Data Science Lead - Defense Accounts
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Overview
Job Description
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
About the Client
We are a defense technology firm focused on national security. Our AI-enabled platform supports 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 By replacing outdated manual processes with high-fidelity data and advanced analytics, we empower the national security community and every branch of the military to make faster,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.
About the Role
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.
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.
Requirements
Must-Haves
U.S. Citizenship is required.
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.
Nice-to-Haves
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.
Automate your job search with Sonara.
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