Lead Data Scientist, Manufacturing & AI at Novolex
Lake Forest, IL
$135,000–$160,000from the description
Aug 2, 2026
Lake Forest, IL
Sep 24, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A Lead Data Scientist role at a large packaging manufacturer, responsible for building and deploying AI/ML solutions across a multi-plant manufacturing network to improve safety, quality, OEE, and operational efficiency. The position carries both technical leadership (architecture, model governance, code reviews) and people management duties (coaching and developing a team of data scientists). Candidates with manufacturing or industrial automation backgrounds are required.
Senior level · 8+ years · Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI · Bachelor's required · Full-time
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How this req sits in the market our data
Roughly 8 people in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI area plausibly meet what this posting asks for (data scientists). range 2–15
Applicant volume Light — Few people clear these requirements, so an application that does clear them gets looked at. Worth applying to even if you miss a nice-to-have.
Rare in this occupation — lead with these, and say what you built with them.
Most people in this occupation already list these. Still required — just not what gets you shortlisted.
What the occupation pays Median $110,007 (middle half $86,460–$141,249). This posting is about at that midpoint.
Estimated from BLS employment for this occupation and area, per-skill prevalence across our listing corpus, and published wage benchmarks — as of Aug 4, 2026. It is a model, not a headcount.
Why we read it this way (7)
The role has genuine dual character: it is a hands-on Lead Data Scientist AND a people manager with direct reports, hiring, and workload planning. The primary SOC is 15-2051 (Data Scientists) because the JD emphasizes technical delivery and architecture; 11-3021 (Computer and Information Systems Managers) is the close runner-up given the explicit team-management scope.
Preferred locations are Chicago, Charlotte, Atlanta, or Dallas; the CBSA is set to Chicago as the first-listed metro. The role is not remote.
The JD lists 3–5 years of leading technical teams as a separate requirement from the 8+ years of overall Data Science/AI/ML experience. The 8-year figure is used as the overall years minimum.
Manufacturing, industrial automation, or process manufacturing experience is explicitly stated as required.
'Insight' and 'Vorne' are named manufacturing platform tools listed in the technical expertise section alongside required tools, but they are niche/proprietary products with limited independent market presence; they are captured as preferred given the ambiguity about whether candidates would be rejected solely for lacking them.
A Master's degree is listed as preferred, not required; the hard minimum is a Bachelor's degree.
Compensation is stated as $135,000–$160,000 per year plus bonus and benefits.
Read the full posting
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