Principal Data Scientist at The Corporate
Oakland, CA
$270,400–$312,000
Jul 6, 2026
Oakland, CA
Jul 21, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A principal-level data science role focused on building and maintaining predictive and optimization models to quantify wildfire risk and support electric system decision-making. Day-to-day work spans model development in Python or PySpark, user interface development, feature engineering, and translating meteorological and infrastructure data into actionable risk insights. The role suits a seasoned data scientist comfortable bridging advanced technical work with cross-functional stakeholder communication and mentoring others.
Senior level · 8+ years · San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA · Master's required
Advertised as Principal, but the requirements read as Senior.
“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 640 people in the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA area plausibly meet what this posting asks for (data scientists). range 480–840
Applicant volume Heavy — This req sits in a large pool with little in its requirements to thin it, and auto-apply tools fire at everything in the occupation. Applying early and leading with the rare skills below is what gets read.
Most people in this occupation already list these. Still required — just not what gets you shortlisted.
What the occupation pays Median $173,851 (middle half $133,298–$217,653).
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 (8)
The title says 'Principal' but the actual requirements — 8 years of experience (or 2 with a doctorate), a Master's minimum, and scope focused on individual technical delivery — align with a Senior band. 'Principal' here appears to be an internal job grade rather than an org-wide technical authority role.
Python and PySpark are listed together as 'Python or PySpark' in the Desired section, making them interchangeable alternatives. However, PySpark is also called out as a top-three requirement in the posting header, so both are captured as hard gates with each other as the alternative.
Machine learning, feature engineering, and predictive modeling are treated as hard gates because they are central to the role's core responsibilities described throughout the posting, not merely listed as preferred extras.
AWS and Palantir Foundry appear only in the narrative description of sample activities ('executed in Foundry or AWS'), not in a formal requirements section — treated as preferred/contextual stack.
UI development ('User Interface Development Proficiency') is listed as a top-three requirement in the posting header but does not appear in the formal Qualifications section; treated as preferred given the ambiguity, but flagged here for the hiring manager's attention.
The 8-year minimum applies when the candidate holds a Master's degree; candidates with a Doctorate qualify with only 2 years. The degree requirement field reflects the minimum hard-required degree (Master's).
No compensation range was provided in the posting.
Ignored 3 non-technology phrase(s) as skills (responsibilities/concepts, not named tools): predictive modeling, time series analysis, UI development.
Read the full posting
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