Head of Data Science - AI Startup

Head of Data Science – Stealth Mode AI Startup

Location: Austin, TX

Type: Full-Time, Permanent

Compensation: $250K–$300K+ base + significant equity + benefits

Work with a high-potential, early-stage stealth-mode AI startup that's building groundbreaking next-generation intelligence solutions. Backed by strong investors and led by a visionary founder, this team is operating in deep stealth while rapidly developing transformative AI technologies.

They're now hiring their inaugural Head of Data Science to own the data function from the ground up.

This is a rare founding-level leadership opportunity: report directly to the Founder/CEO, define the AI/data strategy, build the team from scratch, and drive core breakthroughs in a fast-moving, high-autonomy environment.

Key Responsibilities (as defined by the client):

• Shape and execute the full data science & ML roadmap, from foundational models to advanced production AI systems.
• Architect scalable data infrastructure, pipelines, and experimentation frameworks to support cutting-edge AI development.
• Collaborate intimately with the founder on technical vision, rapid prototyping, model iteration, and product direction.
• Lead talent acquisition and team building: hire, mentor, and scale a world-class data science/ML organization as the company grows.
• Ensure rigorous best practices around model performance, ethical AI, bias mitigation, explainability, and data governance/security.
• Drive data-informed decisions that accelerate innovation across engineering, product, and business priorities.

Ideal Candidate Profile:

• 7+ years in data science / machine learning, with 3+ years in senior/leadership roles at startups, AI labs, or high-growth tech companies.
• Deep hands-on experience building and deploying production-grade ML/AI systems (e.g., large-scale models, generative AI, reinforcement learning, multimodal systems, or agentic architectures).
• Strong technical fluency: Python, SQL, cloud platforms (AWS/GCP/Azure), modern frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, JAX, etc.), and MLOps tools.
• Proven track record scaling data/ML teams from early stage (0–few) through growth phases, including direct hiring and culture-setting experience.
• Thrives in ambiguity and fast iteration; excellent at distilling complex technical concepts for founder/exec alignment.
• Genuine excitement for frontier AI and building transformative technologies from the ground floor.
• Austin-based or open to relocation (thriving AI/tech ecosystem with top talent access).