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Data Scientists

SOC 15-2051.00Job Zone 4 · Considerable Preparationv.26.05

Context coveredThis framework covers data science practice in enterprise and technology-driven organizations, spanning exploratory analysis, model development, data infrastructure management, stakeholder communication, and organizational leadership across Job Zone 4 career stages.

Sources:O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.SkillsCrosswalkSkillsCrosswalk — O*NET enrichment + adjacency index. Opens in new tab.
Emerging
Entry / Apprentice
  1. Structured datasets and query tools — retrieve and inspect using standard SQL commands under direct supervisor guidance in a business analytics environment.
  2. Program malfunctions and error logs — identify and document following established troubleshooting checklists on assigned data pipelines.
  3. Business intelligence dashboards — interpret pre-built visualizations and summarize findings in written reports for team review.
  4. Statistical software and development environments — execute provided scripts and record outputs under close mentorship during onboarding projects.
  5. Data quality issues and anomalies — recognize and escalate using defined protocols within a structured data governance workflow.
  6. Database management systems — navigate and perform basic queries following documented procedures on production or staging environments.
  7. Computer program installation and configuration — assist senior staff in coordinating and testing setup steps according to written runbooks.
  8. Technical findings and data summaries — communicate clearly in team meetings using active listening and structured speaking techniques.
  9. Mathematical and statistical concepts — apply foundational methods such as descriptive statistics to support routine analytical tasks assigned by senior data scientists.
  10. Cloud-based management tools — operate under direction to monitor resource usage and flag irregularities for supervisor review.
Developing
Mid-level / Established
  1. Recurring data pipeline malfunctions — diagnose and resolve with reduced oversight by applying systematic debugging techniques in production environments.
  2. Business problems involving integrated data sources — analyze independently using business intelligence software to develop actionable solution recommendations.
  3. Computer programs and automated workflows — test, maintain, and monitor on a scheduled basis, adapting procedures when standard approaches prove insufficient.
  4. Staff and end-user data-related inquiries — address by providing clear, accurate assistance on database tools and analytical software in a service-oriented setting.
  5. Moderately complex datasets from multiple systems — join, transform, and model using SQL and scripted environments to support departmental decision-making.
  6. Project timelines and analytical deliverables — manage using project management software, coordinating tasks with cross-functional stakeholders independently.
  7. Analytical findings and methodology — document in written technical reports that meet organizational standards for clarity and reproducibility.
  8. Statistical and machine learning models — build and validate in familiar problem contexts, adjusting hyperparameters based on performance metrics.
  9. Data storage and cloud infrastructure configurations — maintain and troubleshoot using storage networking and cloud-based management software with limited supervision.
  10. Emerging tools and analytical techniques — evaluate through active learning and apply selectively to improve existing workflows within established team practices.
Proficient
Senior / Expert IC
  1. Complex, non-routine system and program malfunctions — diagnose root causes autonomously and implement durable fixes across interconnected data systems in enterprise environments.
  2. End-to-end analytical solutions for strategic business problems — design and deliver, integrating data from disparate sources using advanced modeling and business intelligence platforms.
  3. Machine learning and predictive models — develop, deploy, and monitor at full production scale, exercising independent judgment on algorithm selection and validation strategy.
  4. Data infrastructure spanning databases, cloud services, and storage networks — architect and optimize to ensure reliability, performance, and security across the organization.
  5. Ambiguous, high-stakes analytical questions — frame, investigate, and resolve by applying inductive and deductive reasoning across novel data environments.
  6. Cross-functional teams and senior stakeholders — advise by translating complex quantitative findings into accessible recommendations through expert oral and written communication.
  7. Procedure management and content workflow software — configure and govern to standardize data science processes and ensure consistency of analytical outputs.
  8. Ethical, legal, and technical risks in data projects — evaluate with high attention to detail and integrity, applying cautious judgment before deployment decisions.
  9. Custom analytical tools and automation scripts — engineer independently within development environments to accelerate team productivity on recurring research tasks.
  10. Organizational data literacy gaps — assess and address by designing training materials and knowledge-sharing sessions that build analytical capability across user groups.
Advanced
Lead / Principal / Executive
  1. Enterprise-wide data science strategy and capability roadmap — define and champion, aligning analytical investments with long-term organizational objectives across all business units.
