Lead Data Scientist (AI)

TL;DR

Lead Data Scientist (AI): Designing, building, and scaling AI prototypes and Proofs of Concept with an accent on production intent and long-horizon research. Focus on developing LLMs, multimodal systems, and RAG architectures to translate emerging AI capabilities into impactful enterprise solutions.

Location: Chicago or Peoria, Illinois, USA. Visa Sponsorship is not available

Company

Cat Digital is the digital and technology arm of hirify.global Inc., leveraging data, advanced analytics, and AI to build digital solutions for over 1.5 million connected assets worldwide.

What you will do

• Conduct structured technology research and literature reviews on speech, vision, multimodal systems, and autonomous agents.
• Lead the development of generative AI solutions, including LLMs, RAG, and digital-twin use cases.
• Design and curate high-quality datasets for training, fine-tuning, and validating AI models at scale.
• Execute rigorous model evaluation strategies to balance accuracy, latency, cost, and safety.
• Partner with Product and Engineering teams to translate research prototypes into production-ready capabilities.
• Communicate complex technical insights to stakeholders to influence AI strategy and investment decisions.

Requirements

• Experience in structured AI research and translating theoretical innovation into enterprise-grade solutions.
• Extensive knowledge of deep learning, generative AI, NLP, computer vision, and multimodal systems.
• Proficiency in Python and modern AI frameworks such as PyTorch, NumPy, and Pandas.
• Strong background in applied statistics and quantitative methods for experimentation and evaluation.
• Ability to define technical and non-functional requirements bridging research and production.
• Must be authorized to work in the US; visa sponsorship is not available

Nice to have

• Master’s or PhD in Data Science, Computer Science, Machine Learning, or a related technical field.
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure) and scalable experimentation environments.
• Familiarity with industrial, manufacturing, or heavy equipment physical systems.
• Experience with LangChain and advanced version control/experiment tracking workflows.

Culture & Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits.
• Retirement and savings options including 401(k), HSA, and FSAs.
• Paid time off plan covering vacation, holidays, and volunteer time.
• Incentive bonuses and tuition reimbursement for continuous learning.
• Supportive environment with parental leave and employee assistance programs.