Staff Data Scientist

Aurora hires talented people with diverse backgrounds who are ready to help build a transportation ecosystem that will make our roads safer, get crucial goods where they need to go, and make mobility more efficient and accessible for all. 

On the Risk & Safety Data Science sub-team of Aurora Data Solutions (ADS), you'll join a world-class group of data scientists, analysts, and engineers whose mission is to generate insights and intelligence that will help us safely and broadly commercialize autonomous vehicle technology. We leverage vast amounts of on-road and simulated data to accelerate the development of the Aurora Driver, identifying key drivers of risk and informing critical decisions about our safety case.

This is an opportunity to work at the intersection of cutting-edge data science and hardware/software development. As part of a consolidated data team, you will collaborate with diverse stakeholders across engineering, operations, and product, all while championing data best practices to accelerate our "data to insights" process. If you thrive on complex, cross-functional projects and are passionate about using data to solve the most challenging problems in transportation, joining Aurora Data Solutions is the perfect opportunity. As a Staff Data Scientist on the Risk & Safety sub-team, you'll be a technical leader and a go-to expert for risk & safety data science projects. You will be responsible for applying advanced statistical analysis, probabilistic modeling, and machine learning to evaluate the safety performance of the Aurora Driver. Your work will directly support our safety case, inform hardware and software decisions, and identify critical risk factors.

In this role, you will

• Lead the design and development of rigorous metrics, models, and statistical analyses to assess and continuously improve the safety performance of the Aurora Driver.


• Conduct in-depth analyses of on-road and simulated data to identify and characterize safety events and risks.


• Develop data-driven probabilistic models to evaluate the safety of the product and support risk-based decision-making.


• Partner with engineering teams to develop and maintain Safety Performance Indicators (SPIs) and contribute to critical verification and validation (V&V) work products.


• Serve as a technical expert for the team, providing guidance and mentorship to junior data scientists and analysts.


• Champion data science best practices, including code reviews, data governance, and scalable data workflows.


• Present complex technical findings and data-driven recommendations to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of industry experience as a Data Scientist, Analyst or similar technical role


• Demonstrable expertise in coding, programming concepts, and technical tools, combined with the enthusiasm and passion to build. Must be expert at using Python


• Advanced knowledge and experience using relational databases (SQL, PostgreSQL, etc.) and knowledge of best practices for Data Engineering


• Strong understanding of both common and advanced Data Science modeling tools and technologies (eg. numpy, sklearn, pytorch, etc.)


• Experience driving Data Science analysis end-to-end, working closely with Engineering and Product to productionize pipelines, surfacing insights scalably


• Experience driving cross functional alignment across major technical programs


• Proven ability to communicate technical, data-driven analysis to both technical and non-technical audiences across stakeholders, including translating and cascading Executive input into their work

Desirable Qualifications

• Experience in a safety-critical industry (e.g., autonomous vehicles, aerospace, robotics, medical devices) and a strong understanding of safety engineering principles and risk assessment methodologies.


• Familiarity with functional safety standards and regulations (e.g., ISO 26262, UL 4600)


• Knowledge of safety-related data analysis, including a track record of using data to inform safety cases or support regulatory compliance.


• Advanced degree (MS or PhD) in Statistics, Computer Science, Operations Research, Economics, or a related quantitative field


• Experience working with data transformation tools such as DBT


• Experience working on ETL pipelines and leveraging big data engines


• Experience using Amazon Web Services (AWS) tools


• Experience in the Autonomous Vehicle, Robotics, or Advanced Transportation spaces

The base salary wage range for this position is $171K-$273K per year. Aurora’s pay ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, the successful candidate’s starting base pay will be determined based on factors including job-related skills, experience, qualifications, relevant education or training, and market conditions. These ranges may be modified in the future. The successful candidate will also be eligible for an annual bonus, equity compensation, and benefits.

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#Mid-Senior