Principal Data Scientist

Career Opportunities: Principal Data Scientist (3130) Look forward to working with Australia’s leading and most trusted provider of Employee Management Services, making the benefits of salary packaging, novated leasing, and fleet management readily available to employers and their employees.

Working at Smart offers more than a job. It is a dynamic workplace that matches the enthusiasm for the work you do and ambition for an exciting fast-paced career. We have all been hired for a purpose and a reason.

Every day you will be part of a team that helps support fellow Australians - many working in essential services, corporates, government, and not-for-profits - to take home more money in their pay packets.

Do you have what it takes to become a Principal Data Scientist?

Smart are seeking a Principal Data Scientist to join our Enterprise Data team. This is a unique opportunity for a highly skilled individual contributor who can own the full data science lifecycle—from scoping business problems to deploying production solutions. You’ll be the driving force behind our advanced analytics and machine learning initiatives, partnering directly with senior stakeholders to deliver measurable business outcomes.

What you will do

Act as a “one-person army,” leading and executing all aspects of data science projects, from ideation to deployment, whilst leveraging the existing data capabilities and platforms already embedded in the organisation.

Design and build robust, scalable Data Science and Machine Learning solutions on Databricks.

Deliver hands‑on advanced analytics workstreams, generating actionable insights for Smart clients and customers.

Apply machine learning to drive growth, retention, and unlock new commercial opportunities.

Set standards and frameworks for predictive modelling and analytics, ensuring best practices.

Manage vendor relationships and represent data science in internal and external forums.

Stay ahead of emerging AI technologies and foster a culture of innovation.

About you

You love rolling up your sleeves and delivering real, commercial results.

Deep technical expertise in machine learning, predictive modelling, and advanced analytics.

Expert‑level proficiency in Python, SQL, and cloud platforms (especially Databricks).

Strong business acumen, with a proven track record of translating data science into commercial outcomes.

Excellent communication skills, able to engage confidently with both technical and business stakeholders.

Comfortable working independently, setting direction, and writing production‑ready code.

5+ years in data science, with 3+ years in leadership or senior individual contributor roles.

Experience building and deploying machine learning solutions in real‑world settings.

Postgraduate qualifications (Masters/PhD) in mathematics, statistics, physics, or a related quantitative field preferred.

W hat’s in it for you? Smart team members enjoy a range of benefits designed to support flexibility, wellbeing, reward, and growth:

Smart Leave, an additional week of leave each year

Free lunch every week

Up to 20 weeks Paid Parental Leave with superannuation contributions and a Return‑to‑Work Bonus

Make a Difference Days – paid days off to volunteer for the community and environment

Salary packaging and novated leasing benefits (of course!)

Free flu vaccinations

Employee Share Plan

Grow with Purpose At Smart, we’re driven by purpose and performance. We support individual and team growth via varied learning opportunities, open communication, and leaders who work to get the basics right – quality and regular one to ones, clear goals and success metrics, and growth conversations.

Show us you have what it takes If this sounds like the opportunity for you and you have something to offer, we’d love to hear from you. APPLY ONLINE today. Our Talent Acquisition team will be in touch to discuss next steps. If you require any adjustments to the recruitment process or are seeking part‑time work, let us know—we’re here to understand.

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion We’re committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity. We welcome all people to join our team — including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, veterans, people with disability, people who identify as LGBTQ+, all gender identities, people of any socioeconomic status, age, race, national origin or ethnicity. We’re proud to hold diversity and inclusion accreditations, including:

WGEA Employer of Choice for Gender Equality since 2019

DCA Inclusive Employer 2023–2024

Member of Reconciliation Australia's RAP network

Please note: all successful candidates will be required to complete background checks including a police clearance prior to confirmation of employment. Candidates must have unlimited Australian work rights to be considered for this role. Respectfully, no agencies please.

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