  2. Organizational standards for model development, validation, and governance — establish and enforce, setting the technical direction that all data science practitioners follow.
  3. Senior data scientists and cross-disciplinary teams — mentor and develop through structured coaching, performance feedback, and deliberate career growth planning.
  4. Novel methodological approaches and innovative tool adoption — lead evaluation and institutionalization of, driving competitive differentiation through intellectual curiosity and calculated risk-taking.
  5. Executive leadership and board-level stakeholders — advise by synthesizing complex analytical insights into strategic narratives that directly inform high-impact business decisions.
  6. Partnerships with engineering, product, and domain leadership — orchestrate to embed data science solutions into core operational and product development workflows at scale.
  7. Organizational risk posture for data, privacy, and algorithmic accountability — shape by developing policies and oversight mechanisms grounded in integrity and regulatory compliance.
  8. Large-scale system overhauls and data platform modernizations — sponsor and govern, ensuring technical excellence and business continuity throughout multi-year transformation programs.
  9. Talent acquisition pipelines and workforce development programs for data science — design and lead, ensuring the organization attracts and retains top-tier analytical professionals.
  10. Firm-wide culture of evidence-based decision-making — cultivate by modeling rigorous critical thinking and championing data-driven practices at every level of the organization.

AI-at-Work Competency Framework

Sources:Anthropic Economic IndexAnthropic Economic Index — release_2026_03_24. Opens in new tab.Jadhav & Danve, 2026Skill Automation Feasibility Index — Jadhav & Danve, 2026 (arXiv:2604.06906). Opens in new tab.WEF Skills TaxonomyWEF Skills Taxonomy 2021 — Building a Common Language for Skills at Work. Opens in new tab.
Subscriber feature

Authoritative source data identified for 998 occupations

How a worker at each mastery level uses, directs, and evaluates AI tools in this occupation. Each statement cites its evidence inline; click a citation chip to verify the source.

Emerging
  1. AI-assisted exploratory analysis — runs prompts against an LLM to generate starter code for data loading, cleaning, and basic visualization, then reviews every output line before executing it in a notebook environment WEF Skills TaxonomyWEF Skills Taxonomy 2021 — Building a Common Language for Skills at Work. Opens in new tab..
  2. Boilerplate delegation — hands off repetitive pandas, NumPy, or SQL snippet requests to an AI coding assistant, freeing attention for problem framing and hypothesis formation Jadhav & Danve, 2026Skill Automation Feasibility Index — Jadhav & Danve, 2026 (arXiv:2604.06906). Opens in new tab..
Developing
  1. Model-selection guidance — queries an AI assistant for candidate algorithms and hyperparameter starting points, then applies critical thinking to evaluate fit against the specific data distribution and business objective Jadhav & Danve, 2026Skill Automation Feasibility Index — Jadhav & Danve, 2026 (arXiv:2604.06906). Opens in new tab..
  2. Documentation drafting — directs an LLM to produce first-draft docstrings, README sections, and methodology summaries, then edits for technical accuracy and organizational standards WEF Skills TaxonomyWEF Skills Taxonomy 2021 — Building a Common Language for Skills at Work. Opens in new tab..
  3. Debugging acceleration — pastes error tracebacks and isolated code blocks into an AI assistant to surface probable root causes, then validates the proposed fix against test data before merging Jadhav & Danve, 2026Skill Automation Feasibility Index — Jadhav & Danve, 2026 (arXiv:2604.06906). Opens in new tab..
Proficient
  1. Pipeline architecture review — uses an AI assistant to stress-test proposed ETL or feature-engineering designs by generating counterexamples and edge cases, while retaining full authorship of the architectural decisions Jadhav & Danve, 2026Skill Automation Feasibility Index — Jadhav & Danve, 2026 (arXiv:2604.06906). Opens in new tab. WEF Skills TaxonomyWEF Skills Taxonomy 2021 — Building a Common Language for Skills at Work. Opens in new tab..
  2. Automated insight narration — instructs an LLM to draft stakeholder-facing summaries of model outputs, then applies judgment and domain knowledge to reframe, correct, or reject any claim the AI produces Jadhav & Danve, 2026Skill Automation Feasibility Index — Jadhav & Danve, 2026 (arXiv:2604.06906). Opens in new tab..
