Data Science Lead - Defense Accounts

Sitreps; Pittsburgh, Arlington (Allegheny County, VA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 175,000; Full time

Job summary

A defense technology firm seeks a Forward Deployed Data Scientist to develop AI solutions for national security. The ideal candidate must have expertise in AI and a strong understanding of complex defense challenges. Responsibilities include designing scalable AI systems, active client engagement, and collaboration across teams. The role requires U.S. citizenship and a proven ability to translate technical challenges into actionable solutions. The position offers a full-time role with a competitive salary and bonus structure.

Qualifications

• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• Proven ability to translate national security challenges into technical documentation.
• Expertise in rapidly prototyping agentic solutions.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deploy new AI methods to solve defense challenges.
• Build AI models and heuristics from the ground up.
• Engage with clients to refine mission needs into AI workflows.

Skills

Technical Translation

Prototyping & Deployment

Impact Measurement

Agentic Frameworks

Communication

Job description

Arlington, VA; Pittsburgh, PA; or Remote

Forward Deployed Data Scientist

Location: Arlington, VA; Pittsburgh, PA; or Remote

Travel: Up to 75%

Role Type: Full-time
$140-$175K + up to 30% bonus + Equity

Company Description

We are a premier defense technology firm transforming National Security through software-driven strategic advantages. Our flagship AI-enabled platform modernizes the defense acquisition lifecycle—from supply chain and logistics to modernization and sustainment. By replacing outdated manual processes with high-fidelity data and advanced analytics, we empower the national security community and every branch of the military to make faster, more informed decisions for the future of defense.

Job Description

We are seeking an inquisitive Forward Deployed Data Scientist with deep expertise in Artificial Intelligence and a sophisticated understanding of complex Defense Acquisition challenges. You will work with proprietary and commercial datasets to uncover critical connections, derive actionable knowledge, and identify potential risks that help government leaders make mission-critical decisions.

Your role involves designing, developing, and rapidly deploying scalable AI solutions that transform data into strategic capabilities. You must be an AI expert with a strong command of data science fundamentals and a proven ability to bring data-driven solutions to life within the defense ecosystem.

The ideal candidate is a highly organized problem-solver and a "scrappy" out-of-the-box thinker. You lead by influence, possess an intolerance for mediocrity, and are motivated to roll up your sleeves to produce simple, impactful solutions to complex problems.

Scope of Responsibilities

• AI Innovation: Develop and deploy new AI methods and systems to solve complex defense challenges.
• Rapid Prototyping: Build AI models, heuristics, and agentic solutions from the ground up.
• Client Engagement: Work directly with customers to translate vague mission needs into concrete AI workflows and technical requirements.
• End-to-End Ownership: Take full accountability for client problems, from initial discovery to deploying production code into AI systems.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with AI platform and data engineering teams to build end-to-end production solutions.
• Generalization: Wrap specific Data Science solutions into reusable agentic AI frameworks and features for broader deployment.
• Agentic Systems: Create agentic AI systems using AI orchestrators and advanced reasoning capabilities.

Qualifications

U.S. Citizenship is required.

Required Skills

• Technical Translation: Proven ability to embed with clients, understand vague national security challenges, and translate them into concrete technical documentation for multiple teams.
• Prototyping & Deployment: Expertise in rapidly prototyping agentic solutions and deploying production-grade code.
• Impact Measurement: Experience evaluating, tuning, and measuring the real-world impact of AI/DS solutions.
• Agentic Frameworks: Competency in building agent skills to solve specific problems and integrating those solutions into broader frameworks.
• Communication: Strong ability to communicate complex concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical users.

Desired Skills

• Academic Excellence: A strong publication record in top AI, ML, NLP, or Decision Science conferences.
• Evaluation Systems: Deep knowledge of LLM and Agentic system evaluation.
• Specialized Domains: Expertise in Operations Research, Optimization, or Decision Science.
• Enterprise Scaling: A track record of successfully transitioning research prototypes into robust, production-grade enterprise solutions.

If you are interested in building your career at Sitreps, we encourage you to apply.