Senior Data Scientist

Scientific Games: Scientific Games is the global leader in lottery games, sports betting and technology, and the partner of choice for government lotteries. From cutting-edge backend systems to exciting entertainment experiences and trailblazing retail and digital solutions, we elevate play every day. We push game designs to the next level and are pioneers in data analytics and iLottery. Built on a foundation of trusted partnerships, Scientific Games combines relentless innovation, legendary performance, and unwavering security to responsibly propel the global lottery industry ever forward. We are looking for a founding Senior Data Scientist to help build high-impact decision systems in a fast‑paced, startup‑style environment within a large organization. This is a hands‑on builder role for candidates who thrive in ambiguity, move quickly from idea to production, and are energized by turning complex business problems into scalable data products. You will work closely with Staff and Principal Data Scientists to deliver production‑grade systems across forecasting, experimentation, constrained optimization, pricing, and batch and real‑time recommendation systems. The role requires strong end‑to‑end ownership from problem framing and modeling through production deployment using self‑service ML platform tooling. This position will start remotely and transition to a hybrid role. Candidates must be local to Toronto, ON. Build batch and real‑time recommendation pipelines using multi‑stage cascading ranking architecture, including candidate generation, pre‑ranking, ranking, and re‑ranking Partner closely with MLEs to leverage self‑service deployment tooling, observability, shadow deployment, canary rollout, and KPI monitoring workflows Contribute to modeling standards, code quality, validation rigor, and experimentation best practices established by Staff and Principal DS leadership Mentor junior Data Scientists and contribute to the technical growth of the founding team Education Master’s degree or PhD in Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Engineering, Operations Research, Economics, or another related STEM field. Experience 2+ years of hands‑on experience in data science, decision science, econometrics, or applied machine learning. Proven ability to independently deliver end‑to‑end data science systems from problem framing through measurable production impact. Technical Skills Strong Python proficiency across pandas, scikit‑learn, PyTorch, and TensorFlow Strong SQL and large‑scale data manipulation experience Solid grounding in statistical modeling, machine learning, experimentation, and optimization Hands‑on experience building production‑grade batch and low‑latency real‑time decision systems Familiarity with multi‑stage ranking systems, ANN retrieval, embeddings, and vector search is strongly preferred Strong communication skills with ability to present complex findings to business and technical stakeholders Experience as an early or founding Data Scientist in a new team or product area Hands‑on portfolio optimization, assortment optimization, payout optimization, or mathematical programming Experience with personalization, gaming, retail, marketplace, or digital consumer decision systems Familiarity with Databricks, PySpark, MLflow, experimentation tooling, and cloud‑native deployment workflows SG is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against applicants due to race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class. Legendary performance. All built on a foundation of trusted partnerships. At Scientific Games, we elevate play every day. From cutting‑edge backend systems to exciting entertainment experiences and trailblazing retail and digital solutions, we care about the details that drive profits for lottery beneficiary programs. And with the power of data analytics, we can predict what they'll want to play tomorrow. Because it's not just a game. And Scientific Games is the partner of choice for these growing markets. Because when it comes to digital, trust is everything. But we're endlessly innovating, always evolving and firmly committed to responsible gaming. It's the future of Scientific Games. The driver of today's favorite lottery games and most advanced technologies, and sustainability for tomorrow.