H-1B Visa Principal Scientist Jobs
Principal Scientist roles qualify as H-1B visa specialty occupations under the research and life sciences SOC codes, requiring at least a bachelor's degree in a directly related field. Large pharmaceutical, biotech, and tech R&D employers regularly file H-1B petitions for this title, and many are cap-exempt through university or nonprofit research affiliations.
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Get Access To All JobsINTRODUCTION
We’re building a world of health around every individual — shaping a more connected, convenient and compassionate health experience. At CVS Health®, you’ll be surrounded by passionate colleagues who care deeply, innovate with purpose, hold ourselves accountable and prioritize safety and quality in everything we do. Join us and be part of something bigger – helping to simplify health care one person, one family and one community at a time.
Position Summary
CVS Health is seeking a highly innovative, hands-on, and technically accomplished Principal Data Scientist to serve as the senior technical leader for the Excalibur team, a strategic organization responsible for building advanced data, analytics, machine learning, and generative AI solutions that improve IT operations and productivity for more than 350,000 CVS Health colleagues.
As a Principal Data Scientist, you will play a critical role in shaping the future of AI-driven operational excellence across CVS Health. This role combines deep technical execution with people leadership, offering the opportunity to architect and deliver enterprise-scale machine learning models, AI agents, advanced analytics platforms, and generative AI solutions that directly impact the colleague experience and technology operations across one of the largest healthcare organizations in the United States.
The Principal Data Scientist will serve as the technical anchor for the Excalibur team, leveraging the Excalibur Data Lake, a unified Databricks platform that brings together colleague, application, operational, and telemetry data. You will personally design, build, deploy, and monitor production-grade AI and machine learning solutions while leading and mentoring a team of talented data scientists, engineers, and analysts. This is an exciting opportunity for a Principal Data Scientist who wants to remain close to the code while influencing technical strategy, advancing enterprise AI maturity, and developing high-performing teams. The role provides significant executive visibility, ownership of mission-critical AI initiatives, exposure to cutting-edge technologies, and the opportunity to create measurable business impact at enterprise scale. Success in this role will position you as a key technical leader driving the next generation of data and AI capabilities across CVS Health.
Responsibilities
- Design, develop, deploy, and monitor machine learning models, predictive analytics solutions, and generative AI applications that improve IT operations, colleague productivity, and business outcomes.
- Build and maintain scalable data pipelines, data products, and curated datasets on Databricks, transforming application, operational, and telemetry data into trusted enterprise assets.
- Architect and deliver self-service analytics, interactive reporting, and conversational "chat with your data" experiences that enable data-driven decision making across technology and business teams.
- Write and review production-quality Python, SQL, and Spark code while establishing best practices for software engineering, data quality, testing, model development, AI governance, and MLOps.
- Own the team's technical roadmap and drive architecture decisions related to machine learning approaches, feature engineering, model selection, validation strategies, AI frameworks, and platform design.
- Partner with product managers, business stakeholders, engineers, architects, and technology leaders to prioritize opportunities, align technical solutions to business needs, and deliver measurable value.
- Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of data scientists, engineers, and analysts through coaching, technical reviews, career development, and a culture of continuous learning and innovation.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- 10+ years in Data Science, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, or Advanced Analytics, delivering production-ready solutions and measurable business outcomes within complex enterprise environments.
- 6+ years developing production-quality solutions using Python, SQL, and Spark, including testing, version control, and software engineering best practices.
- 4+ years building scalable data pipelines, managing data quality at scale, and supporting cloud-based data lake architectures, including 3+ years with Databricks or a comparable modern data and AI platform.
- 2+ years designing and deploying Generative AI solutions, including Large Language Models (LLMs), AI agents, and related AI-powered applications within enterprise environments.
- 3+ years leading or mentoring data scientists and engineers, conducting technical design and code reviews, building analytics and visualization solutions, and translating complex business challenges into machine learning, analytics, and AI products.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Master's degree or PhD in Computer Science, Data Science, Statistics, Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, or a related quantitative discipline.
- Experience implementing MLOps, model monitoring, LLM observability, and machine learning lifecycle management using platforms such as MLflow, Arize AI, Databricks or similar tools.
- Experience developing and deploying CI/CD pipelines, DevOps practices, and automated software delivery frameworks for data science and machine learning solutions leveraging GitHub Actions.
