Data Scientist

Agile Defense; Remote; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

A defense technology firm seeks a Data Scientist / Engineer to design, develop, and deploy AI-enabled solutions within the Department of Defense. The role requires collaboration with product managers and engineers to transform raw data into insights. Ideal candidates should have over 4 years of experience in data science and machine learning, along with proficiency in Python and SQL. Strong communication skills and a familiarity with cloud-based platforms are preferred. This remote role offers an opportunity to impact national missions.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience in applied data science or machine learning engineering.
• Experience in developing ML models using industry-standard tools.
• Strong understanding of data validation and performance evaluation techniques.

Responsibilities

• Design and maintain scalable data science services.
• Develop, deploy, and operationalize AI/ML solutions.
• Conduct exploratory data analysis and communicate insights.
• Collaborate across teams to deliver mission impact.

Skills

Python

SQL

Data Visualization

Machine Learning

Collaboration

Tools

Databricks

Spark

Docker

Terraform

Tableau

Job description

At Agile Defense we know that action defines the outcome and new challenges require new solutions. That’s why we always look to the future and embrace change with an unmovable spirit and the courage to build for what comes next.

Our vision is to bring adaptive innovation to support our nation's most important missions through the seamless integration of advanced technologies, elite minds, and unparalleled agility—leveraging a foundation of speed, flexibility, and ingenuity to strengthen and protect our nation’s vital interests.

Requisition

Requisition #: 1424

Title

Data Scientist / Engineer

Clearance

Top Secret clearance

Location

Alexandria, VA | Arlington, VA

Role Summary

Agile Defense is seeking a Data Scientist / Engineer to support the design, development, and operational deployment of scalable, AI-enabled data solutions within the Department of Defense’s CDAO ADA IR program. This role is part of a multidisciplinary team integrating advanced analytics, machine learning, and engineering practices into mission-critical environments at Combatant Commands and Joint Staff.

You will help shape and deploy data pipelines, pre-processing workflows, feature engineering strategies, and machine learning services within secure, containerized environments. The ideal candidate brings a hybrid of statistical modeling fluency and hands‑on software engineering expertise. You will collaborate closely with product managers, full-stack developers, platform engineers, and mission stakeholders to transform raw data into meaningful insights and decision‑support tools.

This role requires strong technical communication skills, a collaborative mindset, and experience working in agile environments that value reproducibility, testing, and continuous delivery. Familiarity with cloud‑based data platforms such as Databricks, Palantir, or AWS‑native data services is highly preferred.

Location: Remote | Falls Church, VA | Arlington, VA | DC Metro

Clearance: Active DoD Secret (or ability to obtain)

Citizenship: U.S. Citizenship required

Key Objectives

Objective 1: Design and Maintain Scalable Data Science Services

• Plan, develop, and maintain reusable services for data ingestion, transformation, and feature engineering that support AI/ML workflows.
• Implement core data science capabilities, such as entity resolution, classification, clustering, or prediction, within containerized environments that adhere to CI/CD, version control, and testing standards.
• Collaborate with DevSecOps engineers to integrate services into secure production environments using tools like Databricks, Docker, and Terraform.
• Ensure services meet performance, reliability, and security requirements consistent with DoD enterprise and cloud-native architecture.

Objective 2: Build and Operationalize AI/ML Solutions

• Develop and deploy standalone or embedded ML models for tasks such as decision support, automation, anomaly detection, and pattern recognition.
• Select and implement appropriate modeling techniques using Python, Spark, or cloud-native ML frameworks (e.g., SageMaker, MLflow).
• Maintain reproducibility and interpretability of model outputs to meet mission transparency and audit requirements.
• Package model inference services with well-documented APIs for integration into end-user applications and operational dashboards.

Objective 3: Perform Exploratory Data Analysis and Communicate Insights

• Conduct exploratory data analysis (EDA) to identify trends, gaps, and opportunities within structured and unstructured datasets.
• Develop data visualizations and interpretive summaries that support stakeholder understanding and product team decision‑making.
• Translate analytical findings into actionable recommendations using a mix of visual, narrative, and quantitative communication strategies.
• Contribute to the team’s shared library of analysis templates, reusable queries, and analytic workflows to accelerate future delivery.

Objective 4: Collaborate Across Teams to Deliver Mission Impact

• Engage with product managers and mission users to define data and model requirements aligned with operational goals.
• Work closely with engineers to ensure data science components align with technical constraints and deployment patterns.
• Participate in agile sprint planning, retrospectives, and demos, sharing progress and adjusting priorities based on feedback.
• Maintain strong documentation practices that enable handoff, reproducibility, and technical accountability.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• 4+ years of experience in applied data science, machine learning engineering, or data pipeline development.
• Proficient in Python, SQL, and distributed data frameworks (e.g., Spark, Databricks, PySpark).
• Experience developing ML models from training to deployment using industry-standard tools and libraries (e.g., scikit-learn, TensorFlow, XGBoost, MLflow).
• Familiarity with MLOps, API development, and secure cloud-based environments (e.g., AWS, Azure, Palantir Foundry).
• Strong understanding of data validation, model testing, and performance evaluation techniques.
• Experience with data visualization and storytelling using tools such as Tableau, Plotly, or Matplotlib.
• Excellent technical communication skills, with the ability to explain complex concepts to non-technical audiences.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Protected Veterans / Individuals with Disabilities

Agile Defense is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to a diverse workforce and welcome applications from all qualified candidates.