2027 Data Scientist/Machine Learning Engineer

The Aerospace Corporation; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive health care and wellness

401(k) plan with employer matching

Relocation assistance

Professional growth programs

Education assistance

Job summary

The Aerospace Corporation is seeking a motivated Data Scientist / Machine Learning Engineer to translate cutting‑edge AI research into mission‑relevant capabilities. This full‑time role is onsite in El Segundo, CA, Chantilly, VA, or Colorado Springs, CO, requiring 100% onsite work.

Responsibilities include developing AI/ML algorithms, designing RL for decision making, and applying DL, computer vision, foundation models, and multimodal learning to aerospace and national security challenges.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering or related STEM major.
• 0-1 years or more of experience in AI/ML, data science and related work.
• Proven ability in AI/ML statistical analysis, data science, and modeling.
• Proven programming experience in Python and ML frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow.
• Working knowledge of Reinforcement Learning concepts and algorithms.
• Willing to travel ~10% of the time for customer meetings and collaboration.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance; U.S. citizenship is required.

Responsibilities

• Develop and evaluate advanced AI/ML algorithms.
• Design and implement reinforcement learning solutions for decision making, autonomy, planning, optimization and control.
• Apply deep learning, computer vision, foundation models, generative AI, and multimodal learning to mission-relevant problems.
• Develop data processing, model training, inference and evaluation pipelines.
• Design experiments to evaluate performance, robustness, generalization, and failure modes of AI/ML systems.

Skills

AI/ML

Python

Reinforcement Learning

Data Science

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related STEM majors

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Job description

The Aerospace Corporation is the trusted partner to the nation’s space programs, solving the hardest problems and providing unmatched technical expertise. As the operator of a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC), we are broadly engaged across all aspects of space— delivering innovative solutions that span satellite, launch, ground, and cyber systems for defense, civil and commercial customers.

When you join our team, you’ll be part of a special collection of problem solvers, thought leaders, and innovators. Join us and take your place in space.

The Information Systems and Cyber Division (ISCD) staff couple the latest in information system technologies, such as elastic compute clouds, containerization, microservices, real‑time operating systems, and visualization frameworks, with expertise in cyber security, software architecture, software engineering, data science, Artificial Intelligence, process improvement, and software development to deliver responsive, resilient, high‑performance software‑intensive systems to our Intelligence Community, Department of War, and civilian customers.

We develop and apply state of the art artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data science technologies to aerospace and national security applications.

We are looking for a motivated Data Scientist /Machine Learning Engineer with a strong technical foundation and an interest in translating emerging AI research into particular, mission‑relevant capabilities. This is a full‑time position based , where the final selected candidate will work in either El Segundo, CA, Chantilly, Va or Colorado Springs, CO which requires 100% onsite work.

Corporate Skills

• Must work well in a team environment, be able to contribute to research initiatives and proposals
• Strong analytical, problem solving and critical thinking skills
• Ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary environment

What You’ll Be Doing:

• Develop and evaluate advanced AL/ML algorithms
• Design and implement reinforcement learning (RL) solutions for decision making, autonomy, planning, optimization and control.
• Apply deep learning, computer vision, foundation models, generative AI, and multimodal learning tomission relevant problems
• Develop data processing, model training, inference and evaluation pipelines
• Design experiments to evaluate performance, robustness, generalization, and failure modes of AI/ML systems

What You Need to be Successful:

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering or other related STEMmajors.
• 0-1 years or more of experience in AI/ML, data science and related work
• Proven ability in AI/ML statistical analysis, data science, and modeling.
• Demonstrated experience programming in Python and proven ability in ML frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow.
• Working knowledge of Reinforcement Learning concepts and algorithms
• Willing to travel approximately 10% of the time to support customer meeting and technical collaboration.
• This position requires ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance, which is issued by the U.S. government.
• U.S. citizenship is required to obtain a security clearance.

How You Can Stand Out

It would be impressive if you have one or more of these:

• Advanced degree in Data Science, computer vision or related fields exposure developing/testing and deploying AI/ML models
• Strong research record with publication in top tier conferences such as CVPR, NeurIPS
• Experienced deploying and optimizing ML models for cloud, HPC, and edge‑computing environment
• Experience developing simulation-based AI/ML solution

Compensation

We offer a competitive compensation package where you’ll be rewarded based on your performance and recognized for the value you bring to our business. The grade-based pay range for this job is listed below. Individual salaries within that range are determined through a wide variety of factors including but not limited to education, experience, knowledge and skills. (Min - Max) $70,000.00 - $105,000.00 Pay Basis: Annual

Leadership Competencies

Our leadership philosophy is simple: every employee, regardless of level and role, can demonstrate leadership. At Aerospace, our commitment is our people. To cultivate our talent and ensure that we have a strong pipeline of future leaders, we want individuals who: Operate Strategically Lead Change Engage with Impact Foster Innovation Deliver Results Ways

Ways We Reward Our Employees

During your interview process, our team will provide details of our industry‑leading benefits. Benefits vary and are applicable based on Job Type. A few highlights include:

• Comprehensive health care and wellness plans
• Paid holidays, sick time, and vacation
• Standard and alternate work schedules, including telework options
• 401(k) Plan — Employees receive a total company‑paid benefit of 8%, 10%, or 12% of eligible compensation based on years of service and matching contributions; employees are immediately eligible and vested in the plan upon hire
• Flexible spending accounts
• Variable pay program for exceptional contributions
• Relocation assistance
• Professional growth and development programs to help advance your career
• Education assistance programs
• An inclusive work environment built on teamwork, flexibility, and respect

Equal Opportunity Commitment

The Aerospace Corporation is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, color, religion, genetic information, marital status, ancestry, national origin, protected veteran status, physical disability, medical condition, mental disability, or disability status and any other characteristic protected by state or federal law.

If you’re an individual with a disability or a disabled veteran who needs assistance using our online job search and application tools or need reasonable accommodation to complete the job application process, please contact us by phone at 310.336.5432 or by email at [e-mail] . You can also review Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal.

Right Place

The Aerospace Corporation has over 26 locations nationwide, which allows us to build a workforce that will nurture the best ideas, and generate the most novel innovations and solutions to our nation’s toughest space enterprise challenges.

Right Path

Aerospace covers all stages of the space lifecycle, from concept to operations. We believe our people are our most valuable resource and that’s why we propel our employees forward in their careers through ongoing education, training, and professional development.

Right Purpose

We can all serve a mission much greater than ourselves, and at Aerospace that is exactly what we do. By hiring the industry’s most preeminent scientists and engineers, Aerospace advances emerging technologies that protect some of the most critical missions on Earth and above it.

Return to the Aerospace Careers site.

Aerospace employees working in organizations with technical responsibilities are required to obtain a Security Clearance. U.S. citizenship is required for those positions.