Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Ascend Learning is a leading healthcare and learning technology company, and they are seeking a Senior Data Scientist to enhance their test security function. The role involves building models and reports to empower security analysts and applying statistical modeling and machine learning to drive organizational decisions.
Responsibilities
- Design and implement statistical models, anomaly detection algorithms, and machine learning pipelines to identify suspicious test-taking patterns, proxy testing, impersonation, and item exposure across large-scale assessment datasets
- Build and maintain predictive and classification models — including logistic regression, clustering, random forest, and NLP-based flagging — to surface security risks and prioritize investigation queues
- Independently prepare and present findings, dashboards, and security briefings to senior leadership — translating complex analytical outputs into clear, actionable narratives
- Author detailed analytical reports supporting security investigations, including methodology documentation, evidence summaries, and recommended actions
- Write and maintain complex Snowflake SQL and T-SQL — stored procedures, views, and optimized queries — across Snowflake and SQL Server environments, integrating data from disparate sources including NoSQL, data lakes, APIs, and external data providers; contributing to EDW Gold layer development for exam security use cases
- Design, build, and maintain Tableau dashboards that surface key security metrics, incident trends, and performance indicators for both operational teams and senior leadership
- Partner with Psychometricians, Data Engineering, IT security, and remote proctoring vendors to align on analytical requirements, data quality standards, and the technology landscape — ensuring security data is accurate, timely, and fit for analysis
- Convert ambiguous needs from Test Security, IT, Legal, and Operations into well-defined analytical requirements and data specifications, maintaining clear documentation of models and methodologies throughout
Skills
- Bachelor's degree in Data Science, Statistics, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Educational Measurement, or a closely related quantitative field
- 5+ years of experience in data analysis or data science with demonstrated progression in technical scope and complexity
- Expert-level SQL across both Snowflake and SQL Server — stored procedures, query optimization, and complex multi-source joins
- Proven experience building statistical models and applying machine learning techniques such as classification, clustering, and anomaly detection in a production or near-production context
- Proficiency in Python, R, Snowflake ML for statistical analysis and model development
- Experience building and publishing Tableau dashboards for operational and executive audiences
- Demonstrated ability to communicate complex findings clearly and persuasively to non-technical stakeholders, including senior leadership
- Strong business acumen with the ability to prioritize analytical work by impact and translate ambiguous questions into structured analytical frameworks
- Proven experience working cross-functionally with engineering, product, and IT teams and engaging with vendor technologies
- Master's degree preferred in a quantitative discipline
- Familiarity with psychometric methods
- Experience with remote proctoring platforms
- Exposure to Medallion/EDW architectures in Snowflake
- Background in test security, fraud detection, or behavioral analytics at scale
Benefits
- Flexible and generous paid time off
- Competitive medical, dental, vision and life insurance
- 401(k) employer matching program
- Parental leave
- Wellness resources
- Charitable matching program
- On-site workout facilities (Leawood, Gilbert, Burlington)
- Community outreach groups
- Tuition reimbursement
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