Senior Data Scientist – Econometrics & Microdata

About the role

BAK Economics, an independent economic research and consulting institute in Basel, is looking for a Senior Data Scientist who combines econometrics and data engineering. The institute works with public authorities, associations and companies on projects based on detailed microdata such as tax data, company accounts and patent data. The role is 100% permanent, starts by arrangement, and is based in Basel.

Key responsibilities

• Own the models on microdata in content and methodology, from raw data delivery to the final result, and link different data sources
• Detect methodology changes and breaks in time series, and trace the processes behind tax assessments or balance sheets
• Develop statistical and econometric models, produce forecasts and simulations (e.g. the effect of a tax reform on cantonal revenues)
• Build prototypes quickly from questions raised by economists and bring proven approaches into production with senior data engineers
• Translate subject-matter requirements into clear specifications and write modular, tested code reviewed in code review
• Verify data and results with plausibility checks, reconciliation against independent sources and automated tests
• Present results clearly and traceably to clients, and set methodological standards and give feedback on models and code

Required profile

• Master's or doctorate in economics, statistics, data science, mathematics, computer science or a related field
• At least 5 years of professional experience with messy, incompletely documented data from different sources
• Panel econometrics, handling of missing values and out-of-sample validation; machine learning where it adds value
• English, and either French or German
• Nice to have: experience with tax or register data, microsimulations, record linkage, company balance-sheet data, cloud services (AWS), Docker, Airflow or data warehouses

Required skills

• Strong Python and its standard libraries for data analysis and statistical modelling
• SQL, ideally with solid familiarity with NoSQL databases
• Git, code reviews and automated tests; use of AI tools sensibly

What we offer

• Workplace in central Basel with occasional client assignments across Switzerland, about three days a week in the office or at the client, the rest from home
• Flexible working hours
• Freedom in methods, tools and own ideas, within an interdisciplinary team

To apply, candidates share a CV and a short note on a data project where something went wrong, along with a code sample or GitHub project.