AI Data Specialist

Company Overview

We are the better way to work in finance. As private equity’s value creation partner, we sit at the heart of PE where sponsors and CFOs meet. Through financial consulting rooted in data, technology, and AI, we help clients drive value where we support the office of the CFO to drive end-to-end value creation.

If you crave challenging work and are looking to grow, come solve complex issues alongside 1,600+ finance & technology experts in a supportive, collaborative environment.

Backed by premier private equity firms and headquartered in New York with 11 offices around the globe, we are a high-growth, entrepreneurial firm looking for people who want to be part of building something great. Come make your mark.

Data & Analytics

Accordion's Data & Analytics (D&A) team offers cutting-edge, intelligent solutions to a global clientele, leveraging a blend of domain knowledge, sophisticated technology tools, and deep analytics capabilities to tackle complex business challenges.

We partner with Private Equity clients and their Portfolio Companies across diverse sectors, including Retail, CPG, Healthcare, Media & Entertainment, Technology, and Logistics.

This role can be based in any of our US office locations and is a hybrid role with the flexibility to work remotely 2 days a week. Ideal candidates should be local to the desired location.

This position is not eligible for immigration sponsorship.

Accordion Intelligence Lab

The AI Lab is composed of leading software and AI engineers, designing agentic-AI solutions ahead of the market. Our group builds and operationalizes the AI systems that power Accordion’s consulting capabilities, from agentic architectures and RAG pipelines to evaluation frameworks and production observability.

The Lab works closely with practice leaders to translate research findings into scalable, reliable tools that advance Accordion’s AI-driven value creation work for PE clients and their portfolio companies.

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Role 1: Data Specialist

About The Role

We're looking for a Data Specialist to join one of Accordion's AI-augmented delivery pods. These pods are purpose-built teams that combine AI engineering, data science, and product management to transform how PE-backed companies run finance and operations.

In this role, you are the person who makes data work in practice. You move fluidly between messy source systems and production-ready pipelines, and you do it fast. You'll work directly alongside AI engineers and product managers to scope data requirements, diagnose quality issues, and build the data foundations that AI systems depend on. Client-facing moments come with the territory. You'll need to ask sharp questions, explain what you're seeing in plain language, and earn trust quickly.

What You’ll Do

• Build and maintain the data pipelines, models, and integrations that AI systems depend on
• Scope, design, and write custom ML models tailored to client problems
• Explore unfamiliar datasets with speed and rigor: identify structure, surface anomalies, and form a clear point of view
• Diagnose data quality issues quickly, communicate their impact clearly, and drive resolution
• Work directly alongside AI engineers and product managers to translate ambiguous client problems into reliable data products
• Run client working sessions on data (source system walkthroughs, model findings, quality assessments)
• Tell the data story to non-technical audiences: in a chart, in a slide, in a meeting with a CFO
• Navigate enterprise data environments fluently (ERP systems, BI platforms, financial data infrastructure)
• Use AI tools to move faster across the full scope of your work
• Travel to client site as needed

Success in the First 6 Months

• Own end-to-end data delivery on multiple AI engagements
• Establish a reputation within your pod for finding data problems early
• Run direct client working sessions on data and leave the client confident
• Demonstrate faster, higher-quality output using AI tools

What You’ll Bring

• Deep, practical data skills across the full stack: SQL, Python, machine learning, data modeling, and pipeline development
• Strong instincts for data quality
• Experience working in fast-moving, sprint-based environments
• Comfort working directly with clients
• Background in finance or PE-adjacent environments
• Fluent with AI and ML workflows
• Strong written communication skills

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Role 2: AI Engineer

About The Role

We’re looking for experienced AI Engineers to join new AI-augmented delivery pods. In this role, you will design and build the AI systems that power client engagements: agentic workflows, RAG pipelines, evaluation frameworks, and production-grade tools that operate in real PE environments.

You’ll work directly with clients and cross-functional pod teammates from day one, and you will be expected to ship fast, defend your decisions, and continuously raise the bar on what AI-assisted delivery looks like.

What You’ll Do

• Design and build multi-agent systems and RAG pipelines that automate financial workflows
• Own the full stack from prompt engineering and tool design through deployment and monitoring
• Practice eval-driven development: define how success is measured before you build
• Translate ambiguous client problems into engineering requirements
• Present and defend architectural decisions to technical and non-technical audiences
• Build observability and evaluation infrastructure
• Travel to client site as needed

Success in the First 6 Months

• Ship at least one end-to-end agentic solution in a client engagement
• Establish evaluation infrastructure for your pod’s systems
• Demonstrate materially faster delivery cycles using AI tools
• Build a reputation for solving hard problems with working, defensible solutions

What You’ll Bring

• 3–8+ years of software engineering experience with a notable portion in AI/ML systems
• Hands-on experience building production LLM applications (RAG systems, agentic workflows, multi-agent orchestration)
• Proficiency in Python; experience with LangChain, LangGraph, AutoGen, DSPy, or equivalent
• Strong grasp of evaluation methodologies
• Solid data engineering fundamentals (ETL design, SQL/NoSQL, vector databases)

Nice to Have

• Open-source contributions in the AI/ML space
• Finance or PE domain experience
• Experience building tools for reuse across multiple clients
• Prior experience in consulting or client-facing delivery

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Work Environment & Compensation

This is a high-velocity environment. Sprints are short, client expectations are high, and we don’t slow down between engagements. The people who thrive here are those who find the pace energizing, not exhausting. They ship fast because they’ve internalized good judgment—not because they cut corners. They use AI tools to multiply their output, communicate clearly with non-technical stakeholders, and course-correct quickly when something isn’t working.

The annual salary for these roles ranges from: $144,500 to $230,000 USD + significant bonus + benefits. Actual compensation packages are determined by evaluating a wide array of factors unique to each candidate, including geographic location, skill set, experience, and internal equity.

Equal Opportunity & Policies

Accordion is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic information, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other status protected under federal, state, or local law.

*Please note that as per Accordion policy, we do not accept unsolicited resumes from third-party recruiters unless such recruiters are engaged to provide candidates for a specified opening and in alignment with our inclusive diversity values.*