  3. Critical evaluation of AI-generated statistical code — audits LLM-produced statistical routines for distributional assumptions, data leakage, and methodological soundness before integrating them into production workflows Jadhav & Danve, 2026Skill Automation Feasibility Index — Jadhav & Danve, 2026 (arXiv:2604.06906). Opens in new tab. WEF Skills TaxonomyWEF Skills Taxonomy 2021 — Building a Common Language for Skills at Work. Opens in new tab..
Advanced
  1. AI-agent orchestration for end-to-end experimentation — designs multi-step agentic workflows in which AI tools execute data ingestion, feature selection, model training, and evaluation loops autonomously, while the data scientist defines success criteria and reviews all outputs for validity Jadhav & Danve, 2026Skill Automation Feasibility Index — Jadhav & Danve, 2026 (arXiv:2604.06906). Opens in new tab. WEF Skills TaxonomyWEF Skills Taxonomy 2021 — Building a Common Language for Skills at Work. Opens in new tab..
  2. Governance and risk framing for AI-assisted analysis — establishes team-wide standards for when AI-generated code or insights require human sign-off, mapping each task category to its automation feasibility risk level and embedding those standards into the development lifecycle Jadhav & Danve, 2026Skill Automation Feasibility Index — Jadhav & Danve, 2026 (arXiv:2604.06906). Opens in new tab. WEF Skills TaxonomyWEF Skills Taxonomy 2021 — Building a Common Language for Skills at Work. Opens in new tab..
Evidence pack
SAFI positioning
Top skill: Critical Thinking
Score: 57.9 / 100
precision: category_estimate
WEF cluster
Artificial Intelligence
artificial_intelligence
Sources:WEF Skills TaxonomyWEF Skills Taxonomy 2021 — Building a Common Language for Skills at Work. Opens in new tab.Jadhav & Danve, 2026Skill Automation Feasibility Index — Jadhav & Danve, 2026 (arXiv:2604.06906). Opens in new tab.

Pathsmith Durable Skills Framework

Sources:Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
Subscriber feature

Ten durable-skill domains mapped to four proficiency/role levels for each occupation. Each statement is aligned to the Pathsmith taxonomy, derived from trusted grounding data and mapped to occupation-specific O*NET tasks and skills.

1Communication16 statements
Emerging
  1. Data findings summary — translates basic analytical outputs into plain-language descriptions for non-technical teammates in team meetings Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Statistical concept explanation — describes foundational statistical methods using accessible vocabulary during onboarding presentations Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  3. Documentation draft — writes initial version of data pipeline documentation following team templates and style guides Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  4. Stakeholder question response — listens actively to business questions and restates them in data terms before analysis begins Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
Developing
  1. Insight narrative — constructs written reports translating model outputs into business-relevant findings for department managers Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Methodology presentation — explains data cleaning, feature engineering, and model selection choices verbally to cross-functional project teams Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  3. Visualization annotation — authors chart titles, axis labels, and interpretive captions that guide non-technical readers through dashboards O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  4. Requirement clarification — conducts structured interviews with business stakeholders to surface analytical requirements and document them precisely Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
Applying
  1. Executive briefing — delivers concise, evidence-based presentations on model performance and business impact to senior leadership without prompting for simplification Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Technical specification — authors comprehensive model cards and system documentation that enable engineering teams to deploy and maintain solutions independently O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  3. Ambiguity resolution — facilitates recurring alignment meetings between data, product, and business teams to surface conflicting assumptions and establish shared definitions Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  4. Cross-functional data storytelling — constructs narrative-driven analytical reports that integrate quantitative results with strategic context for diverse audiences Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
Exceeding
  1. Organizational data literacy — designs and delivers training curricula that build analytical communication skills across business units Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. External thought leadership — authors white papers, conference presentations, or published articles communicating novel data science methodologies to professional audiences Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  3. Communication standard-setting — establishes team-wide templates and guidelines for model documentation, insight reporting, and stakeholder updates Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  4. Executive advisory communication — serves as primary analytical voice in C-suite strategic discussions, translating complex uncertainty and probabilistic outputs into decision-ready framing Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
2Leadership16 statements
Emerging
  1. Project task ownership — takes responsibility for a defined analytical subtask within a larger data science project and delivers it on schedule Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  2. Peer knowledge sharing — volunteers to walk teammates through a newly learned tool or technique during team knowledge-share sessions Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  3. Initiative documentation — identifies and logs a data quality issue or pipeline inefficiency without being directed to do so Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  4. Junior support — answers questions from interns or newer analysts about data access, coding conventions, or modeling basics Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
Developing
