Lead Data Scientist
Company: Norstella
Date Posted: Apr 22, 2026
Employment Type: Full Time
Job ID: R-1915
About Us
At Norstella, we are committed to accelerating the journey of life-saving therapies reaching patients. Established in 2022, our organization builds on a legacy dating back to 1939, consolidating top-tier brands that support our clients through every phase of drug development. Our collaborative brands—Citeline, Evaluate, MMIT, Panalgo, and The Dedham Group—provide essential insights for strategic and commercial decision-making.
Our Mission: We aim to enhance our clients' ability to navigate the complexities of bringing the right treatments to the right patients at the right time.
Job Summary
Join our dynamic Data Science team that is redefining how data informs pharma intelligence and patient access to therapies. By harnessing cutting-edge technology and a passion for innovation, we extract actionable insights that empower our clients.
The Role:
- Design and deploy robust AI systems that utilize large language models (LLMs) and advanced machine learning techniques to address significant challenges in pharma intelligence.
- Create and oversee multi-agent systems and orchestration workflows using frameworks such as LangChain or AutoGen for autonomous task execution.
- Enhance Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) pipelines for optimal context retrieval and vector database management.
- Implement and refine Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers for effective interaction between LLMs and various data sources.
- Architect scalable APIs and microservices to facilitate seamless AI feature delivery to end-users.
- Collaborate with product teams to explore innovative applications of AI and ML in our offerings.
- Research and develop AI/ML algorithms to tackle specific business challenges, delivering them as microservices.
- Establish comprehensive testing and evaluation frameworks for LLM outputs to maintain quality and accuracy.
- Contribute to our unified data science platform.
- Keep abreast of industry advancements and share knowledge through presentations to internal teams.
- Perform additional duties as required.
Requirements:
- 5+ years of experience in developing AI/ML solutions, particularly in regulated industries such as pharma or finance.
- Graduate degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Statistics, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
- Extensive expertise in Natural Language Processing (NLP), Deep Learning, Generative AI, and LLMs.
- Deep familiarity with frameworks for orchestrating LLMs, such as LangChain or similar.
- Proficient in LLM APIs (OpenAI, Anthropic Claude) and open-source models (Llama, Mistral).
- Solid understanding of computer science fundamentals and algorithm design.
- Experience with large-scale distributed systems and agile environments.
- Strong programming skills in Python and familiarity with data science libraries like Pandas, NumPy, and PyTorch.
- Experience with Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers.
- Robust background in scalable backend technologies (Docker, Kubernetes, AWS/GCP).
- Proven ability to transition AI models from prototypes to production-ready services.
- Adept at independent research to develop algorithm solutions for complex challenges.
- Experience in mentoring junior colleagues.
- Excellent problem-solving and communication abilities.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Knowledge of the healthcare/pharma domain and its data applications.
- Experience with AWS services, especially API Gateway, SageMaker, and S3.
- Familiarity with vector databases such as Pinecone or Qdrant.
- Exposure to Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), prompt engineering, and knowledge graphs.
- Experience with unstructured data processing in a healthcare context.
- Proficiency in Big Data technologies like Apache Spark or Databricks.
Benefits:
- Comprehensive Medical and Prescription Drug Benefits.
- Health Savings Accounts (HSA) or Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA).
- Dental and Vision Coverage.
- Life Insurance and AD&D Benefits.
- 401k Retirement Plan with Company Match.
- Company-Paid Short and Long-Term Disability.
- Paid Parental Leave.
- Flexible Time Off and Paid Company Holidays.
Please note that candidates must be authorized to work in the United States, as we do not provide visa sponsorship. Our expected base salary for this role ranges from $170,000 to $215,000, with specific offers determined by skills, experience, and market factors. Additionally, successful candidates may be eligible for a discretionary bonus.
Norstella is committed to equal opportunity in employment. All job applicants will receive equal consideration without regard to race, religion, national origin, age, disability, sex, or any other protected characteristic.
We encourage candidates who feel passionate about this role to apply, regardless of their background. We want to consider you for this opportunity!