About the Company
This role is being managed by Talent Stack LLC, a woman-owned recruiting firm specializing in cleared and technical placements. We are proud to represent a confidential, defense-focused client committed to solving meaningful, mission-critical challenges that support national security. the foundation of everything we do is rooted in our values and a higher calling, to help our nation and allies defend freedoms and deter aggression. Our team solves tough, meaningful problems that create a safer, more secure world.
Job Title: Data Scientist
Location: Tysons, VA (on-site at Government Contractor)
Clearance Required: Active TS (TS/SCI with Polygraph preferred)
Salary: $230,500
About the Role:
We are seeking experienced Data Scientists to join our team in Tysons, VA. This role involves collaborating with customer and partner teams to build, train, and deploy machine learning models in secure environments. The focus will be on MLOps, model engineering, and training on time series data to support operational, cloud-deployed, and lab-deployed AI applications.
This is a hands-on engineering role, not a data analytics or low-TRL research position. The right candidate will have a strong applied data science background, thrive in a fast-paced environment, and bring both technical depth and problem-solving skills.
Key Responsibilities:
- Collaborate with SMEs and cross-functional teams to interpret and apply data insights.
- Train, validate, and deploy machine learning pipelines.
- Develop candidate models and promote to production once performance thresholds are met.
- Enhance AI-based applications based on feedback; troubleshoot and optimize.
- Identify performance bottlenecks and implement solutions.
- Write clear technical documentation, application specifications, and present findings.
- Work independently and manage individual project deliverables.
- Contribute to a collaborative and multidisciplinary environment.
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics).
- 5+ years of hands-on Data Science development experience using Python.
- Strong proficiency with NumPy, Pandas, and Jupyter Notebooks (or similar).
- Deep experience in machine learning, analytics, and statistical data analysis.
- Demonstrated ability to solve complex applied problems with critical thinking.
- Active TS clearance (TS/SCI with Polygraph preferred).
Preferred Qualifications
- Degree in Data Science, ML, CS, Engineering, or Statistics.
- Strong mathematical foundation (linear algebra, calculus, probability, statistics).
- Experience with PyTorch, TensorFlow, and Scikit-learn.
- Proficiency with Git, pull requests, and modern software development practices.
- Familiarity with AI agent frameworks.
- Ability to analyze and optimize model performance using metrics.
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills in multi-disciplinary teams.
- Self-starter with a motivated, problem-solving, and impact-driven mindset.
Active and transferrable DOD TS/SCI (Polygraph preferred) U.S. government issued clearance is required prior to start date.
