Data Scientist Development Program (DSDP)

National Security Agency

Fort Meade (MD)

On-site

USD 87,000 - 197,000

Full time

6 days ago

Be an early applicant

A complete application in a minute

Tailored resume and cover letter, ready to send.

Get past ATS filters

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits

Training provided

Job summary

National Security Agency seeks a senior-level data scientist for enrollment in the three-year Data Science Development Program, working on big data, HPC, machine learning, and related methods to support foreign intelligence and cybersecurity missions.

The role is based onsite at Fort Meade, MD, with a structured program emphasizing analytics lifecycle, dataset development, and collaboration across teams to deliver mission-relevant results.

Qualifications

Degrees in mathematics, statistics, data science, computer science or computer engineering qualify without additional coursework.
Engineering/physical sciences degrees require a DS certificate or 5+ advanced math and/or CS courses.
Other degrees must include a DS certificate and 5+ courses in advanced math and CS.
At least one course from advanced mathematics and one from advanced CS is required.

Responsibilities

Explore data analysis and model fitting to uncover features of interest.
Apply machine learning predictive modeling.
Construct datasets from multiple sources to meet customer needs.
Identify and analyze anomalous data and metadata.
Develop conceptual design and models for mission requirements.
Create qualitative and quantitative methods to characterize datasets.
Perform analytic modeling, scripting, and programming.
Collaborate across the data science lifecycle in teams.
Design analytics techniques for analysis and visualization.
Analyze data using statistical methods and mathematics.
Document and communicate research processes and results to customers and leadership.
Create interpretable visualizations.

Skills

Continual learning

Oral and written communication

Detail oriented

Analytical thinking

Team collaboration

Bridge technical/non-technical

Technical leadership

Education

Mathematics / Statistics / Data Science degree

Engineering or CS with DS cert or 5+ advanced math/CS courses

Data Science certificate required with other degrees

Job description

As a senior-level data scientist role at the National Security Agency, this position may include enrollment in the three-year Data Science Development Program. The work focuses on solving complex data problems using big data, high-performance computing, machine learning, and related data science methods to support foreign intelligence and cybersecurity missions.

Location

Fort Meade, MD (onsite)

Salary Range

USD 87,362 - 197,200 per year (Entry/Developmental, Full Performance, Senior, Expert)

Program Overview

Through this development track, selectees engage in advanced data science activities that support mission requirements. The program emphasizes analytic modeling, dataset development, and collaborative execution across the data science lifecycle.

Responsibilities

Explore data analysis and model-fitting to uncover data features of interest
Apply machine-learned predictive modeling
Construct usable datasets from multiple sources to meet customer needs
Identify and analyze anomalous data, including metadata
Develop conceptual design and models to address mission requirements
Create qualitative and quantitative methods for characterizing datasets across different states
Perform analytic modeling, scripting, and or programming
Work collaboratively and iteratively across the data science lifecycle
Design and develop analytics and techniques for analysis
Analyze data using mathematical and statistical methods
Evaluate, document, and communicate research processes, analyses, and results to customers, peers, and leadership
Create interpretable visualizations

Required Skills and Competencies

Desire for continual learning
Excellent oral and written communication and interpersonal skills
Accountable, proactive, and detail oriented working style
Ability to solve complex problems and make analytic determinations using critical thinking and reasoning
Effectiveness in collaborative team environments
Capability to bridge technical and non-technical audiences
Ability to provide technical leadership

Data Science Examination (DSE)

Applicants are required to complete the Data Science Examination (DSE), which assesses knowledge of statistics, mathematics, and computer science topics relevant to data science work. Passing the exam at a local testing site is required to be considered for selection into a data scientist position.

Education and Degree Qualifications

Degrees in Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Statistics, Applied Statistics, Data Science, Operations Research, Quantitative/Computational Finance, Econometrics/Quantitative Economics, Computer Science, or Computer Engineering qualify without additional coursework requirements
Degrees in Engineering, Physical Sciences, Mathematical Biology/Bioinformatics, Life Sciences, Environmental Science, Data Analytics, or Information Science/Systems/Technology must include either a Data Science certificate from an accredited college or university or 5 or more courses in advanced mathematics and/or advanced computer science (examples include calculus, differential equations, discrete mathematics, linear algebra, calculus-based statistics, algorithms, programming, data structures, computer architecture, data mining, and super intelligence)
Other degrees must be accompanied by a Data Science certificate from an accredited college/university and include 5 or more courses in advanced mathematics and advanced computer science
At least one course must be from advanced mathematics (examples include calculus, differential equations, discrete mathematics, linear algebra, and calculus-based statistics)
At least one course must be from advanced computer science (examples include algorithms, programming, data structures, computer architecture, data mining, super intelligence)

Entry, Full Performance, Senior, and Expert Experience Levels

Entry: Associate's degree plus 2 years relevant experience, or Bachelor's degree with no experience, or Master's degree with no experience
Full Performance: Associate's degree plus 5 years relevant experience, or Bachelor's degree plus 3 years, or Master's degree plus 1 year, or Doctoral degree with no experience
Senior: Associate's degree plus 8 years relevant experience, or Bachelor's degree plus 6 years, or Master's degree plus 4 years, or Doctoral degree plus 2 years
Expert: Associate's degree plus 11 years relevant experience, or Bachelor's degree plus 9 years, or Master's degree plus 7 years, or Doctoral degree plus 5 years

Relevant experience must include work in one or more of the following areas: designing and implementing machine learning, data mining, statistical analysis, statistical consulting, super intelligence development, computational science, software engineering, technical writing, data visualization, or data engineering. Experience must also include both programming and one or more of the listed areas. Leadership experience must be formal or informal.

Application Requirements

U.S. citizenship is required
Include a copy of your resume and all transcripts as part of the online application to expedite processing (unofficial transcripts are fine at this stage)
You will be asked to certify that you are using your own words and did not use a consultant or super intelligence (SI) such as a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT or Copilot

Work Schedule and Trial Period

Full-time role, Monday through Friday
Basic 8 hour per day requirement between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. (flexible)
Two-year DCIPS trial period required (unless veterans' preference eligible, then one-year trial period)

Contingencies

Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a security background investigation and polygraph
All applicants and employees are subject to random drug testing in accordance with Executive Order 12564

Benefits