  1. Workstream coordination — manages a data science workstream end-to-end, setting milestones, tracking progress, and removing blockers for team members Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  2. Analytical direction-setting — proposes the modeling approach and evaluation criteria for a project after synthesizing business requirements and technical constraints Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  3. Code review leadership — leads structured code review sessions that enforce quality standards and develop junior practitioners' skills Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  4. Stakeholder expectation management — proactively communicates timeline shifts and scope changes to business partners, framing risks and recommending mitigation paths Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
Applying
  1. Data science project leadership — owns full lifecycle of a multi-month analytical project from problem framing through production deployment and performance monitoring Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Team capability development — identifies skill gaps in the data science team and designs rotational assignments or learning sprints to address them Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  3. Cross-functional influence — drives adoption of data-informed decision-making processes within a business unit by building relationships and demonstrating repeated analytical value Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  4. Hiring and onboarding — participates in interview panels and designs structured onboarding plans that accelerate new data scientists' time to productivity Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
Exceeding
  1. Data science function leadership — defines team mission, technical roadmap, hiring strategy, and success metrics for an entire data science function Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  2. Organizational data strategy — partners with executive leadership to set multi-year data and analytics strategy aligned to business objectives Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  3. Mentorship program design — creates formal mentorship structures that pair senior and junior data scientists around specific technical and career development goals Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  4. Industry leadership — represents the organization at professional conferences, industry working groups, or advisory boards, shaping norms and practices for the data science profession Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
3Metacognition16 statements
Emerging
  1. Skill gap identification — assesses own proficiency across core data science competencies and flags areas needing development to manager during one-on-ones Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  2. Learning plan initiation — selects online courses, tutorials, or reading material to address a specific identified weakness in statistical or programming knowledge Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  3. Error reflection — reviews own model output or code after receiving feedback and documents the reasoning error that led to the mistake Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  4. Assumption logging — records personal assumptions made at the start of an analytical project and revisits them as data exploration progresses Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
Developing
  1. Modeling approach review — evaluates own algorithm selection decisions after project completion and articulates what alternative approaches would have been better and why Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  2. Study strategy calibration — adjusts learning method (reading, practice projects, pair programming) based on reflection on which approaches have produced faster skill acquisition Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  3. Cognitive bias audit — identifies specific cognitive biases (confirmation bias, availability heuristic) that may have influenced own analytical conclusions and documents mitigation strategies Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  4. Time estimation reflection — tracks estimated versus actual project duration over multiple sprints and adjusts future scoping based on identified patterns Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
Applying
  1. Analytical process journaling — maintains structured project retrospective notes capturing decision rationale, dead ends, and lessons learned that inform future project planning Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  2. Mental model updating — explicitly revises own internal understanding of a business domain or technical method when new evidence contradicts prior assumptions Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  3. Uncertainty calibration — monitors own historical confidence in model predictions against actual outcomes and adjusts communication of uncertainty to stakeholders accordingly Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  4. Peer learning integration — systematically incorporates feedback from code reviews and model audits into revised personal workflow standards Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
Exceeding
  1. Team metacognition culture — introduces structured retrospective practices and pre-mortem exercises across the data science team to institutionalize reflective learning Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  2. Epistemological framework — develops personal and team-level frameworks for distinguishing reliable analytical inference from overfit or artifact-driven findings Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  3. Research self-assessment — critically evaluates own published or presented analytical work against emerging literature and proactively retracts or revises conclusions when warranted Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  4. Mentee cognitive development — coaches junior data scientists to recognize and articulate their own thinking processes, biases, and knowledge boundaries during model development Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
4Critical Thinking16 statements
Emerging
  1. Data quality assessment — examines a new dataset for missing values, outliers, and structural inconsistencies before beginning analysis Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Assumption identification — lists key assumptions embedded in a given analytical approach during project kickoff discussions Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  3. Result sanity check — compares model outputs against domain knowledge and business expectations to identify obviously implausible predictions O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  4. Source evaluation — assesses the provenance, collection methodology, and potential biases of an external dataset before incorporating it into analysis Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
Developing