- Experience building forecasting, anomaly detection, recommendation, scoring, or optimization models within large-scale enterprise environments.
- Experience with Databricks Unity Catalog, enterprise data governance, data sharing frameworks, and modern data management practices.
- Strong communication and influencing skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts into actionable insights for technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Publications, patents, conference presentations, open-source contributions, or other demonstrated achievements in machine learning, analytics, artificial intelligence, or generative AI.
Education
Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or equivalent work experience (High School Diploma/GED plus 4 years of relevant experience).
BUSINESS OVERVIEW
Bring your heart to CVS Health. Every one of us at CVS Health shares a single, clear purpose: Bringing our heart to every moment of your health. This purpose guides our commitment to deliver enhanced human-centric healthcare for a rapidly changing world. Anchored in our brand — with heart at its center — our purpose sends a personal message that how we deliver our services is just as important as what we deliver. Our Heart At Work Behaviors™ support this purpose. We want everyone who works at CVS Health to feel empowered by the role they play in transforming our culture and accelerating our ability to innovate and deliver solutions to make healthcare more personal, convenient, and affordable.
We strive to promote and sustain a culture of diversity, inclusion, and belonging every day. CVS Health is an affirmative action employer and is an equal opportunity employer, as are the physician-owned businesses for which CVS Health provides management services. We do not discriminate in recruiting, hiring, promotion, or any other personnel action based on race, ethnicity, color, national origin, sex/gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. We proudly support and encourage people with military experience (active duty, veterans, reservists, National Guard members, and military spouses) to apply for CVS Health job opportunities.
Pay Range
The typical pay range for this role is:
$144,200.00 - $288,400.00
This pay range represents the base hourly rate or base annual full-time salary for all positions in the job grade within which this position falls. The actual base salary offer will depend on a variety of factors including experience, education, geography and other relevant factors. This position is eligible for a CVS Health bonus, commission or short-term incentive program in addition to the base pay range listed above. This position also includes an award target in the company’s equity award program.
Our people fuel our future. Our teams reflect the customers, patients, members and communities we serve and we are committed to fostering a workplace where every colleague feels valued and that they belong.
Great benefits for great people
We take pride in offering a comprehensive and competitive mix of pay and benefits that reflects our commitment to our colleagues and their families.
This full-time position is eligible for a comprehensive benefits package designed to support the physical, emotional, and financial well-being of colleagues and their families. The benefits for this position include medical, dental, and vision coverage, paid time off, retirement savings options, wellness programs, and other resources, based on eligibility.
Additional details about available benefits are provided during the application process and on Benefits Moments.
We anticipate the application window for this opening will close on: 10/31/2026
Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all federal, state and local laws.
INTRODUCTION
We’re building a world of health around every individual — shaping a more connected, convenient and compassionate health experience. At CVS Health®, you’ll be surrounded by passionate colleagues who care deeply, innovate with purpose, hold ourselves accountable and prioritize safety and quality in everything we do. Join us and be part of something bigger – helping to simplify health care one person, one family and one community at a time.
Position Summary
CVS Health is seeking a highly innovative, hands-on, and technically accomplished Principal Data Scientist to serve as the senior technical leader for the Excalibur team, a strategic organization responsible for building advanced data, analytics, machine learning, and generative AI solutions that improve IT operations and productivity for more than 350,000 CVS Health colleagues.
As a Principal Data Scientist, you will play a critical role in shaping the future of AI-driven operational excellence across CVS Health. This role combines deep technical execution with people leadership, offering the opportunity to architect and deliver enterprise-scale machine learning models, AI agents, advanced analytics platforms, and generative AI solutions that directly impact the colleague experience and technology operations across one of the largest healthcare organizations in the United States.
The Principal Data Scientist will serve as the technical anchor for the Excalibur team, leveraging the Excalibur Data Lake, a unified Databricks platform that brings together colleague, application, operational, and telemetry data. You will personally design, build, deploy, and monitor production-grade AI and machine learning solutions while leading and mentoring a team of talented data scientists, engineers, and analysts. This is an exciting opportunity for a Principal Data Scientist who wants to remain close to the code while influencing technical strategy, advancing enterprise AI maturity, and developing high-performing teams. The role provides significant executive visibility, ownership of mission-critical AI initiatives, exposure to cutting-edge technologies, and the opportunity to create measurable business impact at enterprise scale. Success in this role will position you as a key technical leader driving the next generation of data and AI capabilities across CVS Health.
