Staff Data Scientist

Employer description

There are over 7 billion people on this planet. And by 2050, there will be 2 billion more… many moving into urban centers at an unprecedented rate. Making sure there is enough food, fiber and infrastructure for our rapidly growing world is what we’re all about at John Deere. And it’s why we’re investing in our people and our technology like never before! Here the world’s brightest minds are tackling the world’s biggest challenges. If you believe one person can make the world a better place, we’ll put you to work. RIGHT NOW.

 
 John Deere is an equal opportunity employer, including disabled & veterans.

Primary Location: United States (US) - Illinois  -   
Function: Data and Analytics (CA)
Title: Staff Data Scientist - 125862 
Onsite/Remote:Remote Position

This position is eligible for remote work at the present time. The arrangement may be delayed for training or other job acclimation purposes and remains subject to change.  

Your Responsibilities
 
As a Staff Data Scientist for John Deere Inteligence Solutions Group located in Urbandale, IA, you will:
 

Lead a sub-team of data scientists within the Technology Intelligence Proving Ground, setting priorities, assigning work, and providing day-to-day technical leadership.
Define the technical strategy for how the proving ground evaluates and measures the performance of the John Deere technology suite, including its machines, precision technologies, automation and autonomy features, and digital products.
Design and run structured performance evaluations and benchmarks of John Deere technologies, with repeatable methods, clear success criteria, and measurable outcomes.
Take vague ideas from 0 to 1: frame the problem, explore the data, build a working prototype, and carry it through to measurable business impact.
Operate independently and self-directed. Set your own priorities within the proving ground’s goals, and judge how often and when to check in with leadership and stakeholders.
Personally build models, analyses, and data pipelines that measure how John Deere technologies perform in real-world use, using John Deere data including PAAW datasets.
Use PAAW datasets to engineer features that capture machine, operational, and environmental context, and associate that context with technology usage to explain how and where each technology performs.
Lead exploratory data analysis (EDA) to quickly understand new and unfamiliar datasets, surface data quality issues, and identify promising signals.
Maintain a record of what has been evaluated, the performance results, and the evidence behind each finding across the John Deere technology suite.
Partner with product, engineering, and business leaders to align evaluations with business priorities and inform product and technology investment decisions.
Deliver performance findings and improvement recommendations to the product and engineering teams that own each technology, with the documentation and evidence they need to act.
Maintain an accurate and transparent backlog of your work, and commit to working in an Agile environment as a champion of the process.
Mentor data scientists and engineers through design reviews, code reviews, technical coaching, and knowledge sharing.
Communicate findings, risks, and recommendations clearly to technical teams and senior leaders.

VISA Sponsorship is NOT available for this position

What Skills You Need
 

Minimum of 2 years of experience with PhD, 3 years with Master of Science degree, or 5 years with Bachelor’s degree.
Significant experience creating and delivering production-grade machine learning, deep learning, AI, advanced analytics, or data-intensive software solutions.
Proven track record of taking a vague idea from 0 to 1 and turning it into measurable business impact.
Demonstrated ability to navigate ambiguity: making progress with incomplete requirements, shifting priorities, and unfamiliar problem spaces.
Existing knowledge of John Deere technologies, products, and data platforms.
Existing working knowledge of PAAW datasets, including experience using them to build features that capture machine, operational, and environmental context.
Experience with feature engineering that links usage data to the conditions it occurred in, such as machine configuration and state, operating practices, and field, weather, or terrain conditions.
Strong exploratory data analysis (EDA) skills, with the ability to navigate large, unfamiliar, or messy datasets effectively and quickly.
Experience designing and running technology or product performance evaluations and benchmarks, and drawing sound, evidence-based conclusions from the results.
Advanced programming proficiency and strong knowledge of machine learning, statistics, experimentation, model validation, and performance evaluation.
Strong software engineering foundation, including version control, automated testing, CI/CD, reproducibility, and maintainable code.
Experience leading a team or workstream, including setting priorities, delegating work, and developing team members.
Experience operating on an agile team using work management software such as Azure DevOps (ADO), Jira, or similar tools.
Proficiency using AI tools, such as GitHub Copilot, coding agents, and LLM-based assistants, to enhance productivity and accelerate delivery, while reviewing AI-generated work for accuracy and quality.
Strong written communication, including technical assessments and recommendations written for senior leaders.
What Makes You Stand Out
 

Experience at John Deere, or in agriculture, construction, forestry, or other heavy equipment industries.
Experience with John Deere data and digital products, such as John Deere Operations Center, JDLink machine telemetry, precision agriculture, or autonomy and perception systems.
Experience working within John Deere’s architecture and security review processes and data governance practices.
Experience working with large, complex datasets such as machine telemetry, geospatial data, imagery, time-series, operational, or agronomic data.
Experience with product performance analytics, field testing, validation and verification, or running a proving ground.
Expertise in computer vision, geospatial analytics, remote sensing, time-series modeling, optimization, robotics, autonomy, simulation, generative AI, or edge computing.
Experience with Databricks, Spark, Kubernetes, distributed computing, model registries, or production model monitoring.
Familiarity with responsible AI, privacy, data governance, cybersecurity, and model governance.
Education
 

Ideally, you will have a degree or equivalent related work experience in the following:

Bachelor’s degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Engineering, Statistics, Mathematics, Operations Research, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent related work experience.
Advanced degree in statistics, mathematics, a quantitative field, engineering, computer science, or an applied AI/ML discipline highly preferred. 

What You’ll Get

At John Deere, you are empowered to create a career that will take you to where you want to go while working in an inclusive team environment. Here, you’ll enjoy the freedom to explore new projects, the support to think outside the box and the advanced tools and technology that foster innovation and achievement. Additionally, we offer a comprehensive reward package to help you get started on your new career path, including:

Flexible work arrangements
Highly competitive base pay 
Savings & Retirement benefits (401K and Defined Contribution)
Healthcare benefits with a generous company contribution in the Health Savings Account
Adoption assistance
Employee Assistance Programs
Tuition assistance
Fitness subsidies and on-site gyms at specific Deere locations
Charitable contribution match
Employee Purchase Plan & numerous discount programs for personal use
Vacation and Holiday Pay

 $123,804.00  - $185,700.00  + Benefits

Follow this link to learn more about our Total Rewards Package https://bit.ly/3XCd8fL 

Must be 18 years of age or older to apply

The information contained herein is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and qualifications required of individuals performing the job. The qualifications detailed in this job description are not considered the minimum requirements necessary to perform the job, but rather as guidelines.

The terms of the applicable benefit plans, and all company actions administering or interpreting these plans, continue to control. Deere & Company reserves the right to suspend, amend, modify, or terminate the Plan(s) in any manner at any time, including the right to modify or eliminate any cost-sharing between the company and participants. Changes, which can be made at any time, are made by action of the company’s board of directors, or to the extent authorized by resolution of its board of directors, or by the Deere & Company Compensation Committee. In the event of a conflict between the language of the official Plan Documents and this document, the language of the official Plan Documents will control.

ACA Section 1557 Nondiscrimination Notice

The John Deere Health Benefit Plans for Salaried Employees and The John Deere Benefit Plan for Wage Employees comply with applicable Federal civil rights laws and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, status as a protected veteran, or status as a qualified individual with disability.