  1. Feature importance analysis — evaluates which input variables drive model predictions and scrutinizes whether those relationships are causal, correlational, or spurious Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Competing hypothesis testing — formulates and statistically tests alternative explanations for an observed pattern before recommending a course of action Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  3. Model selection justification — compares multiple candidate algorithms using held-out evaluation sets and articulates the trade-offs that justify the chosen approach O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  4. Logical fallacy detection — identifies when business stakeholders present flawed reasoning (e.g., post hoc fallacy, base rate neglect) that would lead to incorrect analytical framing Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
Applying
  1. Causal inference design — designs observational or quasi-experimental studies (difference-in-differences, propensity score matching) to move beyond correlation in business impact analysis Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. System malfunction diagnosis — applies structured root-cause analysis to isolate whether model degradation stems from data drift, pipeline failure, or concept drift Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  3. Ethical impact evaluation — critically assesses model outputs for disparate impact, fairness violations, and unintended consequences before deployment Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  4. Evidence synthesis — integrates findings across multiple analytical studies and reconciles contradictory results into a coherent, defensible conclusion for decision-makers Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
Exceeding
  1. Analytical framework innovation — develops novel evaluation frameworks for assessing model reliability, uncertainty, and business fitness that advance team-wide analytical rigor Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  2. Organizational reasoning standards — establishes peer review protocols and decision-quality checklists that embed critical thinking practices into the team's project lifecycle Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  3. Strategic flaw identification — identifies flawed assumptions embedded in enterprise-level business strategies using analytical evidence and presents alternative framings to senior leadership Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  4. Research critique leadership — leads journal clubs or internal review panels that critically evaluate external research before its methods are adopted by the team Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
5Collaboration16 statements
Emerging
  1. Cross-team data request — coordinates with data engineering or IT teams to obtain access to required datasets for an assigned analytical project Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Paired analysis — works alongside a more senior data scientist on a shared notebook or codebase, contributing components while integrating feedback Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  3. Meeting participation — contributes domain-specific data perspectives during cross-functional project meetings without dominating or deferring entirely Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  4. Shared repository contribution — submits documented, tested code to shared team repositories following version control and naming conventions O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
Developing
  1. Product-data collaboration — partners with product managers to translate feature requirements into measurable analytical objectives and success metrics Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Engineering handoff — works jointly with software engineers to define API contracts, model serving requirements, and monitoring hooks for production deployment O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  3. Conflict navigation — surfaces and works through methodological disagreements with teammates by presenting evidence and seeking consensus rather than escalating or capitulating Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  4. Diverse perspective integration — actively solicits input from domain experts (e.g., clinicians, financial analysts) whose knowledge improves feature engineering and model interpretation Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
Applying
  1. Agile team integration — operates effectively within cross-functional agile squads, scoping analytical work into sprint-sized deliverables and managing dependencies with non-data teammates Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Stakeholder co-design — facilitates joint workshops with business partners to collaboratively define problem framing, success criteria, and acceptable trade-offs before analysis begins Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  3. Interdisciplinary model validation — organizes structured validation sessions in which data scientists, domain experts, and end users collectively evaluate model behavior and surface failure modes Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  4. Shared analytical infrastructure — collaborates with data engineering to co-design reusable feature stores, data pipelines, and model monitoring systems that benefit multiple teams O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
Exceeding
  1. Organizational collaboration architecture — designs cross-functional data science collaboration structures (guilds, communities of practice, embedded analyst models) that scale analytical capability Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  2. External research partnership — leads collaborative research projects with academic institutions or industry partners, managing joint deliverables across organizational boundaries Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  3. Conflict resolution facilitation — mediates high-stakes disagreements between data science, engineering, and business leadership over analytical findings or deployment decisions Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  4. Enterprise data governance collaboration — partners with legal, compliance, and security teams to co-create data governance frameworks that enable responsible analytics at scale Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
6Character16 statements
Emerging
  1. Data privacy compliance — handles sensitive personal or business data in strict accordance with organizational data governance policies and applicable regulations Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Result honesty — reports model performance metrics accurately, including failure modes and limitations, rather than selectively presenting favorable results Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  3. Deadline accountability — communicates proactively when a deliverable will be late rather than submitting incomplete work without notice Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  4. Intellectual attribution — credits teammates, open-source libraries, and research papers appropriately in code, documentation, and presentations Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
