SAS to Python / R Migration Architect

Key Responsibilities

• Lead enterprise-scale migrations from SAS (Base SAS, PROC SQL, STAT, ETS, MACRO, etc.) to Python and/or R
• Perform detailed SAS estate assessments, including:
• Code inventory and dependency mapping
• Macro complexity analysis
• Data access patterns (SAS datasets, DBs, flat files)
• Statistical method equivalency analysis
• Define target-state architecture for Python/R analytics platforms (libraries, frameworks, environments)
• Establish migration patterns and standards, including:
• SAS PROC → Python/R library mappings
• Macro-to-function translation strategies
• Reusable templates and shared components
• Design validation and reconciliation frameworks to ensure:
• Statistical equivalence
• Numeric tolerances
• Regulatory and audit compliance
• Guide performance optimization strategies for large datasets
• Identify automation opportunities (code scanners, translators, test harnesses)
• Lead technical reviews and approve migrated code
• Mentor developers and review complex conversions
• Communicate migration risks, tradeoffs, and timelines to leadership

  Requirements

  • 8+ years of advanced analytics or statistical programming experience
  • 5+ years hands-on SAS development (Base SAS, PROC SQL, MACRO, STAT)
  • Proven experience architecting or leading SAS → Python and/or R migrations
  • Deep expertise in:
  • Python (NumPy, Pandas, SciPy, statsmodels, scikit-learn)
  • and/or R (tidyverse, data.table, caret, survival, forecast)
  • Strong understanding of statistical methods parity between SAS and open-source tools
  • Experience with data platforms (SQL databases, cloud storage, data lakes)
  • Familiarity with CI/CD, version control, and testing frameworks for analytics code

  Nice to Have

  • Experience in regulated environments (government, healthcare, finance)
  • Prior work modernizing legacy analytics platforms
  • Exposure to cloud analytics stacks (AWS, Azure, GCP)
  • Experience designing automated validation frameworks