Senior Staff Data Scientist Jobs in USA with Visa Sponsorship
Senior Staff Data Scientists are among the most consistently sponsored roles in tech, with H-1B visa approvals running well above the field average. Employers filing LCAs for this title span cloud platforms, financial services, and health tech, and many petition at the senior level without lottery concerns via cap-exempt routes. For detailed occupation requirements, see the O*NET profile.
See All Senior Staff Data Scientist JobsOverview
Showing 5 of 50+ Senior Staff Data Scientist jobs
Have you applied for this role?
Have you applied for this role?
Have you applied for this role?
Have you applied for this role?
Have you applied for this role?
See all 50+ Senior Staff Data Scientist jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new Senior Staff Data Scientist roles.
Get Access To All JobsINTRODUCTION
Waymo is an autonomous driving technology company with the mission to be the world's most trusted driver. Since its start as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009, Waymo has focused on building the Waymo Driver—The World's Most Experienced Driver™—to improve access to mobility while saving thousands of lives now lost to traffic crashes. The Waymo Driver powers Waymo’s fully autonomous ride-hail service and can also be applied to a range of vehicle platforms and product use cases. The Waymo Driver has provided over ten million rider-only trips, enabled by its experience autonomously driving over 100 million miles on public roads and tens of billions in simulation across 15+ U.S. states.
This role is part of Waymo's Perception Development Foundations (PDF) team. The PDF team's mission is to accelerate improvements to Waymo's Perception system by providing teams with cutting-edge Data, Model Development tools, and Evaluation frameworks. We focus on removing toil, increasing automation, and enhancing how models use data and how we measure performance.
In this hybrid role, you will report to a director of engineering.
YOUR ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
You will:
- Define and own the overarching vision and multi-year strategy for determining the size, composition, and collection methods for datasets used in Perception model training and evaluation.
- Drive the design and organizational adoption of frameworks to estimate data needs based on model performance, scaling laws, generalization goals, and a deep understanding of the diversity in new geographies.
- Define and refine strategies for Perception evaluation datasets, ensuring they provide sufficient coverage and statistical power to measure progress and de-risk new deployments.
- Collaborate closely with Perception engineers, ML researchers, the Labeling organization, and Operations teams to translate strategic recommendations into actionable labeling plans.
- Analyze existing data sources to identify structural gaps, biases, and opportunities for more efficient data utilization.
- Establish and champion data-driven best practices for dataset design and data quality within the Perception organization, driving operational maturity.
- Establish the impact of the Data Science function within Perception as a hands-on IC, followed by building a small team.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
You have:
- BS/MS and 10+ years of industry experience, or PhD + 8 years of industry experience in Statistics, Mathematics, Physics, Economics, Engineering, Computer Science, or a related quantitative field.
- 8+ years of experience using analytics, statistical modeling, and machine learning to solve complex product, business, or autonomous systems problems.
- 5+ years of experience in coding (e.g., Python, R, SQL), querying databases, and statistical analysis.
- Proven ability to lead and deliver on highly ambiguous, high-impact technical projects in a self-directed environment.
- Strong communication and collaboration skills, with a track record of influencing cross-functional teams and senior leadership.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
We prefer:
- Experience applying statistical and machine learning techniques to large-scale datasets.
- 6+ years of experience leading data analytics or data science initiatives, including defining strategy, roadmaps, and building functions from the ground up.
- Deep experience with data collection strategies, experimental design, sampling methodologies, and causal inference.
- A track record of mentoring other Data Scientists and driving adoption of new methods across an entire organization.
COMPENSATION
The expected base salary range for this full-time position across US locations is listed below. Actual starting pay will be based on job-related factors, including exact work location, experience, relevant training and education, and skill level. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for the role location or, if the role can be performed remote, the specific salary range for your preferred location, during the hiring process.
Waymo employees are also eligible to participate in Waymo’s discretionary annual bonus program, equity incentive plan, and generous Company benefits program, subject to eligibility requirements.
- Salary Range: $298,000—$368,000 USD
INTRODUCTION
Waymo is an autonomous driving technology company with the mission to be the world's most trusted driver. Since its start as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009, Waymo has focused on building the Waymo Driver—The World's Most Experienced Driver™—to improve access to mobility while saving thousands of lives now lost to traffic crashes. The Waymo Driver powers Waymo’s fully autonomous ride-hail service and can also be applied to a range of vehicle platforms and product use cases. The Waymo Driver has provided over ten million rider-only trips, enabled by its experience autonomously driving over 100 million miles on public roads and tens of billions in simulation across 15+ U.S. states.
This role is part of Waymo's Perception Development Foundations (PDF) team. The PDF team's mission is to accelerate improvements to Waymo's Perception system by providing teams with cutting-edge Data, Model Development tools, and Evaluation frameworks. We focus on removing toil, increasing automation, and enhancing how models use data and how we measure performance.
In this hybrid role, you will report to a director of engineering.
YOUR ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
You will:
- Define and own the overarching vision and multi-year strategy for determining the size, composition, and collection methods for datasets used in Perception model training and evaluation.
- Drive the design and organizational adoption of frameworks to estimate data needs based on model performance, scaling laws, generalization goals, and a deep understanding of the diversity in new geographies.
- Define and refine strategies for Perception evaluation datasets, ensuring they provide sufficient coverage and statistical power to measure progress and de-risk new deployments.
- Collaborate closely with Perception engineers, ML researchers, the Labeling organization, and Operations teams to translate strategic recommendations into actionable labeling plans.
