Junior Data Scientist

About Qwerky AI

QWERKY AI is a human-centered artificial intelligence company focused on building practical and approachable AI tools for real-world use. Headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina, with a distributed team across the U.S., QWERKY is led by a founding team of tech entrepreneurs with over a decade of experience. The company is dedicated to creating AI that enhances, rather than replaces, human intelligence. QWERKY AI is developing an AI platform to empower knowledge workers, creatives, and small businesses.

Job Description

QWERKY AI seeks a passionate and driven Junior Data Scientist to join our innovative Research & Development team. This entry-level position is perfect for a recent graduate or early-career professional looking to apply their data science skills to solve real-world business challenges and grow within a supportive environment. The ideal candidate is enthusiastic about leveraging data to drive insights, possesses a strong foundational knowledge of machine learning concepts, and is proficient in programming. You will work closely with experienced data scientists and engineers, contributing to the full data science lifecycle, from data exploration and model development to deploying solutions that impact our business.

Responsibilities

• Collect, clean, process, and validate large datasets from diverse sources to ensure data quality and integrity.
• Perform exploratory data analysis (EDA) to uncover trends, patterns, and actionable insights.
• Develop, train, evaluate, and iterate on machine learning models under the guidance and collaboration of more senior team members.
• Implement and test data science algorithms and techniques, contributing to our codebase and analytical frameworks.
• Create clear and compelling visualizations and reports to communicate complex findings and model results to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Stay current with the latest research and advancements in data science, machine learning tools, and industry best practices.
• Thoroughly document data processing pipelines, model development processes, experimental results, and code.
• Actively participate in team meetings, code reviews, and knowledge-sharing sessions.

Required Skills

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Engineering, or a related quantitative field.
• Solid understanding of fundamental statistical concepts, probability, and machine learning algorithms (e.g., linear/logistic regression, decision trees, clustering, gradient boosting).
• Proficiency in Python for data analysis and machine learning, with hands-on experience using core libraries (e.g., PyTorch, Pandas, NumPy, Scikit-learn, Matplotlib, Seaborn).
• Demonstrable experience with data manipulation, data cleaning, feature engineering, and model evaluation techniques.
• Familiarity with SQL for data querying and database interaction.
• Strong analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills with a keen attention to detail.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to explain technical concepts clearly.
• Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a collaborative team.
• A strong desire to learn, grow, and adapt in a fast-paced technological environment.

Bonus Skills

• Experience with deep learning frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch).
• Proficiency with version control systems, notably Git and GitHub.
• Familiarity with cloud computing platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) and their ML services.
• Understanding of big data technologies (e.g., Spark, Hadoop, Kafka).
• Experience with advanced data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, Plotly).
• Knowledge of C++ for optimizing performance-critical applications.
• Familiarity with parallel computing concepts and distributed systems.
• Exposure to CUDA programming for GPU acceleration in machine learning tasks.
• Basic understanding of GPU kernels and their application in accelerating computations.
• Prior internship experience in data science, software engineering, or a related analytical field.
• A portfolio of personal or academic data science projects (e.g., Kaggle competition entries, GitHub repositories showcasing your work).

Pay / Benefits

• Salary or hourly rate
• Stock options plan (we are a private company, so this is not liquid) 
• If you are in the USA: healthcare, dental, vision, 401k 
• Unlimited time off policy
• Flexible working hours

Hiring Process

• Submit a resume to us for review.
• We will follow up with a technical screening (this will take approximately one hour)
• Following the successful completion of the technical screening, we will schedule an Onsite Interview
• The Onsite Interview to meet more of the team, it will consist of the following (total time three hours):
• • Technical Screenings (1-2)
  • System Design
  • Behavioral Interview
• We’ll reach out with an offer if you're a great fit. 
• Once accepted, you start working with us!