Responsibilities
- Design, develop, deploy, and monitor machine learning models, predictive analytics solutions, and generative AI applications that improve IT operations, colleague productivity, and business outcomes.
- Build and maintain scalable data pipelines, data products, and curated datasets on Databricks, transforming application, operational, and telemetry data into trusted enterprise assets.
- Architect and deliver self-service analytics, interactive reporting, and conversational "chat with your data" experiences that enable data-driven decision making across technology and business teams.
- Write and review production-quality Python, SQL, and Spark code while establishing best practices for software engineering, data quality, testing, model development, AI governance, and MLOps.
- Own the team's technical roadmap and drive architecture decisions related to machine learning approaches, feature engineering, model selection, validation strategies, AI frameworks, and platform design.
- Partner with product managers, business stakeholders, engineers, architects, and technology leaders to prioritize opportunities, align technical solutions to business needs, and deliver measurable value.
- Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of data scientists, engineers, and analysts through coaching, technical reviews, career development, and a culture of continuous learning and innovation.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- 10+ years in Data Science, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, or Advanced Analytics, delivering production-ready solutions and measurable business outcomes within complex enterprise environments.
- 6+ years developing production-quality solutions using Python, SQL, and Spark, including testing, version control, and software engineering best practices.
- 4+ years building scalable data pipelines, managing data quality at scale, and supporting cloud-based data lake architectures, including 3+ years with Databricks or a comparable modern data and AI platform.
- 2+ years designing and deploying Generative AI solutions, including Large Language Models (LLMs), AI agents, and related AI-powered applications within enterprise environments.
- 3+ years leading or mentoring data scientists and engineers, conducting technical design and code reviews, building analytics and visualization solutions, and translating complex business challenges into machine learning, analytics, and AI products.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Master's degree or PhD in Computer Science, Data Science, Statistics, Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, or a related quantitative discipline.
- Experience implementing MLOps, model monitoring, LLM observability, and machine learning lifecycle management using platforms such as MLflow, Arize AI, Databricks or similar tools.
- Experience developing and deploying CI/CD pipelines, DevOps practices, and automated software delivery frameworks for data science and machine learning solutions leveraging GitHub Actions.
- Experience building forecasting, anomaly detection, recommendation, scoring, or optimization models within large-scale enterprise environments.
- Experience with Databricks Unity Catalog, enterprise data governance, data sharing frameworks, and modern data management practices.
- Strong communication and influencing skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts into actionable insights for technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Publications, patents, conference presentations, open-source contributions, or other demonstrated achievements in machine learning, analytics, artificial intelligence, or generative AI.
Education
Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or equivalent work experience (High School Diploma/GED plus 4 years of relevant experience).
BUSINESS OVERVIEW
Bring your heart to CVS Health. Every one of us at CVS Health shares a single, clear purpose: Bringing our heart to every moment of your health. This purpose guides our commitment to deliver enhanced human-centric healthcare for a rapidly changing world. Anchored in our brand — with heart at its center — our purpose sends a personal message that how we deliver our services is just as important as what we deliver. Our Heart At Work Behaviors™ support this purpose. We want everyone who works at CVS Health to feel empowered by the role they play in transforming our culture and accelerating our ability to innovate and deliver solutions to make healthcare more personal, convenient, and affordable.
We strive to promote and sustain a culture of diversity, inclusion, and belonging every day. CVS Health is an affirmative action employer and is an equal opportunity employer, as are the physician-owned businesses for which CVS Health provides management services. We do not discriminate in recruiting, hiring, promotion, or any other personnel action based on race, ethnicity, color, national origin, sex/gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. We proudly support and encourage people with military experience (active duty, veterans, reservists, National Guard members, and military spouses) to apply for CVS Health job opportunities.
Pay Range
The typical pay range for this role is:
$144,200.00 - $288,400.00
This pay range represents the base hourly rate or base annual full-time salary for all positions in the job grade within which this position falls. The actual base salary offer will depend on a variety of factors including experience, education, geography and other relevant factors. This position is eligible for a CVS Health bonus, commission or short-term incentive program in addition to the base pay range listed above. This position also includes an award target in the company’s equity award program.
Our people fuel our future. Our teams reflect the customers, patients, members and communities we serve and we are committed to fostering a workplace where every colleague feels valued and that they belong.
