Applied Scientist

• We are seeking an exceptional Applied Scientist II to join our Applied Science team
• Garner is hiring Applied Scientists to design and ship the algorithmic systems at the core of our product
• Our members rely on us to answer hard questions — Which doctor should I see? What will it cost? When should we reach out, and how? — and the quality of those answers is determined by the algorithms behind them
• This is not a dashboards or descriptive-analytics role
• You will own production systems end-to-end: framing the problem, defining the objective function, choosing the right approach (ML, optimization, heuristics, expert systems, or a hybrid), shipping it, and improving it against real-world outcomes
• The closest analog outside healthcare is a quantitative researcher at a top hedge fund
• Ship production algorithmic systems end-to-end, from problem framing to launch to iteration
• Frame messy, real-world healthcare and business constraints into clear objectives, tradeoffs, and decision frameworks
• Define the set of metrics needed to judge whether a solution is working, and validate solutions before they ship
• Choose the right approach for each problem, from machine learning to optimization to heuristics to simple rules, based on what the problem actually calls for
• Bring new ideas to your work, experimenting with approaches beyond the obvious to get better results
• Produce rigorous, well-validated work others can rely on, and review your peers’ code and analyses
• Build a deep understanding of the healthcare economy and Garner’s place in it
• To make the role concrete, here are three problems on our near-term roadmap:
• Provider tiering optimization. Build a tiering algorithm that jointly optimizes geographic access and total-cost-of-care savings across our doctor network. The objective function, constraints, and tradeoff surface are all open design questions
• AI primary care doctor. Fine-tune and productionize an LLM-based primary care experience on our website, including the evaluation harness, guardrails, and ongoing quality monitoring needed to ship a medical-adjacent product safely
• Member engagement model. Build an ML system that ingests claims data and in-app behavior to choose the right channel and moment for each touchpoint — SMS, push, phone, or email — to influence member behavior toward better-quality, lower-cost care
• What you’ll get here:
• You’ll work on problems that matter, at a company working to change healthcare at scale
• You’ll work at the intersection of AI and systemic healthcare reform, where the problems we solve are as interesting and compelling as the mission
• At Garner, you’ll take on real, ambitious problems with real ownership and autonomy, alongside exceptional, principles-based people who genuinely want you to win. It’s demanding by design
• You’ll be challenged to stretch beyond what you thought possible and receive consistent coaching to help you grow and do the best work of your career
• This isn’t the right fit for everyone, and that’s intentional. The people here are driven by what’s at stake for real people, and that’s what gives our intensity its purpose
• Technologies we use:
• Python, SQL, AWS, Snowflake, pandas, XGBoost, PyTorch, HuggingFace, modern LLM tooling and eval frameworks. We pick tools based on the problem, not the resume — bring your judgment
• This is a unique opportunity to work on high-impact search problems in healthcare, helping shape how members find better care through algorithmic systems that directly influence healthcare outcomes

Benefits

• Flexible PTO
• Garner for Garner (employees enrolled in a Garner medical plan gain access to the Garner benefit to find Top Providers and get reimbursed for eligible expenses)
• Hybrid and remote work
• Team meets twice each year to spark innovation and foster belonging
• Variety of social programs beyond work hours
• Equal paid parental leave (12 weeks) following the birth, adoption or placement of a child
• 401(k) plan with a 2% company match and immediate vesting
• Other financial benefits such as Flexible Spending Accounts and mortgage assistance- Strong applied problem-solving skills, with the ability to define good metrics and then deliver solutions that improve them
• A solid command of the methods your work calls for and the data your models depend on
• A desire to be a part of a high-performing, mission-driven team that operates with urgency, a strong sense of individual accountability, and a commitment to authentic feedback
• 2+ years of industry experience as an Applied Scientist, Machine Learning Engineer, Research Scientist, or equivalent advanced degree
• A bias toward action, quickly translating ideas into working prototypes to test approaches
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to present your work clearly to senior stakeholders
• Strong judgment in choosing between statistical models, heuristics, optimization approaches, and simpler algorithmic methods depending on the problem