome-driven, tied to enterprise value creation and supported through PI planning and roadmap development.
- Deliver all aspects of full Model Development Life Cycle (MDLC) from data exploration and feature engineering to model training, validation, deployment, and performance monitoring.
- Develop and help operate models using cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, GCP) and modern data platforms (Snowflake, Databricks), ensuring quality, security, and scalability, partner with ML engineers for large-scale production deployment and scaling.
- Implement and refine LLM/RAG approaches (vector stores, embeddings, retrieval optimization, prompt orchestration) with evaluators for reliability.
- Adhere to model governance, documentation, testing, and CI/CD best practices in partnership with MLOps.
- Mentor and hire junior data scientists, interns and vendor resources to deliver key business initiatives.
- Assist in designing and evaluating agentic/AI-powered solutions that automate routine business tasks with human-in-the-loop checkpoints, escalation thresholds, and safety guardrails.
- Work with AI Engineers to ensure AI capabilities are accessible through APIs, dashboards, and integrated workflow applications used by business teams.
- Build lightweight UI prototypes (e.g., Streamlit) to validate usability and support adoption.
- Stay informed on industry trends by engaging in relevant conferences and sharing key insights with internal and external audiences as appropriate.
- This role involves limited travel (<10%) to events and vendor meetings.
What You’ll Bring:
- Advanced degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Machine Learning, AI, Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, or a related quantitative field.
- 8+ years of experience applying data science and AI/ML to real-world business problems.
- 2+ years of experience working with business stakeholders for delivering on the key roadmap initiatives.
- Ability to communicate complex ideas simply, presenting impact, trade-offs, and recommendations to non-technical partners.
- Proficiency in Python and SQL; working knowledge of core software engineering concepts (version control with Git/GitHub, testing, logging).
- Solid experience with cloud platforms like AWS/GCP services (e.g., SageMaker, Bedrock, Vertex AI) and modern data ecosystems (Snowflake/Databricks).
- Working knowledge of LLMs, RAG architecture, and agentic frameworks, including safe automation design and evaluation practices.
- Solid grounding in ML methods (supervised and unsupervised learning, gradient boosting, exposure to deep learning), feature engineering, regularization, cross-validation.
- Ability to translate analytical findings into clear business insights and collaborate effectively with cross-functional partners. Translate them into an overall AI roadmap.
- Experience collaborating across product, data, and engineering teams to deliver scalable, production-ready AI solutions.
- Experience in Life Insurance industry or consumer finance domains is a plus.
Pay Transparency
Salary Range: $147,500-$211,000
Overtime eligible: Exempt
Discretionary bonus eligible: Yes
Sales bonus eligible: No
Actual base salary will be determined based on several factors but not limited to individual’s experience, skills, qualifications, and job location. Additionally, employees are eligible for an annual discretionary bonus. In addition to base salary, employees may also be eligible to participate in an incentive program.
Company Overview
At New York Life, our 180-year legacy of purpose and integrity fuels our future. As we evolve into a more technology-, data-, and AI-enabled organization, we remain grounded in the values that drive lasting impact.
Our diverse business portfolio creates opportunities to make a difference across industries and communities—inviting bold thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and purpose-driven innovation. Here, you’ll find the rare balance of long-standing stability and forward momentum, supported by an inclusive team that honors tradition while embracing progress.
As a Fortune 100 mutual company, we offer a place to grow your skills, contribute to meaningful work, and deliver solutions that matter. Your ideas drive what’s next, and your growth powers it.
Our Benefits
We provide a full package of benefits for employees – and have unique offerings for a modern workforce, including leave programs, adoption assistance, and student loan repayment programs. Based on feedback from our employees, we continue to refine and add benefits to our offering, so that you can flourish both inside and outside of work.
Our Commitment to Inclusion
At New York Life, fostering an inclusive workplace is fundamental to who we are and how we serve our communities. We have a longstanding commitment to creating an environment where individuals can contribute their best and succeed together. This foundation is rooted in our core values of humanity and integrity, ensuring that every employee feels valued and supported. By embracing a broad range of perspectives and experiences, we achieve greater success and fulfill our promise of providing financial security and peace of mind to families across all communities.
Recognized as one of Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies, New York Life is committed to improving local communities through a culture of employee giving and volunteerism, supported by the Foundation. We're proud that due to our mutuality, we operate in the best interests of our policy owners.
Job Requisition ID: 94081
See All 140+ Data Science Lead Jobs in New York
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Find Data Science Lead JobsData Science Lead Jobs by City in New York
Where New York roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Data Science Lead Job Market in New York
A snapshot from current New York openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
- Capital One29

- New York Life9

- Citi6

- Bloomberg5

- Braze4

Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software40
- Banking & Financial Services26
- Insurance13
- Investment & Asset Management13
- Fintech9
What New York Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in data science lead jobs across New York.
- Bachelor's or master's degree in statistics, computer science, or a related quantitative field
- Five or more years of applied data science experience with at least two in a lead or senior role
- Proficiency in Python, R, and SQL with hands-on experience in machine learning frameworks such as TensorFlow or PyTorch
- Demonstrated ability to translate business problems into data science solutions in financial services or healthcare settings
- Experience leading cross-functional teams, mentoring junior data scientists, and presenting findings to executive stakeholders
- Familiarity with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud and with MLOps pipelines and model deployment practices
Data Science Lead Jobs in New York: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a data science lead in New York?
There is no state-issued license required to work as a data science lead in New York, so the path runs through education and demonstrated experience. Most candidates hold at least a bachelor's degree in a quantitative field, with a master's increasingly expected for leadership roles in finance and healthcare. Building a portfolio of end-to-end projects, contributing to open-source work, and progressing through senior individual-contributor roles at New York employers are the most reliable steps toward a lead title.
How much do data science leads make in New York?
Data science leads in New York earn a median of about $130,460 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $73,330 for the lowest 10% to over $214,080 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire data science leads in New York?
Employers hiring data science leads in New York right now include Capital One, New York Life, and Citi, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of June 2026. New York's concentration of financial institutions, major health systems, and global media companies means demand for data science leads is spread across sectors rather than limited to pure-tech firms.
Which New York cities have the most data science lead jobs?
The cities with the most data science lead openings in New York are New York, East Aurora, and Sleepy Hollow. New York City drives the overwhelming share of listings given the density of financial services, media, advertising technology, and healthcare organizations headquartered there, while Buffalo and Albany see demand from regional healthcare networks, insurance carriers, and state government agencies that maintain in-house analytics teams.
Are there remote data science lead jobs in New York?
Yes, and more than most fields. About 31% of data science lead openings tied to New York are remote or hybrid as of June 2026, reflecting the desk-based, collaborative nature of the work. The most fully remote opportunities tend to be at technology companies and financial services firms with distributed teams, while roles involving sensitive clinical data or embedded product teams are more likely to require in-office days in New York City.
How can I get hired as a data science lead in New York with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is moving into a data scientist or senior analyst role first, then building toward a lead title through internal promotion. Large New York employers like Citigroup, NYU Langone Health, and Verizon run rotational analytics programs and new-graduate hiring tracks that place candidates without leadership experience into structured team environments. Building skills in Python and machine learning, completing a publicly visible project portfolio, and pursuing roles in adjacent positions like data analyst or machine learning engineer are the credentials that open the door fastest.
Where can I find and apply to data science lead jobs in New York?
You can find and apply to data science lead jobs in New York on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from employers hiring in the state right now. Find roles that fit your experience and apply directly to the ones that match.
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