Trustwell is looking for ambitious, energetic problem-solvers who enjoy a fast-paced team environment filled with challenges and career growth opportunities in a rapidly growing tech firm.  Trustwell is on a mission to change the food industry. Combining FoodLogiQ’s supply chain management software with Genesis’ nutritional analysis and label development solution, the Trustwell Connect platform creates the food industry’s only full-scale solution connecting product development and regulatory-compliant labeling with supplier compliance, enhanced traceability, and automated recall management. From food and supplement manufacturers to retail grocers and restaurant chains, more than 2,500 food companies around the world use Trustwell software as their trusted source for compliance and quality solutions in the food industry. For more information, visit www.trustwell.com.

Role: Lead AI & Data Scientist

FLSA: Full Time | Exempt | Salaried | Remote (US)

Reports to: Chief Technology Officer

Scope of Position:  We are seeking a Lead AI & Data Scientist to help define, implement, and

operationalize Trustwell’s artificial intelligence strategy across products, engineering, data, and internal operations. This role is responsible for turning our existing and new AI systems into reliable, governed, measurable, and reusable capabilities that create practical business value.

The ideal candidate has direct experience implementing AI within an organization, including production use cases, governance models, adoption processes, data controls, evaluation frameworks, and cross-functional enablement. This person should be equally comfortable working with business leaders on AI strategy, engineers on implementation patterns, product teams on customer-facing use cases, and security/compliance stakeholders on responsible AI controls.

This is a high-impact role for someone who understands applied AI, data science, machine learning, LLMs, agentic workflows, data governance, and enterprise adoption. The role requires strong technical judgment, practical implementation experience, and the ability to create structure in a rapidly evolving technology area. 

Essential Duties & Responsibilities including but limited to:   

• Define and help execute Trustwell’s applied AI strategy across product, engineering, data, and internal business operations 

• Lead the implementation of AI capabilities that are practical, measurable, secure, and aligned to business outcomes 

• Establish AI governance practices, including usage policies, risk controls, evaluation standards, approval processes, and ongoing monitoring 

• Partner with Engineering to design repeatable AI implementation patterns for LLMs, agents, retrieval-augmented generation, structured outputs, model evaluation, observability, and production operations 

• Partner with Product to identify, evaluate, and prioritize AI-enabled product opportunities that improve customer value and operational efficiency 

• Develop frameworks for assessing AI use cases, including feasibility, risk, data availability, implementation complexity, cost, and expected business impact 

• Create and maintain standards for responsible AI usage, including data handling, prompt management, model selection, explainability, auditability, and human-in-the-loop controls 

• Build and guide AI evaluation processes, including test datasets, regression testing, hallucination detection, quality scoring, accuracy measurement, and production feedback loops 

• Help establish internal AI adoption processes, including development workflows, engineering enablement, training, approved tooling, and practical usage guidelines 

• Work with Security, Legal, Compliance, and IT stakeholders to ensure AI implementations align with Trustwell’s data protection, privacy, contractual, and security obligations 

• Analyze structured and unstructured data to identify opportunities for automation, prediction, classification, summarization, enrichment, and decision support 

• Develop prototypes, proofs of concept, and production-ready analytical or AI workflows where appropriate 

• Provide technical leadership on model selection, vendor evaluation, build-versus-buy decisions, AI cost management, and long-term platform strategy 

• Collaborate with data engineering and application teams to improve data readiness, data quality, metadata, lineage, and retrieval strategies for AI-enabled systems 

• Define metrics and reporting to measure AI adoption, performance, quality, cost, risk, and business impact 

• Act as a trusted advisor and mentor to engineering, product, and business teams as they adopt AI responsibly and effectively 

• Other duties as required. 

Required Skills/Abilities 

•  8+ years of professional experience across data science, machine learning, AI engineering, data engineering, software engineering, or related technical disciplines, with demonstrated experience leading applied AI initiatives from concept through implementation
• Direct experience establishing or operating AI governance, evaluation, adoption, or production-readiness processes within an organization
• Hands-on experience implementing AI or machine learning capabilities in a production, enterprise, or customer-facing environment
• Strong understanding of modern AI technologies, including LLMs, embeddings, retrieval-augmented generation, prompt engineering, structured outputs, agentic workflows, and model evaluation
• Experience translating business problems into practical AI, data science, analytics, or automation solutions
• Ability to evaluate AI use cases based on business value, technical feasibility, data readiness, operational risk, and implementation cost
• Experience establishing responsible AI practices, including data privacy, security, bias awareness, explainability, human review, auditability, and acceptable use controls
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to work with structured and unstructured data
• Experience with Python and common data science, machine learning, or AI development libraries and frameworks
• Familiarity with APIs, cloud services, data pipelines, vector stores, and production software delivery practices
• Experience defining quality measurement approaches for AI systems, including benchmark datasets, test cases, quality scoring, drift monitoring, and regression evaluation
• Strong communication skills with the ability to explain AI concepts, risks, trade-offs, and implementation plans to technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Pragmatic judgment with the ability to balance innovation, governance, speed, cost, and risk
• Collaborative, approachable working style with the ability to influence across teams without direct authority

Education/Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience
• Advanced degree in a quantitative, technical, or AI-related discipline preferred but not required
• Experience implementing generative AI or LLM-based capabilities in a SaaS, software, regulatory, compliance, supply chain, or data-intensive business environment
• Experience with AI governance frameworks, model risk management, responsible AI programs, or enterprise AI operating models
• Experience with OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, AWS, Azure, or similar AI/ML platforms
• Experience with vector databases or retrieval systems such as Chroma, Pinecone, Weaviate, OpenSearch, MongoDB Atlas Vector Search, or similar technologies
• Experience with data platforms such as MongoDB, Snowflake, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, or cloud-native data services 
• Experience with cloud environments, preferably AWS
• Experience with MLOps, LLMOps, observability, evaluation pipelines, model monitoring, and AI cost management
• Experience working with product and engineering teams to move AI prototypes into production
• Experience creating internal AI usage policies, review boards, enablement materials, training programs, or implementation playbooks
• Experience with compliance-sensitive environments involving customer data, privacy requirements, auditability, or regulated industries

Total Rewards Package:  

• Full healthcare benefits, including medical, dental, and vision. 
• Supplemental benefits, including STD, LTD, HSA, 401k, etc.
• Responsible Time Off (PTO) + Holiday Pay
• Competitive Compensation + Bonus! 
• Excellent culture, growth opportunities, plus much more...  

What to expect - the Hiring Process!  

• Interview with Human Resources
• Interview with Hiring Manager
• Peer Panel Interview
• Offer of Employment (Background Screening/References) 

The compensation for this role is based on several factors, including the candidate's experience, education, skills, and alignment with the responsibilities outlined for the role. The anticipated salary range for this role is posted below, with most candidates hired in the mid-range. This role is also eligible for an annual bonus opportunity of up to 10%, in addition to participation in the Company’s equity program.

To learn more about the culture & employee experience at Trustwell, check out our LinkedIn or GlassDoor! 

Trustwell is an equal employment opportunity employer committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. Applicants receive fair and impartial consideration without regard to race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, religion, or other legally protected class. If you need accommodation for any part of the employment process due to a medical condition, or any disability, please contact a member of our human resources team. 

Acceptable Background and References Required; Upon any conditional offers made by Trustwell. Equal Opportunity Employer/ DFWP/ Affirmative Action