Build the Data Science Dream Team
Beyond just filling open positions

“That’s NOT what we need right now.”
These words came from my colleague Shankar (name changed), who was sitting across me in a quiet and sparkling conference room - right after we both finished conducting a dozen or so interviews for a Data Scientist position for our team.
Shankar, someone I have looked up to for a long time, a hero of the company, had all the honest intentions of filling the vacancy.
I thought about it for a second and responded, “To accomplish our mission successfully, we will need to understand how to balance and structure a Data Science team; how to recruit and interview the best people to fill that team; and how to keep them productive and happy after they’ve joined the team.”
After putting in a considerable amount of thought, I believe we would need a cocktail with the following ingredients to build the dream team:
- The Explorer

An “explorer” data scientist is tasked with pushing boundaries of the team. These are often in a field like deep learning or natural language processing, without any explicit expectation that their work will be immediately useful or have any industrial applicability.
2. The Builder

A “builder” data scientist works closely with the product team. Their work may be embedded within the product itself, using data science and machine learning to increase its value.
The builder needs to be more technically rigorous, as the quality and quantity of data as well as algorithms power modern solutions.
3. The Closer

A “closer” data scientist’s strength lies in applying data science and solving organizational problems. He/she makes sure that business goals are met more effectively. He/she works closely with business units, and are great at communicating technical concepts in layman’s term.
They know what the organization’s goals are for the year and beyond. After a certain level of seniority, the closer data scientist begins to look like any other strategist.
Data scientists are artists and risk takers. While looking for your next teammate find someone with a spoonful of magic — a mountaineer, a cook , a magician , a dreamer, a singer , a poet.
All the best for building your dream team !
