Senior Digital Innovation Engineer – Data Science

About the Role Senior Digital Innovation Engineer – Data Science at Buckman, based in Chennai, India. We are seeking a senior data scientist with hands-on experience in building, deploying, and scaling ML/DL and GenAI solutions on cloud platforms (preferably Azure). The ideal candidate will have practical experience with Large Language Models (LLMs) and a track record of delivering production-grade AI solutions, owning end-to-end AI initiatives, mentoring teammates, and collaborating with global stakeholders to create measurable business impact. What You'll Do

• Design, build, and deploy production-grade ML/DL and GenAI solutions
• Lead development of LLM-based applications, including chatbots and agentic workflows
• Architect scalable cloud-based AI solutions using Azure services
• Partner with business stakeholders to translate real-world problems into AI solutions
• Ensure reliability, performance, and governance of AI systems in production
• Mentor junior data scientists and ML engineers
• Own end-to-end AI initiatives, from problem framing to tangible business impact
• Collaborate with product, IT, and business teams across global sites What We're Looking For
• Bachelor's degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Applied Mathematics, Engineering, or related quantitative field
• 7+ years of hands-on experience in data science, machine learning, or applied AI
• Strong experience designing, training, and deploying ML/DL models into production
• Cloud-based ML workflows, preferably on Microsoft Azure
• Proficiency with Python-based ML ecosystem (NumPy, Pandas, Scikit-learn, PyTorch, TensorFlow, etc.)
• End-to-end ML lifecycle experience (data ingestion → modeling → deployment → monitoring)
• Model performance evaluation, retraining strategies, and production stability
• Production deployments, internal tools, or a verifiable portfolio of AI problems solved
• Hands-on experience with Generative AI / LLMs (chatbots, copilots, agentic architectures)
• Experience using or deploying Azure OpenAI, OpenAI, or similar LLM platforms
• Vector databases, embeddings, prompt engineering, and retrieval-based systems
• MLOps / LLMOps (CI/CD for ML, model versioning, monitoring, observability)
• Azure ML, Azure DevOps, or similar platforms
• Prior exposure to specialty chemicals, manufacturing, supply chain, or industrial analytics
• Engineering background (especially Chemical Engineering)
• Experience setting up or scaling a data science program
• Experience working with global or cross-functional stakeholders
• Ability to thrive in a startup or fast-paced product environment
• Leadership & ownership mindset with strong collaboration Nice to Have
• Master’s or PhD in Data Science, Computer Science, AI, Statistics, Engineering, or related field
• Hands-on experience with Generative AI / LLMs, including tool calling, memory, RAG pipelines
• Experience with Azure OpenAI, OpenAI, or similar LLM platforms
• Vector databases and advanced retrieval-based systems
• Experience with MLOps / LLMOps tooling and processes
• Prior exposure to specialty chemicals, manufacturing, or industrial analytics
• Engineering background (especially Chemical Engineering)
• Experience scaling a data science program and working with global stakeholders
• Familiarity with startup or fast-paced environments
• Demonstrated leadership in AI initiatives