Data Scientist

Post Date

May 01, 2026

Location

Newark,
New Jersey

ZIP/Postal Code

07102
US
Jul 04, 2026 Insight Global

Job Type

Contract-to-perm

Category

Computer Engineering

Req #

NNJ-933a92af-44c6-46f3-acf8-aad372747fe0

Pay Rate

$43 - $54 (hourly estimate)

Job Description

My client is seeking a Senior Data Scientist with deep, hands-on experience in Generative AI and agentic systems. This role sits within a centralized GenAI team responsible for both production-grade AI systems and highly exploratory agentic capabilities.

This individual will act as a right-hand technical partner to the GenAI lead—someone who brings strong opinions grounded in real-world system design, scaling, and failure modes. The role blends data science rigor, AI engineering, and first-principles thinking in a fast-evolving, ambiguity-tolerant environment.

Key Responsibilities
Core Responsibilities
-Design, build, and support production-grade Generative AI solutions

-Develop and maintain:
-AI agent harnesses
-Orchestration frameworks
-Context engineering pipelines

-Contribute across multiple initiatives, including:
-Enterprise knowledge management systems
-Self-service AI workflows
-Exploratory agentic platforms (e.g., Pruplexity-style systems)

-Own the full lifecycle of AI solutions:
-Rapid prototyping
-Data exploration and pipeline development
-Production deployment
-Monitoring, iteration, and optimization

-Collaborate closely with:
-Data Engineers
-ML Engineers
-Software Engineers
-Business stakeholders

-Translate ambiguous business problems into scalable, pragmatic technical solutions

Exploratory / Advanced Work

-Experiment with agentic architectures, orchestration models, and context management strategies

-Evaluate when not to use common patterns (e.g., RAG, MCP, over-engineered frameworks)

-Optimize systems for:
-Latency
-Cost efficiency
-Reliability
-Token economics

We are a company committed to creating diverse and inclusive environments where people can bring their full, authentic selves to work every day. We are an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer that believes everyone matters. Qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment regardless of their race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, national origin, ancestry, genetic factors, age, disability, protected veteran status, military or uniformed service member status, or any other status or characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations, and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or recruiting process, please send a request to HR@insightglobal.com.To learn more about how we collect, keep, and process your private information, please review Insight Global's Workforce Privacy Policy: https://insightglobal.com/workforce-privacy-policy/.

Required Skills & Experience

-Strong foundation in mathematics, statistics, engineering, physics, or computer science

- Demonstrated hands-on experience with Generative AI (beyond academic exposure)

-Real-world experience building agentic systems (professional or personal)

-Strong Python skills with comfort writing production-quality code

-Experience taking AI systems into production and understanding operational realities

-Working knowledge of:
-LLMs and prompt orchestration
-Context engineering
-System design tradeoffs

Mindset & Traits

- Intellectually curious and self-directed

- Willing to challenge “best practices” when they don’t apply

- Able to clearly articulate why an approach is or isn’t appropriate

- Comfortable with ambiguity and early-stage problem spaces
Motivated to learn and experiment in a rapidly evolving field

Nice to Have Skills & Experience

- Master’s or PhD in a quantitative field

- Personal GenAI or agentic side projects (e.g., custom agents, harnesses, orchestration frameworks)

- Experience analyzing and optimizing:
-Token usage and inference costs
-Latency vs. accuracy tradeoffs
-Caching strategies
-Model selection based on time-to-first-token and UX impact

- Prior experience partnering closely with business stakeholders to define and evolve requirements

Benefit packages for this role will start on the 1st day of employment and include medical, dental, and vision insurance, as well as HSA, FSA, and DCFSA account options, and 401k retirement account access with employer matching. Employees in this role are also entitled to paid sick leave and/or other paid time off as provided by applicable law.