Great benefits for great people
We take pride in offering a comprehensive and competitive mix of pay and benefits that reflects our commitment to our colleagues and their families.
This full-time position is eligible for a comprehensive benefits package designed to support the physical, emotional, and financial well-being of colleagues and their families. The benefits for this position include medical, dental, and vision coverage, paid time off, retirement savings options, wellness programs, and other resources, based on eligibility.
Additional details about available benefits are provided during the application process and on Benefits Moments.
We anticipate the application window for this opening will close on: 10/31/2026
Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all federal, state and local laws.
See all 1,009+ H-1B Visa Principal Scientist Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new H-1B Visa Principal Scientist Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding H-1B Visa Sponsorship as a Principal Scientist
Verify your SOC code before applying
Principal Scientist maps to multiple SOC codes depending on your discipline. Check O*NET to confirm the right code for your specialty, since mismatches between your degree field and the SOC code on the LCA are a common source of H-1B RFEs.
Target cap-exempt employers directly
Universities, nonprofit research institutions, and government research labs can file H-1B petitions outside the annual cap and lottery. Prioritizing these employers means your petition can be filed any time of year, not just in April.
Use Migrate Mate to filter by LCA filing history
Search Principal Scientist roles on Migrate Mate to see which employers have active DOL Labor Condition Application filings for this title. That filing history confirms the employer has sponsored this role before, not just that they're open to it in principle.
Request the prevailing wage determination early
Ask your prospective employer to run the OFLC Wage Search for your specific SOC code and worksite location before your offer letter is finalized. The offered salary must meet or exceed the prevailing wage level, and misalignments discovered late can delay filing significantly.
Document your research contributions for the specialty occupation argument
USCIS scrutinizes Principal Scientist petitions where the role blends research and management duties. Gather publications, patent filings, and project records that show your duties require a specific advanced degree, not just general scientific knowledge.
Negotiate H-1B filing timelines into your offer
Cap-subject H-1B petitions have an October 1 start date, meaning an April lottery win translates to a five-month gap. During offer negotiations, clarify whether the employer will cover premium processing and how they handle your authorization during the gap period.
H-1B Visa Principal Scientist: Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Principal Scientist role qualify as an H-1B specialty occupation?
Yes. Principal Scientist positions qualify as H-1B specialty occupations because the role requires at least a bachelor's degree in a directly related scientific field, such as biochemistry, molecular biology, chemistry, or data science. USCIS looks at whether the specific duties require that degree, not just whether the employer prefers it. Roles that blend scientific research with broad management duties face more scrutiny, so the job description should clearly tie each core duty to a specialized degree requirement.
Which employers most commonly sponsor H-1B visas for Principal Scientists?
Pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology firms, medical device manufacturers, and large technology companies with in-house R&D divisions are the most active H-1B sponsors for Principal Scientist roles. Universities and nonprofit research institutes also sponsor this title and have the added advantage of being cap-exempt, meaning they aren't subject to the annual H-1B lottery. You can browse employers with verified LCA filing history for this role on Migrate Mate.
How does the H-1B cap lottery affect Principal Scientist job seekers?
If you're targeting a for-profit employer that isn't affiliated with a university or qualifying nonprofit, your H-1B petition enters the annual lottery capped at 85,000 slots. Registration opens in March, and selections are announced before April 1 for an October 1 start date. Not being selected doesn't disqualify you permanently, but it means waiting to register again the following year unless you identify a cap-exempt employer in the interim.
Can my employer file an H-1B petition if my degree is from outside the United States?
Yes, but your employer will typically need a credential evaluation confirming your foreign degree is equivalent to a U.S. bachelor's degree or higher in the relevant field. For Principal Scientist roles, USCIS also accepts a combination of a lower degree plus progressive work experience under the three-for-one equivalency rule, where three years of specialized experience substitutes for one year of formal education. The evaluation must come from a recognized credential evaluation service.
What happens to my H-1B status if I change employers as a Principal Scientist?
H-1B portability under AC21 lets you start working for a new employer as soon as your new employer files a transfer petition, provided your current H-1B has been approved for at least 180 days. Your new employer files a fresh I-129 petition with a new LCA certified for the new worksite and salary. You don't re-enter the lottery for a transfer, but the new petition must independently satisfy all specialty occupation requirements for the Principal Scientist role as defined by the new employer.