Anil Pokharel

Data Scientist with 6+ years building data products, ML systems, and AI-driven user-facing solutions. Experienced translating complex AI and ML concepts (RAG, LLMs, agentic AI, retrieval pipelines) into product roadmaps, prioritized feature backlogs, and customer-facing APIs and dashboards. Proven track record leading cross-functional teams in Agile environments to deliver production data pipelines, analytics products, and AI-enabled tools for healthcare and enterprise clients.

Passionate about ethical AI, model governance, and delivering measurable product outcomes through user research, KPI-driven iteration, and stakeholder alignment

AI Integration Engineer - Blue Cross Blue Shield AZ - Phoenix, AZ

(2024-10)

• Designed and implemented end-to-end data pipelines using SSIS and Azure Data Factory to ingest, transform, and orchestrate data across on-prem and cloud systems; translated business requirements into production data products and APIs.
• Built and managed scalable data storage and retrieval solutions using Azure Cosmos DB to support transactional and analytical product use cases.
• Developed and maintained RESTful APIs to expose curated datasets for downstream consumer-facing applications and analytics platforms, defining SLAs and performance KPIs.
• Integrated ML and deep learning models into data workflows to enable product features for analytics and decision support; collaborated with data scientists to productionize models and monitor model performance.
• Designed and implemented Agentic AI solutions and RAG pipelines using Lang Chain and Lang Graph to enable autonomous task execution, multi-step reasoning, and LLM-driven workflows within product features.
• Participated in Agile/Scrum processes (sprint planning, retrospectives, backlog grooming) and used Azure DevOps and GitHub for backlog management, CI/CD, and release coordination.
• Applied data governance, security, and performance optimization best practices; worked with product owners and application teams to align technical solutions with user needs and business outcomes.

Data Scientist - III - Zonon Tech for NORTHRUP GRUMMAN - Chandler, AZ

(2022-10 - 2024-05)

• Owned a PDF ingestion and extraction product pipeline: developed Python automation to collect structured data from complex PDF documents related to aerospace components, improving downstream data availability for engineering teams.
• Defined product requirements and acceptance criteria with engineering stakeholders; prioritized extraction rules and data fields based on user impact.
• Created Tableau dashboards and reports to surface extracted insights to stakeholders delivered actionable trend analysis to support production and procurement decisions.
• Troubleshot and improved extraction reliability and accuracy; coordinated with cross-functional teams to iterate on product enhancements and ensure data quality.

Data Scientist - II - Intelli swift Inc for INTEL - Phoenix, AZ

(2021-10 - 2022-10)

• Owned forecasting analytics product for headcount and budget predictions across organizational units; translated stakeholder needs into modeling requirements and deliverables.
• Built predictive models and automated reporting workflows to support strategic planning and resource allocation; delivered Tableau dashboards to present forecasts and scenario analysis.
• Defined product KPIs and worked with stakeholders to validate model outputs; iterated on features and visualizations to increase stakeholder confidence and usability.
• Optimized Tableau reports and data models for performance and scalability.

Data Scientist - I - Apex Systems for ADP - Phoenix, AZ

(2021-04 - 2021-09)

• Developed data visualization and analytics deliverables using Tableau Desktop and Tableau Server to support HR and payroll analytics use cases.
• Wrote SQL to extract and prepare data from multiple sources and collaborated with cross-functional teams to define analytics requirements and deliver productized dashboards.
• Applied ML and statistical techniques to surface patterns and inform decision-making; supported dashboard adoption through end-user training and documentation.

Clinical Business Advisor - ONE-SPA-WORLD for NCL

(2012-08 - 2020-03)

• Leveraged customer data to identify growth opportunities and supported business decisions (clinic openings, marketing plans) through market research and data-driven recommendations.
• Created reports and presentations to communicate insights and recommended actions to stakeholders; coordinated with cross-functional teams to implement business strategies.

Masters - Data Science - Eastern University, USA (2024)

Professional Certification - Clinical Data Science - Soller College, USA (2020)

Bachelor - Xi'an Jiaotong University, China (2005)