Senior Data Scientist

Type of Requisition:

Regular

Clearance Level Must Currently Possess:

Top Secret

Clearance Level Must Be Able to Obtain:

Top Secret/SCI

Public Trust/Other Required:

None

Job Family:

Data Science and Data Engineering

Job Qualifications:

Skills:

AI Frameworks, Applied Problem Solving, Data Compliance, Machine Learning Model Development

Certifications:

None

Experience:

8 + years of related experience

US Citizenship Required:

Yes

Job Description:

We are seeking a Senior Data Scientist to design, train, evaluate, and deliver machine learning models that solve operational problems across USCENTCOM’s Data Office initiatives. This is a hands-on ML practitioner role—not a platform or infrastructure position. The Senior Data Scientist will work within an established on-premises Data Analytical Environment (DAE) built on a Data Lakehouse architecture with H100 GPU infrastructure, applying their expertise in statistical modeling, deep learning, and applied ML to turn enterprise data into actionable intelligence. The ideal candidate brings deep experience in model development across multiple problem domains—forecasting, NLP, anomaly detection, and classification—and can independently lead the ML practice for the team.

Model Development & Training

• Design, train, and validate supervised, unsupervised, and deep learning models using open-source libraries (PyTorch, TensorFlow, Scikit-learn, XGBoost, LightGBM) to support forecasting, classification, anomaly detection, and NLP use cases

• Conduct rigorous experiment design: feature engineering, hyperparameter tuning, cross-validation, and evaluation using appropriate metrics (precision/recall/F1, RMSE, AUC-ROC) to ensure production-quality model performance

• Fine-tune and adapt open-source LLMs (LLMA, Mistral, and similar) for domain-specific tasks including document summarization, entity extraction, and question-answering over classified and unclassified networks

• Develop and maintain RAG pipelines: chunking strategies, embedding model selection, retrieval evaluation, and prompt engineering to deliver high-quality LLM-augmented analytics

Applied Problem-Solving

• Translate mission requirements into ML solutions: work directly with analysts, operators, and leadership to scope problems, define success criteria, and deliver models that produce actionable operational insights

• Build models across multiple domains including predictive analytics (logistics, readiness), NLP/text analytics (reports, intelligence documents), anomaly detection (cybersecurity, network, behavioral), and computer vision where applicable

• Design lightweight, optimized models for edge and disconnected environments when required, supporting model optimization and conversion (ONNX, TensorRT, OpenVINO) for tactical deployment

MLOps & Lifecycle (Collaborative)

• Version, track, and reproduce experiments using MLflow, DVC, and Git; maintain clear documentation of model lineage, training data, and performance baselines

• Package trained models for deployment in containerized environments (Docker, Kubernetes) in coordination with the platform engineering team. Ownership of deployment infrastructure is flexible and project-dependent

• Integrate models into existing CI/CD pipelines, analytics platforms, and decision support tools in collaboration with the DevSecOps and data engineering teams

Data Security & Compliance

• Ensure all model development adheres to DoD security, encryption, and data handling standards, including tagging, metadata management, and retention policies

• Operate within classified environments (SIPR/NIPR), following cybersecurity and data stewardship protocols across air-gapped and hybrid infrastructure

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Statistics, Applied Mathematics, Data Science, or related quantitative field

• 8+ years of hands-on AI/ML model development experience with a strong record of delivering production models, not just prototypes

• Compliant with DoD Directive 8140 (i.e., CompTIA Security + CE cert)

• Active Secret clearance is required.  Must be TS/SCI eligible

• Must