Junior Data Scientist

ARA Brand; Alexandria (VA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Ara, based in Alexandria, Virginia, is seeking a Junior Data Scientist to support data analysis and visualization for the Department of Homeland Security. This role is perfect for early-career data scientists who are eager to solve operational challenges in a multi-disciplinary team.

The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor's or Master's degree in a relevant field, proficiency in data science tools such as Python and Tableau, and a commitment to continuous learning in analytics.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience in data analysis.
• Experience performing analysis on large datasets.
• Proficient in Python, R, SQL, and data visualization tools.

Responsibilities

• Assist with processing, cleaning, and transforming data.
• Support development of analytics and statistical models.
• Create visualizations to identify trends and performance indicators.
• Collaborate as part of an agile team.

Skills

Data analysis

Machine learning

Data visualization

Python

SQL

R

Education

Bachelor’s degree in data science or related field

Master’s degree in data science or related field

Tools

Tableau

Qlik

Power BI

scikit-learn

ArcGIS

Job description

The Capabilities, Analysis and Development (CAD) division of Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA) has an outstanding opportunity for a Junior Data Scientist to support a multi‑disciplinary team providing data analysis and visualization support across the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) mission space. You will support data-driven decision making by analyzing data, developing basic models, creating visualizations, and generating actionable insights as part of a multi-disciplinary team delivering analytical and software solutions for national security missions. This role is ideal for early‑career data scientists passionate about solving real operational problems and building prototypes in an agile environment.

Essential Functions

• Assist with processing, cleaning, and transforming structured and unstructured data.
• Support development of analytics, machine learning and statistical models, and exploratory data analysis.
• Create basic visualizations to identify patterns, trends, and performance indicators.
• Work with senior data scientists and developers to translate user needs into analytic tasks.
• Contribute to the design, testing, and deployment of data and analytic workflows.
• Build and deploy scripts and tools to automate routine data tasks.
• Help prepare documentation, user guides, and training materials.
• Stay current on emerging technologies, analytic methods, and industry best practices.
• Collaborate as part of an agile team, and contribute to sprint activities.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in data science, statistics, computer science, mathematics, or a related field with 2+ years’ experience, or a Master’s degree in data science, statistics, computer science, mathematics, or a related field.
• Experience performing analysis on large datasets and knowledge of machine learning tools and statistical techniques to produce solutions
• Proficiency with common data science scripting tools and software (Python, R, SQL, SAS) and data visualization (Tableau, Qlik, Power BI) tools
• Ability to write clearly and produce documentation, user guides, and training materials.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience with common data packages such as pandas, NumPy, scikit-learn, pytorch, and data visualization frameworks such as matplotlib, seaborn, and Plotly
• Experience with APIs, CSV/JSON datasets, or relational databases
• Experience in developing statistical forecasting, network analysis
• Experience with geospatial analyses, as well as ESRI products such as ArcGIS
• Familiarity with Agile development practices and collaborative tools such as Jira and Gitlab
• DHS Suitability

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
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