Principal Data Scientist & Innovation Lead

At CVS Health, we’re building a world of health around every consumer and surrounding ourselves with dedicated colleagues who are passionate about transforming health care.

As the nation’s leading health solutions company, we reach millions of Americans through our local presence, digital channels and more than 300,000 purpose-driven colleagues – caring for people where, when and how they choose in a way that is uniquely more connected, more convenient and more compassionate. And we do it all with heart, each and every day.

Position Summary

We are seeking a highly collaborative, creative, and pragmatic Principal Data Scientist & Innovation Lead to help us push the boundaries of how data science can drive Medicare Stars clinical outcomes. This role is ideal for an experienced Data Scientist with a deep understanding of Medicare Stars, an exceptional ability to foster trusted relationships, and a strong track record of delivering innovative solutions in complex environments — all while building alignment and avoiding organizational friction.

You will lead a small, agile team of contractors focused on rapid development and productionalization of advanced analytics and data science solutions. Success in this role requires a balance of technical excellence, business acumen, leadership finesse, and a true “people-first” mindset.

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in data science, advanced analytics, and solution delivery
• 5 years in Medicare and Medicare Stars-related work

• Programming: Expert-level proficiency in Python/SAS for scalable healthcare data analysis and modeling.
• Advanced Machine Learning & Predictive Modeling: Extensive experience designing and deploying supervised learning models (e.g., gradient boosting, logistic regression, random forests) with strong grasp of evaluation metrics such as AUC, F1 score, and calibration.  
• SQL & Big Data Technologies: Advanced SQL expertise for complex healthcare data transformation; experience with Databricks/ Snowflake to process large-scale structured and semi-structured datasets.
• Cloud Platforms (Azure/GCP): Proficiency in Microsoft Azure/ Google Cloud Platform (GCP) for building, deploying, and managing scalable AI and data science solutions.
• Generative AI & Large Language Models (LLMs):  Production-level experience with GPT-4, Claude, Mistral, etc for healthcare applications such as summarization, Q&A, and automation 
• Prompt Engineering & RAG Pipelines: Strong capability in building AI Agents and GenAI applications using prompt design, retrieval-augmented generation, and LLM chaining strategies

Preferred Qualifications

• Lead Innovation & Delivery: Lead a cross-functional innovation pod to rapidly design, develop, and deploy creative, practical data science solutions that drive measurable improvements in Medicare Stars performance.
• Foster Collaboration & Alignment: Build trusted relationships with clinical strategy, business, and technology stakeholders. Create an environment of transparency, trust, and shared ownership to move innovation efforts forward effectively and diplomatically.
• Drive Results Without Friction: Consistently deliver high-quality, high-impact solutions while navigating a complex and regulated Medicare Stars environment — without creating tension or misalignment.
• Mentor & Lead Small Team: Provide leadership, coaching, and day-to-day guidance to a small team, helping them prioritize effectively and deliver results.
• Communicate with Clarity & Influence: Translate technical concepts into actionable business insights for leadership and partners. Help drive strategy by bringing a unique voice to discussions on Medicare Stars performance and innovation opportunities.
• Champion Creativity & Pragmatism: Introduce novel methods, tools, and approaches while staying grounded in the practical realities of production delivery and regulatory compliance.
• Master's degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Applied Mathematics, Engineering, or a related quantitative field

Education 

• Bachelor's degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Applied Mathematics, Engineering, or a related quantitative field

Pay Range

The typical pay range for this role is:

$144,200.00 - $288,400.00

This pay range represents the base hourly rate or base annual full-time salary for all positions in the job grade within which this position falls.  The actual base salary offer will depend on a variety of factors including experi