Data Scientist

Agile Defense; Illinois; On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Agile Defense seeks a Data Scientist/Engineer to design, develop, and deploy scalable AI-enabled data solutions for the Department of Defense, supporting the CDAO ADA IR program. The role operates in a secure SCIF environment and involves end-to-end lifecycle work from pipeline design to deployment-ready ML services.

Responsibilities include building data pipelines, feature engineering, and ML services while collaborating with product managers, developers, and mission stakeholders to produce

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience in applied data science, ML engineering, or data pipeline development.
• Proficiency in Python and SQL with distributed data frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Support design, development, and deployment of scalable AI-enabled data solutions within the DoD's CDAO ADA IR program.
• Contribute to data pipelines, pre-processing, feature engineering, and ML services in secure environments.
• Collaborate with product managers, developers, platform engineers, and stakeholders to turn data into insights.

Skills

Python

SQL

Data pipelines

Machine learning

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree + 3 years experience

Associate's degree + 7 years experience

Major certification + 7 years experience

11 years of recent specialized experience

Tools

Spark

Databricks

PySpark

scikit-learn

TensorFlow

XGBoost

MLflow

MLOps

API development

AWS

Azure

Palantir Foundry

Tableau

Plotly

Matplotlib

Job description

Agile Defense is seeking a Data Scientist / Engineer to design, develop, and operationally deploy scalable, AI-enabled data solutions for the Department of Defense's CDAO ADA IR program. This position supports mission-critical work in secure, containerized environments and includes collaboration with multidisciplinary stakeholders to turn raw data into decision-support insights.

Role Overview

The role focuses on building data pipelines and machine learning services for operational deployment within DoD programs. Work is conducted onsite in a SCIF and includes supporting end-to-end solution lifecycle activities, from pipeline and workflow design through deployment-ready ML services.

Responsibilities

• Support the design, development, and operational deployment of scalable, AI-enabled data solutions within the Department of Defense's CDAO ADA IR program.
• Contribute to data pipelines, pre-processing workflows, feature engineering strategies, and machine learning services implemented in secure, containerized environments.
• Collaborate with product managers, full-stack developers, platform engineers, and mission stakeholders to convert raw data into meaningful insights and decision-support tools.

Requirements

• 4+ years of experience in applied data science, machine learning engineering, or data pipeline development.
• Proficiency in Python and SQL, along with distributed data frameworks (e.g., Spark, Databricks, PySpark).

Technologies

• Python, SQL, Spark, Databricks, PySpark
• scikit-learn, TensorFlow, XGBoost
• MLflow, MLOps, API development
• AWS, Azure, Palantir Foundry
• Tableau, Plotly, Matplotlib

Location

• Onsite: Scott Air Force Base, IL
• In Person options: Falls Church, VA; Ft. Meade, MD; Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany; Tampa, FL; Honolulu (Camp H.M. Smith), HI; Colorado Springs, CO; Doral (Miami area), FL; Omaha (Offutt Air Force Base), NE; Scott Air Force Base, IL

Clearance

• Top Secret with the ability to obtain an SCI
• Must have clearance to start

Preferred Skills

• Experience developing ML models from training through deployment using tools such as scikit-learn, TensorFlow, XGBoost, and 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 Tableau, Plotly, or Matplotlib.
• Excellent technical communication skills, including the ability to explain complex concepts to non-technical audiences.

Working Conditions

• Work is performed onsite in a SCIF.

Education and Background

• Bachelor's degree plus 3 years of recent specialized experience
• Associate's degree plus 7 years of recent specialized experience
• Major certification plus 7 years of recent specialized experience
• 11 years of recent specialized experience

Requisition Information

Requisition #: 1590