Principal data scientist with 14 years of experience leading high-stakes forecasting and optimization work in retail and supply chain. Architected the enterprise demand forecasting and inventory optimization system used across 1,800 stores, freeing $210M in working capital. Sets scientific standards for 60 data scientists, holds 2 patents and advises executives on AI investment priorities.
Experience
Principal Data Scientist, Summit Home Improvement (Atlanta, GA)
Jan 2021 – Present
Architected probabilistic demand forecasting and multi-echelon inventory optimization across 1,800 stores, freeing $210M in working capital
Set modeling, evaluation and documentation standards for 60 data scientists in 9 teams
Advised the CIO and supply chain SVP on a $15M AI investment portfolio and its sequencing
Lead Data Scientist, Riverton Wholesale Clubs (Bentonville, AR)
Mar 2016 – Dec 2020
Led 6 scientists building markdown optimization that improved clearance margin $30M a year
Built store-cluster models used in assortment planning for 600 clubs
Senior Data Scientist, Northfield Supply Chain Analytics (Chicago, IL)
Jun 2012 – Feb 2016
Developed replenishment models for 8 grocery and pharmacy clients
Education
Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences, Northwestern University (Sep 2007 – Jun 2012)
Platforms: Python, Spark, Databricks, Gurobi, GCP Vertex AI
Leadership: scientific standards, executive advisory, patent development
How to write a Principal Data Scientist resume
A strong Principal Data Scientist resume shows the questions you answered, the models or pipelines you shipped, and the decisions your analysis changed. Lead with scope and impact: the size of the systems, budgets or teams you influenced, and the decisions you owned.
Sections, in order
Summary
Experience
Projects
Skills
Education
Length: One page is ideal; two pages are fine with 10+ years of relevant experience.
Summary: Open with your specialty and years of experience, then one or two signature results.
Skills to feature
SQL
Python or R
Statistics
Machine learning
Data modeling
dbt and ELT pipelines
BI tools (Looker, Tableau, Power BI)
Experiment design
Data visualization
Stakeholder communication
Example bullet points
Built a churn model (gradient boosting, AUC 0.86) that targeted retention offers and saved $900k a year
Rebuilt the revenue dashboard on dbt and Looker, cutting refresh time from 6 hours to 20 minutes
Designed 25 A/B tests with sequential analysis, shortening the average test from 4 weeks to 10 days
Tips from recruiters
Pair every technique with the decision it informed; "built a model" alone says little.
List tools under grouped skills ("Analytics: SQL, dbt, Looker") so ATS keyword matches are exact.
Link a notebook, Kaggle profile or public analysis if you have one.
Recommended templates
Classic (ATS-friendly): Jake's-style LaTeX classic: small caps and hairline rules
Modern (ATS-friendly): Clean single column with accent headings and rules
Compact (ATS-friendly): Dense single column that fits long histories
Principal Data Scientist resume FAQ
What should a Principal Data Scientist resume include?
A Principal Data Scientist resume should show the questions you answered, the models or pipelines you shipped, and the decisions your analysis changed. Use these sections in this order: Summary, Experience, Projects, Skills and Education. Lead with scope and impact: the size of the systems, budgets or teams you influenced, and the decisions you owned.
What is the best resume template for a Principal Data Scientist?
Classic, Modern and Compact work well for Principal Data Scientist roles. They are single-column with standard headings, so applicant tracking systems (ATS) parse them reliably.
How long should a Principal Data Scientist resume be?
One page is ideal; two pages are fine with 10+ years of relevant experience.
Which skills should a Principal Data Scientist put on a resume?
Prioritize the skills named in the job posting. Common ones for Principal Data Scientist roles are SQL, Python or R, Statistics, Machine learning, Data modeling and dbt and ELT pipelines.
How do I write strong Principal Data Scientist resume bullet points?
Start with an action verb, say what you did, and end with a measurable result such as forecast accuracy, revenue impact and query time. For example: "Built a churn model (gradient boosting, AUC 0.86) that targeted retention offers and saved $900k a year."