Data Scientist - W2 - No Subcontracting

Location: Remote (8–5 Central, flexible start/end time) Engagement Type: 4-month contract, ending 12/31 (no planned extension) To be eligible for this role, our client requires you to be a W2 employee of VALERE (no subcontracting allowed, we do not sponsor visas). About the Opportunity VALERE is seeking a Data Scientist for our client. This role will focus on building solutions to analyze open-text comments stored in BigQuery using GCP tools such as Vertex AI and Python in Jupyter Notebooks. The position supports the Mayo Clinic’s education division (not direct patient healthcare), working with survey/evaluation data from learners in training. You will help guide the process, develop code, and produce outputs optimized for year-over-year trend analysis in sentiment, topics, and themes. Why You'll Love This Role • Work directly with the Director of Data Analytics. • Engage in advanced data science work with GCP, Vertex AI, and LLMs. • Fully remote role with flexible start/end times. • Impact education programs for medical professionals through meaningful insights. What You'll Do • Guide the process and develop code to analyze open-text comments in BigQuery. • Utilize GCP tools such as Vertex AI for calling large language models via Python and Jupyter Notebooks. • Optimize outputs for trend analysis (e.g., year-over-year sentiment, thematic, and topic analysis). • Collaborate with an analytics architect to identify and prepare datasets for analysis. • Structure and format analysis results for downstream dashboard/report creation. What You Bring Required Skills: • Python Experience: Intermediate to advanced proficiency, including Jupyter Notebook use. • GCP Experience: At least 1 year working with GCP tools. • Vertex AI Experience: At least 1 year working with LLMs in Vertex AI via Python/Jupyter. • BigQuery Expertise: Data retrieval, manipulation, and writing results back. • Education: • Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (engineering, mathematics, computer science, etc.). • At least 12 graduate-level semester hours in a domain-relevant science OR 7+ years of data science/AI experience. Preferred Skills: • GCP certifications. • Experience with thematic, sentiment, and topic analysis of open-text/survey comments. Must provide your own equipment—client will not supply hardware. Pay Rate: This is a contract role with an hourly rate of $71.25. Benefits: We offer a comprehensive benefits package to our W2 Employees including Medical, Dental, Vision, Health Savings Account, Life Insurance, 401k and Sick Pay where applicable by state law. A bit about us: We are a woman-owned/woman-run business based in the Minneapolis/St. Paul market. We are dedicated to placing talented consultants with top-tier clients. Our commitment to excellence and personalized service sets us apart in the industry. We welcome diversity: At VALERE, we know that when people from different backgrounds and perspectives come together, amazing things happen. We strive to create a workplace where every employee, candidate, and client feels valued, respected, and empowered to reach their full potential. We actively work to dismantle barriers that prevent underrepresented groups from thriving in Tech, UX, and Product careers. No matter your race, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability – we welcome you.