Applied Data Scientist - AI Enablement (Transportation)

The Applied Data Scientist - AI Enablement (Transportation) is an individual contributor role focused on creating and scaling internal AI capabilities within HDR’s Transportation Business Group. The position starts by identifying constraints that limit adoption, then transitions toward client-facing AI delivery and advisory work as internal capabilities mature.

Onsite Location

Omaha, NE 68106 (onsite)

Primary location: United States - Nebraska - Omaha

Role Summary

In this position, you will design, develop, and deploy AI solutions for transportation business needs. You will also build reusable AI components, data pipelines, and workflows intended to support future client delivery. As capabilities grow, the role increasingly supports client pursuits and pilot projects using internally developed AI capabilities.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and deploy AI solutions for internal transportation business needs such as document intelligence, predictive analytics, copilots, and workflow automation.
• Build reusable AI components, data pipelines, and workflows that can be scaled for future client delivery.
• Manage the full model lifecycle, including development, deployment, monitoring, drift detection, retraining, and inference.
• Identify limitations in data availability, system integration, tooling, governance, and processes that inhibit AI adoption.
• Partner with IT, data architects, and business stakeholders to recommend scalable improvements.
• Document technical debt and architectural gaps that must be addressed before scaling AI capacity.
• Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders to translate ambiguous problems into structured AI solutions.
• Communicate AI concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Support client pursuits and pilot projects using internally developed AI capabilities.
• Contribute to the evolution of repeatable AI services and offerings.

Utilization Expectations

• 40% Internal AI solution development
• 40% Client AI delivery and pilot engagements (as capabilities mature) (0% year 1)
• 20% Skill development and continuous learning

Required Qualifications

• A degree in a closely related field or a combination of education and relevant experience
• Minimum of 3 years of experience with data engineering tools and languages including SQL, Power Query, and Pandas
• Minimum of 3 years of experience with business intelligence tools including Power BI, Tableau, Plotly, Seaborn, and Matplotlib
• Minimum of 3 years of experience with data science languages including Python and R
• Self-motivated, detail-oriented professional with ability to multitask
• Proficiency with MS Office, including Word and Outlook
• Ability to handle confidential information
• Excellent writing and people skills
• Strong math and organizational skills
• Flexibility to prioritize and handle multiple tasks and various managers in a fast-paced environment
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including grammar, punctuation, proofreading, spelling, and telephone skills
• Attitude and commitment to being an active participant of an employee-owned culture is a must
• In-depth knowledge of machine learning algorithms, statistical models, and data analytics
• Experience completing multiple data science projects

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a closely related field or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Experience with generative AI and modern AI services
• Hands-on experience developing, deploying, and maintaining data and AI solutions in cloud environments (e.g., Azure, AWS, or GCP), including cloud-native data pipelines, scalable compute, and production model deployment
• Experience managing end-to-end data science projects and model lifecycles
• Strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills
• Advanced degree
• Experience designing or improving data pipelines and AI infrastructure
• Consulting or professional services experience
• Six Sigma or other process improvement certifications

Technologies

• SQL
• Power Query
• Pandas
• Power BI
• Tableau
• Plotly
• Seaborn
• Matplotlib
• Python
• R
• MS Office
• Word
• Outlook
• Azure
• AWS
• GCP

Compensation

USD 150,000 - 215,000 per yearly

Expected compensation range depends upon skills, experience, education, and geographical location (US Locations: $150,000 - $215,000).

Benefits

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Short and long-term disability
• Life insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Paid time away
• Parental leave
• Paid holidays
• Retirement savings plan with employer match
• Employee referral bonus
• Tuition reimbursement

Employment Details

• Schedule: Full-time
• Employee status: Regular
• Business class: Data and Automation
• Industry: Highway + Road
• Job posting date: Oct 16, 2026

Other Locations

United States locations (in addition to Omaha) include: Round Rock, Charlotte, Doral, Cheyenne, Long Beach, Saint Louis Park, Fort Lauderdale, Weirton, Salem, Baltimore, Fort Worth, Missoula, Washington DC, Houston, Irvine, Madison, Tallahassee, Jackson area, Reno, Des Moines, Portland, Bozeman, El Paso, Corpus Christi, Seattle, Las Vegas, Billings, Dallas, Helena, Spokane, Cedar Rapids, Grand Rapids, Austin, Metairie, Virginia Beach, Boston, Denver, Lincoln, Butte, Pennington, Sacramento, Rocky Hill, New York, Ann Arbor, Salt Lake City, Winston-Salem, Detroit, Bismarck, Portland (Maine), Fargo, Chicago, Los Angeles, Gillette, Boise, Raleigh, San Antonio, and many others listed across the US.