Developing
  1. Negative result transparency — presents inconclusive or null analytical findings to stakeholders with the same rigor and honesty as positive findings Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Scope integrity — declines to overstate the generalizability or business impact of a model when stakeholder pressure encourages inflated claims Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  3. Peer feedback honesty — delivers constructive, specific code review feedback that prioritizes analytical quality over social comfort Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  4. Conflict-of-interest disclosure — identifies and discloses to leadership any personal, financial, or organizational conflicts that could bias analytical conclusions Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
Applying
  1. Ethical model governance — refuses to deploy or recommend models that produce demonstrably discriminatory or harmful outcomes, regardless of business pressure Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Accountable error ownership — when a deployed model causes a business or operational failure, leads the incident review, communicates the root cause, and drives corrective action without deflection Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  3. Confidentiality stewardship — designs anonymization and access-control protocols that protect individual privacy even when they add analytical complexity Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  4. Professional boundary maintenance — declines requests to use data or analytical methods in ways that violate legal, ethical, or professional standards, and documents the refusal Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
Exceeding
  1. Ethical AI standard-setting — develops organizational policies and review boards governing responsible model development, deployment, and monitoring Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Integrity culture modeling — sets the visible standard for analytical honesty across the team by consistently acknowledging uncertainty, correcting errors publicly, and rewarding intellectual courage in others Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  3. Whistleblower courage — escalates observed misuse of data or analytical outputs to appropriate authorities when internal remediation fails, accepting personal professional risk Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  4. Professional ethics advocacy — contributes to industry-wide ethical standards through participation in professional organizations, public comment processes, or published ethical frameworks Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
7Creativity16 statements
Emerging
  1. Feature ideation — proposes novel input variables derived from domain knowledge during feature brainstorming sessions, beyond those specified in the problem brief Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Visualization experimentation — explores unconventional chart types or interactive display formats to communicate a specific analytical finding more effectively Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  3. Problem reframing — suggests an alternative way to define the target variable or success metric that better captures the underlying business problem Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  4. Tool exploration — experiments with an unfamiliar library or analytical method on a side project to evaluate its fit for upcoming team challenges Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
Developing
  1. Cross-domain method transfer — applies a modeling technique from one business domain (e.g., natural language processing applied to transaction sequences) to solve an analogous problem in a new context Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Analytical product prototyping — builds a rapid proof-of-concept dashboard or model demo that makes an abstract analytical idea tangible for business stakeholders Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  3. Data source innovation — identifies and proposes an unconventional external data source (satellite imagery, sensor data, social media signals) that materially improves model performance Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  4. Metric invention — designs a novel composite business metric that better captures causal impact than existing reporting definitions Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
Applying
  1. Novel architecture design — architects a custom ensemble or multi-objective optimization solution that outperforms off-the-shelf approaches for a specific business constraint Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Analytical product creation — conceives and delivers an entirely new data product (recommendation engine, anomaly detection system, forecasting tool) that generates measurable business value Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  3. Research adaptation — reads academic literature and creatively adapts state-of-the-art methods to work within the organization's data, compute, and interpretability constraints Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  4. Process innovation — redesigns an existing analytical workflow to eliminate manual steps and introduce automated quality checks, reducing cycle time substantially Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
Exceeding
  1. Field-advancing research — develops and publishes original data science methodology that addresses a recognized gap in the literature or industry practice Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  2. Innovation program leadership — establishes a structured innovation program (hackathons, R&D sprints, incubator projects) that generates a pipeline of novel analytical capabilities for the organization Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  3. Business model innovation — conceives new revenue streams or cost structures enabled by data products that the organization had not previously considered Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  4. Creative culture cultivation — mentors data scientists to pursue speculative, high-risk analytical experiments alongside production work, normalizing divergent thinking as a team value Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
8Growth Mindset16 statements
Emerging
