Data Scientist

Data Scientist – Prompt Engineering & RAG Specialist Location: Greenwood Village, CO Type: W2 Contract | Hybrid (4 days onsite, 1 remote) Pay Range: $50-$65/hour+ (depending on experience) Overview Our client is seeking a Data Scientist focused on Prompt Engineering and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) to develop specialized GPT-based solutions and optimize LLM performance. This role sits within the Data Science organization and partners closely with internal AI leaders to evolve the company’s generative AI strategy. The ideal candidate is a prompt-centric data scientist who’s been “swimming in prompts” for at least a year — someone who understands how to shape LLM behavior through intuitive, structured prompt design. RAG experience is preferred but can be taught; what matters most is the ability to think critically about model context and evaluation. What You’ll Do • Design, iterate, and optimize prompts for LLMs to achieve targeted business outcomes. • Build and refine RAG pipelines that enhance contextual relevance and factual grounding between the LLM and internal datasets. • Develop custom GPT workflows and AI-driven tools to streamline internal operations. • Evaluate model behavior, perform prompt red-teaming, and track performance metrics (e.g., accuracy, hallucination rates). • Collaborate cross-functionally with product, data, and engineering teams to deploy scalable prompt-based solutions. • Serve as the technical architect translating business problems into AI solutions using GPT models. What You’ll Bring • 3–5 years of experience in Data Science or NLP, including 1+ year in prompt engineering. • Strong background in Python, LLM frameworks (LangChain, OpenAI API, etc.), and vector database design. • Understanding of LLM evaluation methods (e.g., ROUGE, response scoring). • Familiarity with RAG workflows or interest in developing this skill. • Ability to design and implement custom GPT use cases (“specialized GPTs”). • Strong communication skills with a knack for breaking down technical ideas into business value. • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, or related field. Preferred Skills • Experience in LLM system prompt design, context window optimization, and embedding-based retrieval. • Familiarity with LangChain, Azure OpenAI, and LLM cost analysis. • Proven ability to collaborate in experimentation-driven environments. Why Join You’ll be part of a growing internal AI team developing next-generation GPT applications. This group includes some of the strongest prompt engineers in the organization (“prompt royalty”) — the perfect environment to refine your craft and contribute to innovative generative AI initiatives.