Data Scientist - Finance

Christensen Farms is one of the largest, family-owned pork producers in the United States, marketing approximately 3 million hogs per year. Headquartered in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, the company operates throughout the Midwest with facilities in Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois and South Dakota. Christensen Farms owns four feed mills, manages 140,000 sows on 44 farms, and oversees more than 350 nurseries and grow-finish sites. The company employees nearly 1,000 people and maintains 1,500 contract partnerships.

From Our Manager:

"This Data Scientist role within our Finance group is a visible role for someone with a strong modeling background to collaborate with various business units and senior leadership. There will be many opportunities to shape this role to develop your data science/predictive analytics skillset and collaborate with senior leadership to model and find solutions to critical issues facing the organization".

-Hiring Manager

Position Overview and Responsibilities:

The Data Scientist position is a critical member of the finance department. In this role, you will collaborate with business leaders across multiple departments, including Procurement, Feed Mill Operations, Production, and Finance/Accounting, to drive business improvement initiatives, identify cost-saving opportunities, and deliver actionable insights through data analysis. The ideal candidate will possess a strong analytical mindset, the ability to work with large datasets, and a passion for leveraging data to influence strategic decision-making. You will contribute to high-impact projects that enhance the organization's financial health and inform decision-making at all levels. Additionally, you will support the development of our Data Lake House and apply expertise in predictive modeling and machine learning to optimize business outcomes.

What You Will Do:

• Serve as the first line of support for FP&A data needs, works with stakeholders and data architects to define and design data solutions.
• Leverage advanced data science techniques, including artificial intelligence platforms, bring together generative artificial intelligence combined with machine learning and statistical analysis, to automate reporting processes, streamline workflows, and improve the efficiency of FP&A outputs.
• Develop and maintain financial and operational datasets, as well as dashboards that provide real-time insights into business performance. Ensure data accuracy and integrity to support effective decision-making.
• Stay up to date with the latest advancements in data science, machine learning, and BI tools to ensure that the team is leveraging cutting-edge technologies to drive impactful results.
• Collaborate with accounting and business leaders to assist in the preparation of annual budgets and forecasts.

What You Offer Us:

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Computer Science, Data Science or other equivalents.
• Highly proficient in developing and understanding SQL, Python queries.
• Highly proficient working with business intelligence (BI) software, SASS, Power BI.
• 2 years minimum experience working with artificial intelligence platforms, bringing together capabilities of GenAI combined with foundation models and traditional machine learning.
• Pluses: IBM Watson, AI/ML data modeling, agriculture.
• Strong overall communication, presentation and collaboration skills.

What We Offer You:

• Future leadership career track within data science in a visible role.
• Opportunity to grow at a leading adopter of AI/ML and predictive modeling within a fast-paced ag industry.
• We offer a comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, vision, a flexible spending account (FSA), life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, a 401(k) plan, paid holidays, paid time off bank, an employee assistance program (EAP), and more.
• Be part of an organization that gives back to the community in many ways---including feed programs that support local farms, food shelf programs, food support for veterans, agriculture education and promotion, FFA/4H support, charitable contributions, etc.
• A company that has a passionate purpose for food safety, animal welfare, and for living its core values every day--respect, integrity, excellence, adaptability, and innovation.
• A culture that fosters employee growth, promotion from within, and a highly team-oriented workplace environment.

Reports to:

Manager of Financial Planning & Analysis

Salary : $90,000 - $120,000