  1. Feedback acceptance — receives critical code review or model audit feedback without defensiveness and incorporates suggestions into the next iteration Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  2. Skill stretch — volunteers for a project task that requires a programming language or statistical method not yet fully mastered Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  3. Failure documentation — records failed modeling approaches in project notes as useful negative evidence rather than omitting them from the analytical record Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  4. Learning resource seeking — proactively identifies courses, papers, or mentors to address a performance gap identified in a quarterly review Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
Developing
  1. Setback reframing — after a model fails in production, articulates specific technical lessons learned and applies them to the redesigned solution Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Uncomfortable domain entry — takes ownership of an analytical project in an unfamiliar business domain, investing time to build subject matter knowledge from scratch Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  3. Peer feedback solicitation — requests specific, critical feedback from teammates on analytical approach and code quality rather than waiting for formal review cycles Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  4. Iterative improvement commitment — runs multiple model development cycles on a problem, incrementally improving performance metrics, rather than accepting the first working solution Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
Applying
  1. Challenge seeking — proactively proposes taking on the most technically ambiguous or organizationally complex project on the team roadmap Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  2. Long-horizon mastery pursuit — sustains consistent effort over months to develop expertise in a new domain (e.g., causal inference, deep learning, reinforcement learning) despite slow early progress Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  3. Critical self-challenge — subjects own most confident analytical conclusions to adversarial stress testing, actively seeking disconfirming evidence Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  4. Organizational learning contribution — converts personal project learning into reusable internal documentation, tutorials, or toolkits that accelerate teammates' skill development Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
Exceeding
  1. Team growth culture — establishes norms where analytical failures are treated as shared learning opportunities by systematizing blameless post-mortems and celebrating intellectual risk-taking Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  2. Career stage resilience — navigates major technological disruptions (e.g., emergence of new AI paradigms) by publicly modeling rapid self-reskilling and encouraging the team to do the same Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  3. Mastery mentorship — coaches junior data scientists to reframe career setbacks (failed projects, rejected models) as development accelerators rather than indicators of fixed ability Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  4. Organizational challenge absorption — advocates for the team taking on analytically difficult, high-uncertainty strategic problems that other functions avoid, demonstrating growth orientation at an organizational level Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
9Mindfulness16 statements
Emerging
  1. Attention management — uses time-blocking and notification management techniques to sustain deep focus during complex model development tasks Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  2. Emotional signal recognition — notices own frustration or anxiety when debugging a persistently failing pipeline and pauses before escalating or abandoning the approach Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  3. Presence in meetings — maintains engaged, distraction-free attention during stakeholder requirement sessions to capture nuanced business context accurately Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  4. Cognitive load awareness — recognizes when context-switching between multiple projects is degrading analytical quality and communicates bandwidth constraints to manager Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
Developing
  1. Deadline stress regulation — applies deliberate decompression practices (structured breaks, scope clarification conversations) when facing high-stakes model delivery deadlines Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  2. Reactive impulse control — pauses before responding to stakeholder requests for model changes or result reinterpretation, evaluating analytical validity rather than immediately accommodating Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  3. Meeting intention-setting — begins complex cross-functional data sessions by clarifying objectives and success criteria, orienting all participants to shared purpose Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  4. Error response intentionality — upon discovering a significant analytical error, takes a measured pause to assess full impact before communicating the issue and proposed remediation Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
Applying
  1. High-stakes calmness — maintains analytical precision and clear communication during production incidents or executive escalations without sacrificing thoroughness for speed Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Attention restoration practice — designs personal work rhythms that alternate intensive analytical work with structured recovery periods, sustaining output quality across long projects Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  3. Interpersonal attunement — reads stakeholder emotional responses to analytical findings during presentations and adjusts communication pacing and framing in real time Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  4. Uncertainty tolerance — works with equanimity through analytically ambiguous problem phases, maintaining systematic rigor rather than rushing to premature conclusions under discomfort Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
Exceeding
