Senior Data Scientist

, India

Job Family Group:

Research and Development

Worker Type:

Regular

Posting Start Date:

July 30, 2026

Business Unit:

Finance

Experience Level:

Experienced Professionals

Job Description:

What's the role

This is a senior individual contributor (IC) role operating as the technical leader for AI and Data Science engineering within the NFR Data Science team. The role is responsible for driving technical excellence, establishing best practices, defining solution architectures, and elevating the team's capability in building, deploying, and scaling enterprise-grade AI solutions. The successful candidate will serve as the team's subject matter expert for Databricks-based AI platforms, MLOps, Agentic AI development, and Databricks Genie solutions. The role is deliberately self-driven and self-defined. The incumbent is expected to proactively identify opportunities, create a pipeline of impactful work, influence without formal authority, and continuously raise the technical maturity of the team through innovation, coaching, standards, and strategic guidance

What you will be doing

AI Engineering Leadership & Best Practices

• Act as the technical authority for AI Engineering, MLOps, Databricks Genie development, and enterprise AI solution design.
• Define, implement, and continuously improve AI engineering standards, coding practices, review processes, deployment frameworks, and technical governance.
• Establish best practices covering:
  • AI architecture design
  • Software engineering standards
  • Testing frameworks
  • Deployment automation
  • Model lifecycle management
  • Documentation standards
  • Production support models
• Drive adoption of reusable frameworks, accelerators, templates, and reference implementations.
• Conduct architecture reviews and provide technical guidance across AI and data science initiatives.

Databricks Genie & Agentic AI Leadership

• Design, develop, and deploy enterprise-grade Databricks Genie solutions for business stakeholders across markets.
• Own the reference architecture for Genie-based solutions.
• Define best practices for:
  • Semantic model design
  • Prompt engineering
  • Response evaluation
  • Accuracy optimization
  • Cost optimization
  • Security and governance
• Lead the adoption of Agentic AI capabilities including:
  • Multi-agent systems
  • AI workflow orchestration
  • Tool usage patterns
  • Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG)
  • Human-in-the-loop architectures
• Establish scalable development patterns that enable faster and more consistent delivery of GenAI solutions.

MLOps & Solution Engineering

• Lead implementation and continuous improvement of MLOps practices across the team.
• Define standards for:
  • Source code management, CI/CD pipelines
  • Automated testing, Model versioning
  • Monitoring and observability, Production deployment
• Ensure solutions are designed for maintainability, reliability, scalability, and operational excellence.
• Drive adoption of engineering best practices using SOLID principles, object-oriented design, and modern software development practices.

Innovation & Technical Strategy

• Continuously benchmark external industry advancements and identify opportunities for business adoption.
• Lead rapid prototyping, proof of concepts, and experimentation activities.
• Build and maintain a technology innovation backlog aligned to strategic priorities.
• Evaluate emerging AI technologies and provide recommendations regarding suitability, scalability, and business value.
• Act as the team's technology champion for next-generation AI capabilities.

Stakeholder Engagement & Influence

• Partner with BI Leads, business stakeholders, and technology teams to identify opportunities for AI-driven transformation.
• Translate complex AI concepts, architectural decisions, and technical trade-offs into business-friendly language.
• Influence adoption of technical standards and solutions without direct reporting authority.
• Build credibility through expertise, collaboration, and delivery excellence.
• Act as a trusted advisor to stakeholders on AI opportunities, risks, limitations, and implementation strategies.

Team Capability Development

• Mentor and coach data scientists on AI engineering practices, MLOps, software engineering principles, and Databricks development standards.
• Develop a Data Science Center of Excellence (CoE) focused on technical excellence and delivery quality.
• Drive knowledge-sharing sessions, workshops, and technical communities of practice.
• Create and maintain AI development playbooks, standards, checklists, and reusable assets.

Key Deliverables

• Successful delivery of enterprise-grade Databricks Genie solutions.
• Establishment of AI engineering and MLOps standards across the team.
• Creation of reusable frameworks, templates, accelerators, and development assets.
• Improved solution scalability, maintainability, and deployment efficiency.
• Increased team capability in Agentic AI and Databricks development.
• Delivery of innovation initiatives and proof-of-concepts with measurable business impact.
• Continuous optimization of AI solution quality, latency, scalability, and cost.

