Junior Data Scientist /Java Developer
This entry-level role targets recent graduates and self-taught candidates seeking full-time positions in data science, machine learning, and software development with a focus on Java and Python. The position emphasizes practical skills, integrated projects, and interview readiness to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and employer expectations. Candidates will engage in live instruction and real-world scenarios to prepare for roles such as ML engineer, AI engineer, and data scientist at leading tech companies.
About Careertakes
👉 Important disclosure: Careertakes is a third-party recruiting platform supporting this hiring process. If selected, you will be employed directly by our client, IT.
Applicants for this role may also receive access to additional matched opportunities through the Careertakes platform.
What You’ll Do
This is an entry-level/full-time role that blends software development (Java) with data science and machine-learning fundamentals. You will join a team delivering production-ready ML and data solutions for business use cases.
- Contribute to designing, developing, testing, and maintaining Java-based services and microservices.
- Implement data pipelines and ETL processes to prepare datasets for modeling and analysis.
- Build, train, evaluate, and help productionize machine learning models (supervised learning, basic NLP, and LLM/GenAI prototypes).
- Write clean, well-documented code and unit tests; participate in code reviews.
- Collaborate with product owners, data engineers, and senior data scientists to translate requirements into technical solutions.
- Help monitor model performance and data quality in production; assist with troubleshooting and incident response.
- Communicate technical trade-offs and model behavior to non-technical stakeholders.
What We’re Looking For
We’re looking for motivated early-career engineers and data practitioners who can learn quickly and contribute across both software and data tasks.
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, or equivalent experience (recent grads encouraged).
- Experience with Java (core language, libraries, basic concurrency).
- Familiarity with Python for data work (pandas, numpy, scikit-learn) or a willingness to learn quickly.
- Basic understanding of statistics, supervised learning, model evaluation metrics, and data preprocessing.
- Comfort with SQL and working with relational databases.
- Strong communication skills and willingness to work in small, high-feedback teams.
- Ability to follow engineering best practices (version control, CI/CD, testing).
Nice to Have
- Experience or coursework in deep learning, NLP, or LLMs/GenAI.
- Exposure to cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes).
- Familiarity with data engineering tools (Airflow, Spark) or Java web frameworks.
- Internship or project experience delivering end-to-end data or software projects.
Compensation & Logistics
- Location: Highland Park, TX (in-person or hybrid per client needs)
- Employment type: Full-time
- Base salary: $82,000 - $136,000 per year (as listed by the client)
- Start date: As agreed with Confidential Client
Why Apply via Careertakes
Careertakes is supporting this search as a third-party recruiting partner. If you’re an early-career candidate, recent grad, or someone transitioning into data/ML from another field, this role is intended to provide hands-on experience across a real product stack rather than isolated coursework.
Applicants may be considered for multiple roles with Confidential Client and partners when your skills and interests match open requirements.
Hiring Process (what to expect)
- Initial resume screening (Careertakes may use automated tools to assist with screening — humans make final decisions).
- Phone or video screen to review background and fit.
- Technical interview(s) that include coding (Java/Python) and data/ML problem-solving.
- Final interview with the hiring team; offer and onboarding details provided by Confidential Client.
Equal Opportunity & Hiring Transparency
Careertakes and our client are Equal Opportunity Employers committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We prohibit discrimination or harassment of any kind. To support a fair and efficient hiring process, AI tools may be used to assist with application review or resume screening. These tools do not replace human decision-making. Final hiring decisions are made by people.
If you have questions about how your data is used, please contact us directly.
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