The entry-level data science job market has changed a lot. Companies now want more than just researchers. They are looking for people who can turn models into real products and explain their value to everyone, not just technical teams. In this article, I’ll show you the top entry-level data science roles you can apply for.
Entry-Level Data Science Roles Open Now
If you want to optimize your job hunt, you need to target companies that are actively deploying systems. Let’s look at a few open entry-level and junior roles across the industry right now, and unpack what those jobs actually look like under the hood.
1. Data Scientist at Crocs (India)
You might look at a footwear brand and think, “What do they need AI for?” The answer is massive-scale logistics and customer behavior.
At a company like Crocs, an entry-level Data Scientist is focused on supply chain optimization, inventory forecasting, and CRM (Customer Relationship Management) analytics. You aren’t just analyzing past sales; you are building models to predict exactly how many pairs of a specific shoe need to be in a regional warehouse by next Tuesday to meet local demand spikes without overstocking.
You can apply for this Data Scientist role here.
Many of the AI engineering and GenAI skills behind modern data science roles are covered step-by-step in my book: Hands-On GenAI, LLMs & AI Agents.
2. Data Engineer at IBM (India)
Data Engineers are the unsung backbone of the AI ecosystem. At IBM, an entry-level Data Engineer is building the infrastructure that makes enterprise AI possible for massive corporate clients.
This means designing reliable ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) pipelines, migrating complex datasets to the cloud securely, and enforcing data quality. If you like architecture, distributed databases, and writing clean, scalable code, this role makes you indispensable. Frankly, without strong data engineering, there is no AI.
You can apply for this Data Engineering role here.
3. Data Scientist (New Grad) at SentiLink (US)
SentiLink is a major player in financial risk and identity verification. This specific new-grad role is deeply focused on fraud detection, specifically stopping synthetic identity fraud before it happens.
This is a high-stakes, full-stack data science role. You aren’t just theorizing; you are building classification models that process loan applications in real-time. It requires handling the entire ML lifecycle, from creative feature engineering using rich data sources to writing production-ready code.
You can apply for this Data Scientist role here.
4. ML Engineer at CNN (US)
Modern media companies run on engagement. CNN hires ML Engineers specifically to build and deploy systems for personalization, search, and content recommendations.
This role is all about building engines that predict what article or video a user actually wants to see next. It involves heavy A/B testing, understanding software engineering best practices, and working with real-time streaming data to keep users engaged.
You can apply for this ML Engineering role here.
5. Data Scientist at OpenAI (UK)
While OpenAI is famous for pushing the boundaries of research, its data scientists are deeply involved in the applied side of making foundational models usable, aligned, and safe.
An entry-level role here often focuses on data curation, rigorous model evaluation, and alignment techniques (like RLHF). You would be working on evaluating model outputs, designing robust testing frameworks, and hunting down edge cases where the model fails or hallucinates.
You can apply for this Data Scientist role here.
6. Data Scientist at Apple (UK)
Apple’s approach to AI is famously privacy-first. A data science role here generally revolves around on-device machine learning.
Instead of sending user data to a massive cloud server, your challenge is optimizing a model to run efficiently right on an iPhone’s silicon. How do you deploy a complex model without draining the user’s battery or compromising their private data? This requires a strong understanding of model compression, efficiency, and hardware constraints.
You can apply for this Data Scientist role here.
Summary
So, here are the top entry-level Data Science roles open right now:
- Data Scientist at Crocs
- Data Engineer at IBM
- Data Scientist at SentiLink
- ML Engineer at CNN
- Data Scientist at OpenAI
- Data Scientist at Apple
I hope you liked this article on the top entry-level data science roles you can apply for.
For more AI and machine learning tips, follow me on Instagram. My book, Hands-On GenAI, LLMs & AI Agents, can also help you grow your AI career.