  1. Team attention culture — advocates for and protects maker-schedule time blocks for the data science team, shielding deep work from unnecessary meeting fragmentation Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  2. Crisis presence — models calm, systematic analysis during organizational data crises (breaches, major model failures), preventing panic-driven decisions by grounding the team in evidence Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  3. Mindful feedback facilitation — leads high-emotion model review or performance conversations with structured intentionality that keeps discussion analytically focused rather than personally defensive Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  4. Organizational wellbeing design — designs team workflow structures and norms (sprint cadences, on-call rotations, retrospective formats) that protect sustained cognitive health and prevent burnout Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
10Fortitude16 statements
Emerging
  1. Debugging persistence — continues systematic investigation of a failing data pipeline or model error through multiple failure cycles without abandoning the approach prematurely Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Ambiguity tolerance — begins analytical work on a loosely defined business problem without requiring complete specification, making and documenting reasonable initial assumptions Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  3. Rejection acceptance — accepts that an initial modeling approach did not meet performance criteria and restarts the development cycle without disproportionate discouragement Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  4. Sustained effort — maintains consistent analytical output quality across the full duration of a multi-week project, including during mid-project phases when progress is slow Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
Developing
  1. Long-cycle project endurance — sustains motivation and rigor across a multi-month model development project that involves repeated iteration cycles and shifting stakeholder requirements Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Pushback resilience — maintains analytically justified position on methodology or findings when challenged by senior stakeholders, presenting evidence calmly under pressure Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  3. Production failure recovery — after a model causes a significant business error, re-engages the problem systematically rather than withdrawing from ownership Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  4. Scope pressure resistance — declines to shortcut model validation steps when delivery timelines are compressed, accepting relational friction to protect analytical integrity Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
Applying
  1. Organizational headwind navigation — pursues a data-driven initiative that challenges existing organizational assumptions or power structures, sustaining effort despite institutional resistance Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Chronic uncertainty endurance — operates effectively as the primary analytical resource for a business unit where data is consistently incomplete, noisy, and disputed over an extended period Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  3. Courageous escalation — escalates concerns about analytically unsound business decisions to senior leadership, accepting potential professional risk in service of organizational outcomes Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  4. Technical debt confrontation — leads the remediation of a deeply embedded, brittle analytical system despite the high effort, organizational friction, and low immediate recognition involved Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
Exceeding
  1. Transformational change leadership — drives a multi-year transition from legacy reporting to production machine learning systems, sustaining team motivation and organizational confidence through repeated setbacks Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Adversarial resilience modeling — visibly demonstrates composure and continued analytical rigor during organizational crises (data breaches, failed product launches, leadership changes), anchoring team stability Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  3. Principled career risk — takes public positions on data ethics or analytical integrity issues that carry meaningful career risk, choosing principle over expedience Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  4. Institutional courage — builds organizational structures (ethical review boards, independent model audits) that create durable resistance to analytical shortcuts, even against sustained executive pressure Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
Sources:Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
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Source anchors that ground each statement

Related titles
Analytics Consultant · Applied Scientist · Data Analyst · Data Analytic Scientist · Data Analytics Manager · Data Analytics Scientist · Data Analytics Specialist · Data Architect · Data Consultant · Data Economist · Data Engineer · Data Management Scientist
RAPIDS apprenticeships
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O*NET skills
Critical ThinkingReading ComprehensionActive ListeningComplex Problem SolvingSpeakingJudgment and Decision MakingWritingActive Learning
Knowledge domains
Computers and ElectronicsEnglish LanguageMathematicsEngineering and TechnologyCustomer and Personal ServiceAdministration and ManagementEducation and TrainingDesign
Abilities
Written ComprehensionOral ComprehensionDeductive ReasoningOral ExpressionInductive ReasoningInformation Ordering
Work styles
Attention to DetailDependabilityIntellectual CuriosityIntegrityCautiousnessInnovation
Technology
Business intelligence and data analysis softwareData base user interface and query softwareStorage networking softwareCloud-based management softwareProcedure management softwareData base management system softwareDevelopment environment softwareIndustrial control softwareProject management softwareContent workflow software
Tasks · seed anchors for statements
  1. Troubleshoot program and system malfunctions to restore normal functioning.
  2. Provide staff and users with assistance solving computer-related problems, such as malfunctions and program pr
  3. Test, maintain, and monitor computer programs and systems, including coordinating the installation of computer
  4. Use the computer in the analysis and solution of business problems, such as development of integrated producti
CIP education codes
11.010211.010311.070111.080211.080426.110326.110426.119927.010127.030127.030327.030427.030527.030627.039927.050127.050227.050327.060127.999930.080130.300130.390130.480130.700130.709930.710130.710230.710330.710430.719940.051245.060352.130152.1302

Sources: O*NET v30.2 (CC BY 4.0), SkillsCrosswalk.com, LER.me, Anthropic Economic Index, SAFI (Jadhav & Danve, 2026), WEF Skills Taxonomy 2021, Pathsmith Durable Skills Framework. © 2026 EBSCOed.