BNSF - Sr/Staff Data Scientist (Remote - US) at Phenom People
Dallas, TX
$165,000–$300,000from the description
Jul 16, 2026
Dallas, TX
Jul 20, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A senior data science role focused on building and deploying machine learning models — including large language models and optimization algorithms — against large, complex datasets in a freight rail context. The work spans the full lifecycle: pipeline maintenance, model development, stakeholder-facing analytics, and production support including on-call duties. Candidates with deep ML, LLM architecture, and optimization experience are the target audience.
Senior level · 6+ years · Remote · Full-time
“or” means any one of them counts — you don't need all of them.
We read this from the posting text with AI. Skim the description below before ruling yourself out.
How this req sits in the market our data
Roughly 1,450 people nationally plausibly meet what this posting asks for (data scientists). range 870–2,150
Applicant volume Moderate — A normal amount of company. The rare requirements below are what will separate a shortlisted application from the rest.
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 $122,874 (middle half $87,544–$162,374). 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 Jul 28, 2026. It is a model, not a headcount.
Why we read it this way (9)
The role spans both advanced data science (ML modeling, statistical analysis, optimization algorithms) and substantial software engineering (production deployment, pipeline maintenance, on-call rotation), making the SOC classification a genuine judgment call between 15-2051 Data Scientists and 15-1252 Software Developers; the primary framing and qualifications lean toward data science and ML.
The 6-year minimum experience requirement is stated as 'building optimization algorithms or relevant experience' — it is a role-level gate, not tied to a specific technology.
Python, R, and Java are listed together as a group of required programming languages ('such as Python, R, SQL, and Java'); they are treated as a required set rather than strict interchangeables, though in practice any one dominant language would likely satisfy the gate.
The degree (Bachelor's or higher in a relevant field) appears only under Preferred Qualifications and is explicitly noted as preferred, so the degree requirement is set to None.
The salary range covers two internal levels (L5: $165K–$220K; L6: $225K–$300K); the full range ($165K–$300K) is reported as posted.
A TWIC (Transportation Worker Identification Credential) is mentioned as a federal requirement for employees needing unescorted port access — this is an operational credential, not a US security clearance, so the clearance requirement is None.
GIS and geospatial analytics appear only under Preferred Qualifications, as does Agile (Scrum/Kanban/SAFe).
Ignored 1 non-technology phrase(s) as skills (responsibilities/concepts, not named tools): GPU optimization.
Caller marked this a fully-remote role — scored against the national candidate pool.
Read the full posting
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