Principal Predictive Analytics Engineer

Butterball, LLC, one of Americas most iconic brands, helps consumers celebrate Thanksgiving and every day in between. Located in the thriving Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina area, our goal is to provide a diverse array of career opportunities and paths which include our farms, processing facilities and support offices.

We are the largest producer of turkey products in the U.S., and we make a lot more than Thanksgiving turkeys. Our companys measurable growth is in no small part due to our team members in North Carolina, Arkansas, Illinois, and Missouri, who each have a seat at the table to contribute to our success

Job Summary

This is a role that combines advanced machine learning research with strategic business analysis, bridging technical innovation and business insight and enabling scalable AI applications and actionable analytics. Develops intelligent solutions that enhance decision-making and operational efficiency across the enterprise. Enables smarter services and informed decisions for our business community. Helps design, deploy, and monitor data pipelines, predictive models, dashboards, and internal AI tools with emphasis on data analytics and machine learning. Collaborates with departments to unlock the value of unstructured data while ensuring transparency, ethics, and equity in AI use. Responsible for strategic and tactical areas, focusing on the high-level design and vision of the predictive analytics ecosystem while building and maintaining the infrastructure and systems that support predictive models in production.

Key Responsibilities

1. Designs and implements machine learning models using R, Python, TensorFlow, and Azure ML.

2. Conducts research on and supports experimentation with AI methodologies including NLP, computer vision, and generative models.

3. Analyzes complex datasets using SQL, Power BI, and Excel to uncover trends and opportunities.

4. Collaborates to define requirements and translate them into technical solutions.

5. Documents methodologies, findings, and recommendations for technical and non-technical audiences.

6. Gathers data from internal and external sources to store in the business data lake.

7. Analyzes structured and unstructured data to uncover insights that support operational and strategic goals, including supporting use cases related to IoT devices and measuring points from the production lines.

8. Operationalizes predictive models and integrates them into the company's operational systems.

9. Designs and maintains robust, automated data pipelines (ETL / ELT) that collect, transform, and move data to be used for predictions.

10. Implements best practices for the full lifecycle of machine learning models, including deployment, monitoring, and retraining.

11. Manages infrastructure of cloud and big data technologies (e.g., Spark, Hadoop) to ensure predictive systems are scalable and efficient.

12. Ensures the integrity and quality of the data that feeds into the predictive models.

13. Develops dashboards and self-service analytics using tools such as SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC), Power BI, and other supported platforms.

14. Partners with departments to interpret data and tell compelling, actionable stories. Builds future predictions based on current and past data.

15. Supports data governance practices, including metadata standards, data quality monitoring, and data lifecycle management.

16. Works cross-functionally and across all Butterball IT areas.

Minimum Qualifications (Educations & Experience)

1. Bachelors degree in related field (i.e., data science, Business Analytics, Computer Science, Statistics, etc.) or equivalent

2. 8+ years of relevant experience or the knowledge, skills, and abilities to succeed in the role

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Butterball Core Competencies

Caring about people, valuing contributions, and empowering to succeed is the Butterball Way. We recognize the value that different perspectives and cultures bring to Butterball and seek to create an environment where everyone can thrive. Everyone has a seat at the table and is expected to embody our core competencies :

Safety First : We put safety first. The health, safety, and well-being of our people, products, and turkeys is everyone's responsibility and everyone's jobs.

Integrity : We trust each other to do the right thing. We act with integrity and gain the confidence and trust of others through honesty, respect, and authenticity.

Stewardship : We take care of what matters. We are accountable to our commitments and take responsibility for the well-being of our teams, our quality, our customers, our business, our brand, and our communities. We are always answerable for our actions and those we lead.

Enthusiastic Attitudes : We create a climate where everyone feels they belong and can be engaged, every day. Where our people are enthusiastic and motivated to do their best and work together to make great things happen.

Continuous Improvement : We are committed to continuous improvement. We challenge ourselves and our company to constantly learn, develop, grow, improve, and innovate.

Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Ample experience in data analytics, AI modeling, machine learning, business analysis, and business intelligence tools

Deep business acumen, gathering and analyzing data from multiple internal and external sources, as well as from various business areas

Strong foundation in statistics, optimization, and data modeling

Proficiency in R, Python, SQL, and BI tools (Power BI, Tableau)

Experience with cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, GCP)

Excellent communication and client / partner engagement skills

Ability to manage multiple projects and prioritize effectively

Familiarity with Agile or Scrum methodologies

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Masters degree in data science, Business Analytics, Computer Science, Statistics, or related field

Experience with LLMs, reinforcement learning, or enterprise AI applications

Experience with SAP, Azure Data Factory, or enterprise data platforms

Physical Demands

While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be regularly required to stand, sit, talk, hear, reach, stoop, kneel, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer, telephone, keyboard, and occasionally lift up to 15 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, depth perception, color vision and the ability to adjust focus.

Working Conditions & Travel Requirements

Work is performed in a climate-controlled office environment with the option to work remotely periodically. For remote work, the employee must have a dedicated workspace to safely setup and use assigned IT equipment, preferably free from distractions. The employee is responsible for ensuring adequate internet service is available when working remotely (the recommended minimum speed is 20mb download and 5mb upload).

The noise level of the environment is usually moderate.

Minimal regional travel may be required.

Disclaimer

The statements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees and are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of what is required of personnel so classified. Furthermore, they do not imply or establish a contract for employment and are subject to change at the discretion of the employer. Butterball, LLC is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to the fair and impartial treatment of all employees and applicants for employment without regard to gender, age, race, religion, color, national origin, physical or mental disability, military / veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, marital status, parental status, pregnancy, or any other status protected by law. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this job

We embrace equal opportunity employment. Butterball is committed to the fair and impartial treatment of all employees and applicants for employment without regard to gender, age, race, religion, color, national origin, physical or mental disability, military / veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, marital status, parental status, pregnancy, or any other status protected by law.

This position is deemed Safety Sensitive for purposes of Butterballs Drug / Alcohol Screening & Testing Policy. Details will be provided to individuals who receive a conditional job offer, or upon request.