Data Scientist (Applied AI - Performance Management)

Leidos Inc; United States; Remote; USD 87,000 - 157,000; Full time

Job summary

Leidos is seeking an Applied Data Scientist to join our Performance Management team supporting a large Navy program. You will apply data science and AI to identify performance improvement opportunities, surface leading indicators, and help make POAMs more proactive through code-first analyses.

This remote role requires collaboration with analysts, engineers, and leaders, and demands clear communication of insights to technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher with 4–8 years of relevant experience, or Master's with 2–6 years of relevant experience.
• US citizenship with ability to obtain and maintain an active DoD Secret security clearance.
• Experience applying data science, ML, or AI to real-world operational problems.
• Strong problem-framing skills: identify data and approaches for ambiguous problems.
• Proficiency in Python or similar languages for data analysis and modeling.
• Experience working with large, messy, or heterogeneous datasets.
• Ability to explain complex analytical results clearly and defensibly.
• Collaborative mindset and comfort working in a multidisciplinary team.

Responsibilities

• Apply data science and AI techniques to large, complex datasets to identify performance degradation and opportunities.
• Design and implement code-first analyses and models for automated discovery of opportunities.
• Use AI to evaluate and improve POAMs tied to performance outcomes.
• Collaborate with analysts, engineers, and stakeholders to translate problems into data-driven solutions.
• Explore AI techniques with emphasis on explainability and defensibility.
• Build reusable analytical approaches, code, and methods to raise team capability.
• Communicate insights clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders, including leadership.
• Support Navy initiatives by extending methods beyond SLR-focused use cases.

Skills

Data science

Machine learning

AI

Python

Data analysis

Explainability

Collaboration

Problem framing

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Tools

SQL

Pandas

Scikit-learn

Job description

Description

Leidos is seeking an Applied Data Scientist to join our Performance Management team supporting a large, mission-critical Navy program. This role is focused on using data science and AI to identify performance improvement opportunities, improve the effectiveness of plans of action and milestones (POAMs), and enable a more proactive, code-first approach to performance management.

The work centers on Service Level Requirements (SLRs) that govern contractual performance across the program, with additional support to broader Navy performance initiatives such as World Class Alignment Metrics (WAM). The emphasis is on applied problem solving, not reporting-using AI and data science to surface patterns, leading indicators, and improvement opportunities that would not be found through traditional analysis.

This role sits at the intersection of data science, operational performance, and AI enablement. You will collaborate closely with analysts, engineers, and performance leaders, while also serving as a hub for AI-driven exploration and capability building across the team.

This position is remote.

Please be advised that during the interview, you will be required to keep your camera on, and your interviewer will be taking your picture for identification purposes if an offer letter is extended to you.

What You'll Do

• Apply data science and AI techniques to large, complex operational datasets to identify performance degradation, systemic issues, and improvement opportunities.
• Design and implement code-first analyses and models that support automated or semi-automated performance opportunity discovery.
• Use AI and advanced analytics to evaluate, prioritize, and improve the effectiveness of POAMs tied to contractual performance outcomes.
• Work collaboratively with performance analysts, engineers, and stakeholders to translate operational problems into data-driven solutions.
• Explore and apply context-appropriate AI techniques, balancing innovation with explainability and defensibility.
• Build reusable analytical approaches, code, and methods that elevate the team's overall capability in data science and AI.
• Communicate insights clearly and credibly to technical and non-technical stakeholders, including leadership.
• Support broader Navy performance initiatives (e.g., WAM) by extending methods and insights beyond SLR-focused use cases where appropriate.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelors and 4 - 8 years of prior relevant experience or Masters with 2 - 6 years of prior relevant experience. Additional years of experience may be accepted in lieu of a degree.
• US citizenship with the ability to obtain and maintain an active DoD Secret security clearance.
• Experience applying data science, machine learning, or AI to real-world operational or performance problems.
• Strong problem-framing skills: ability to understand ambiguous problems, identify relevant data, and determine appropriate analytical approaches.
• Proficiency in Python or similar languages for data analysis and modeling.
• Experience working with large, messy, or heterogeneous datasets.
• Ability to explain complex analytical results clearly and defensibly.
• Collaborative mindset and comfort working as part of a multidisciplinary team.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with applied machine learning, statistical modeling, or AI techniques used for pattern detection, prioritization, or forecasting.
• Familiarity with operational performance metrics, service-level agreements, or contract-driven environments.
• Experience balancing advanced methods with explainability and stakeholder trust.
• Exposure to AI enablement, platform thinking, or reusable analytics frameworks.
• Experience supporting large-scale or enterprise environments.

What Success Looks Like

• Performance improvement opportunities are identified earlier, more consistently, and with greater confidence.
• POAMs are better prioritized and more effective, with clearer data-driven justification.
• AI-driven insights are adopted and trusted by the team and leadership.
• Reusable data science and AI capabilities exist that others on the team can build upon.
• The team increasingly operates in a code-first, AI-enabled performance management model.

NGEN

At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo - because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 - and moving faster than anyone else dares.

Pay Range

Pay Range $87,100.00 - $157,450.00

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline onlyand not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.

About Leidos

Leidos is an industry and technology leader serving government and commercial customers with smarter, more efficient digital and mission innovations. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with 47,000 global employees, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $16.7 billion for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2025. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com.

Pay and Benefits

Pay and benefits are fundamental to any career decision. That's why we craft compensation packages that reflect the importance of the work we do for our customers. Employment benefits include competitive compensation, Health and Wellness programs, Income Protection, Paid Leave and Retirement. More details are available at www.leidos.com/careers/pay-benefits.

Securing Your Data

Beware of fake employment opportunities using Leidos' name. Leidos will never ask you to provide payment-related information during any part of the employment application process (i.e., ask you for money), nor will Leidos ever advance money as part of the hiring process (i.e., send you a check or money order before doing any work). Further, Leidos will only communicate with you through emails that are generated by the Leidos.com automated system - never from free commercial services (e.g., Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail) or via WhatsApp, Telegram, etc. If you received an email purporting to be from Leidos that asks for payment-related information or any other personal information (e.g., about you or your previous employer), and you are concerned about its legitimacy, please make us aware immediately by emailing us at [e-mail].

If you believe you are the victim of a scam, contact your local law enforcement and report the incident to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

Commitment to Non-Discrimination

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Leidos will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with relevant laws.

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