What you bring

• 8+ years of experience in Data Science, AI Engineering, Machine Learning Engineering, or related fields.
• Proven experience in:
  • Databricks Genie development
  • Agentic AI implementation
  • MLOps on Databricks
  • Enterprise AI architecture design
• Track record of delivering production-grade AI solutions that balance accuracy, scalability, maintainability, latency, and cost.
• Demonstrated experience defining architecture standards, coding standards, review processes, or engineering frameworks adopted across teams.
• Experience leading technical initiatives without formal people management authority.
• Experience working in Agile delivery environments.
• Strong understanding of Retail industry processes; convenience retail experience preferred.
• Advanced degree in Computer Science, Statistics, Engineering, Data Science, or a related discipline.
• Advanced expertise in Machine Learning, Statistical Modeling, and AI solution development.
• Strong understanding of GenAI architectures and enterprise AI implementation patterns.
• Proven experience designing and deploying Agentic AI solutions in production environments.

What we offer

You bring your skills and experience to Shell and in return you work with talented, committed people on one of the most important challenges facing our planet. You'll have the opportunity to develop the skills you need to grow in an environment where we value honesty, integrity, and respect for one another. You'll be able to balance your priorities as you become the best version of yourself.

• Progress as a person as we work on the energy transition together.

• Continuously grow the transferable skills you need to get ahead.

• Work at the forefront of technology, trends, and practices.

• Collaborate with experienced colleagues with unique expertise.

• Achieve your balance in a values-led culture that encourages you to be the best version of yourself.

• Join an organisation working to become one of the most diverse and inclusive in the world. We strongly encourage applicants of all genders, ages, ethnicities, cultures, abilities, sexual orientation, and life experiences to apply.

• Grow as you progress through diverse career opportunities in national and

• international teams.

• Gain access to a wide range of training and development programmes.

An Inclusive & Progressive Place to Work

• To power progress together, we need to attract and develop the brightest minds and make sure every voice is heard. Here are just some of the ways we're nurturing an inclusive environment - one where you can express your ideas, extend your skills, and reach your potential.

• We're creating a space where people with disabilities can excel through transparent recruitment process, workplace adjustments and ongoing support in their roles. Feel free to let us know about your circumstances when you apply, and we'll take it from there.

• We're closing the gender gap - whether that's through action on equal pay or by enabling more women to reach senior roles in engineering and technology.

• We're striving to be a pioneer of an inclusive and diverse workplace, promoting equality for employees regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Shell in India

Shell is a diversified energy company in India with 13,000 employees, and presence in Integrated Gas, Downstream, Power, Renewable and Upstream. Additionally, we have deep capabilities in R&D, digitalisation, and business operations.

Our global strategy, Powering Progress, is designed to generate value for our shareholders, customers, and the wider society, and focuses on creating more value with less emissions. The strategy supports our purpose of providing more and cleaner energy solutions, with the aim of profitably transforming Shell into a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050. As India moves towards its target of net-zero emissions by 2070, Shell India aims to play a leading role in securing vital energy for today, while investing in, and helping to build, the energy system of the future through strategic investments in the country.

Our Lubricants business serves over 50,000 consumers through a strong network of over 200 distributors, and operates an end-to-end value chain that spans conceptualization, development, and production at a world-class blending plant at Taloja. Through our 350-plus retail stations, we offer an integrated mobility experience including fuels, cafes, and convenience stores, with a prominent network of EV recharging facilities.

Shell owns and operates a LNG re-gasification terminal at Hazira, Surat, with a capacity of 5 MTPA and a LNG truck-loading unit that plays a crucial role in helping meet India's growing demand for gas across sectors. In 2022, Shell acquired Sprng Energy in a $1.55 billion deal to build an integrated energy transition business in the country. Sprng is a leading renewable energy company in India which develops and manages solar, wind, and hybrid power generation facilities and infrastructure.

Our three capability centres across Bangalore and Chennai serve as a technology and innovation powerhouse for Shell globally, working as a delivery engine for core technical, digital, and finance processes: pioneering digital innovation and cutting-edge technologies across the energy sector. We also have strong academic partnerships and collaborations with leading universities and technology institutes to accelerate decarbonization efforts within the energy sector.

We are committed to positively contributing to the communities in which we operate through programmes on STEM Education, Skilling, and Livelihood across India. We nurture and invest in startups developing initiatives focused on accelerating energy innovation through programs such as Shell E4 and Shell Eco-marathon. We also have strategic investments in new energy companies such as Husk Power, d.light, Orb Energy, and Cleantech Solar.

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DISCLAIMER:

Please note: We occasionally amend or withdraw Shell jobs and reserve the right to do so at any time, including prior to the advertised closing date. Before applying, you are advised to read our data protection policy. This policy describes the processing that may be associated with your personal data and informs you that your personal data may be transferred to Shell/Shell Group companies around the world. The Shell Group and its approved recruitment consultants will never ask you for a fee to process or consider your application for a career with Shell. Anyone who demands such a fee is not an authorised Shell representative and you are strongly advised to refuse any such demand. Shell is an Equal Opportunity Employer.