- Analyze existing data sources to identify structural gaps, biases, and opportunities for more efficient data utilization.
- Establish and champion data-driven best practices for dataset design and data quality within the Perception organization, driving operational maturity.
- Establish the impact of the Data Science function within Perception as a hands-on IC, followed by building a small team.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
You have:
- BS/MS and 10+ years of industry experience, or PhD + 8 years of industry experience in Statistics, Mathematics, Physics, Economics, Engineering, Computer Science, or a related quantitative field.
- 8+ years of experience using analytics, statistical modeling, and machine learning to solve complex product, business, or autonomous systems problems.
- 5+ years of experience in coding (e.g., Python, R, SQL), querying databases, and statistical analysis.
- Proven ability to lead and deliver on highly ambiguous, high-impact technical projects in a self-directed environment.
- Strong communication and collaboration skills, with a track record of influencing cross-functional teams and senior leadership.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
We prefer:
- Experience applying statistical and machine learning techniques to large-scale datasets.
- 6+ years of experience leading data analytics or data science initiatives, including defining strategy, roadmaps, and building functions from the ground up.
- Deep experience with data collection strategies, experimental design, sampling methodologies, and causal inference.
- A track record of mentoring other Data Scientists and driving adoption of new methods across an entire organization.
COMPENSATION
The expected base salary range for this full-time position across US locations is listed below. Actual starting pay will be based on job-related factors, including exact work location, experience, relevant training and education, and skill level. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for the role location or, if the role can be performed remote, the specific salary range for your preferred location, during the hiring process.
Waymo employees are also eligible to participate in Waymo’s discretionary annual bonus program, equity incentive plan, and generous Company benefits program, subject to eligibility requirements.
- Salary Range: $298,000—$368,000 USD
See all 50+ Senior Staff Data Scientist jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new Senior Staff Data Scientist roles.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding Visa Sponsorship as a Senior Staff Data Scientist
Target cap-exempt employers first
Universities, nonprofit research institutions, and affiliated teaching hospitals are exempt from the H-1B lottery. Senior Staff Data Scientists hired there skip the annual cap entirely, which eliminates the biggest uncertainty in the sponsorship timeline.
Align your degree to the role explicitly
USCIS requires a specialty occupation match. Statistics, computer science, mathematics, and applied ML degrees map cleanly. If your degree is in a different field, document how your coursework and industry experience directly support the data science function.
Ask about O-1A eligibility if you have a strong publication or patent record
Senior Staff scientists with published research, patents, or awards in machine learning or AI may qualify for O-1A extraordinary ability status. This visa has no lottery, no annual cap, and no nationality restrictions, making it a strong parallel path.
Prioritize employers with an established LCA filing history
Companies that have consistently filed Labor Condition Applications for data science roles already have internal sponsorship infrastructure. This shortens the process significantly compared to employers filing for the first time on your behalf.
Use Migrate Mate to filter for roles that explicitly support sponsorship
Filtering for Senior Staff Data Scientist roles with confirmed sponsorship on Migrate Mate removes the guesswork of cold applications. You can focus outreach on employers already prepared to file, which saves weeks in the job search process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Senior Staff Data Scientist a specialty occupation for H-1B purposes?
Yes. Senior Staff Data Scientist consistently meets the USCIS specialty occupation standard because the role normally requires at least a bachelor's degree in a specific technical field such as statistics, computer science, or applied mathematics. USCIS has approved thousands of H-1B petitions for data science titles at the senior level, and approval rates for this category run well above the overall H-1B average.
Which visa types do employers most commonly use to sponsor Senior Staff Data Scientists?
H-1B is the most common path, filed by employers after winning the annual lottery or through a cap-exempt institution. O-1A is increasingly used for scientists with strong research or publication records. Australians may qualify for the E-3 visa, which has no lottery. Canadians and Mexicans may qualify under the TN visa classification for computer systems analysts, though the TN match requires careful documentation at the senior staff level.
Does a three-year bachelor's degree qualify for H-1B sponsorship in this role?
It can, but it requires additional documentation. USCIS accepts three-year degrees from countries like Australia or India when combined with a credential evaluation confirming U.S. equivalency and relevant post-degree experience. Many employers working with senior hires have navigated this before, but you should confirm the employer's immigration counsel is familiar with three-year degree petitions before relying on this path.
How long does H-1B sponsorship typically take for this role?
Standard processing runs three to six months after USCIS receives the petition. Premium processing reduces USCIS adjudication to 15 business days for an additional fee, which most employers sponsoring senior technical hires will pay. Add two to four weeks for the employer to prepare the LCA and petition package before filing. If you're starting from outside the U.S., add consular appointment wait times on top of that.
Where can I find Senior Staff Data Scientist jobs that already sponsor visas?
Migrate Mate lists Senior Staff Data Scientist roles filtered specifically for visa sponsorship, so you're not sifting through postings that exclude international candidates. Employers on Migrate Mate have either confirmed sponsorship willingness or have an active LCA filing history for comparable roles, which means the outreach you do is far more likely to result in a real sponsorship conversation.
What is the prevailing wage requirement for sponsored Senior Staff Data Scientist jobs?
U.S. employers sponsoring a visa must pay at least the prevailing wage, which is what workers in the same role, area, and experience level typically earn. The Department of Labor sets this rate to make sure companies aren't hiring foreign workers simply because they'd accept lower pay than a U.S. worker. It varies by job title, location, and experience. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search page.
See which Senior Staff Data Scientist employers are hiring and sponsoring visas right now.
Search Senior Staff Data Scientist Jobs