Applied Data Scientist, AI Data Platforms

Groundswell is building an AI-assisted data platform that helps mission stakeholders understand, govern, and move complex enterprise information with trusted, explainable outputs. In this onsite role in McLean, VA, you will help design and operationalize the data foundations and AI evaluation needed for accurate results across customer environments.

What you’ll do

• Turn mission and customer data questions into clear objectives, success measures, and evaluation criteria.
• Profile, clean, and characterize complex multi-source enterprise data, identifying gaps, conflicts, quality issues, and relationships that impact downstream use.
• Build and maintain metadata, data dictionaries, and reference vocabularies that anchor the platform in each customer setting.
• Configure and tune AI-assisted capabilities to match, classify, rank, and validate data across systems.
• Evaluate AI agents and language-model workflows for accuracy, grounding, consistency, and failure modes.
• Create test sets and track quality over time to support continuous improvement.
• Analyze human review feedback to surface systematic errors and improve platform performance.
• Support data validation and reconciliation so integrated or migrated data can be trusted.
• Partner with data, software, and cloud engineers to deploy validated improvements into production using version control and measurable results.
• Produce clear visualizations, narratives, and briefings for technical and non-technical stakeholders, without overstating certainty.
• Handle sensitive data with appropriate access controls, governance, and auditability.
• Maintain reproducible code, experiments, and documentation.
• Contribute data science expertise to solution planning and proposal efforts as needed.

What you’ll bring

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Engineering, or related field (advanced degree preferred).
• 5+ years applying statistics, machine learning, data analysis, or other quantitative methods to real-world problems.
• Strong Python and SQL skills, plus experience with libraries such as pandas, NumPy, scikit-learn, or comparable tools.
• Experience with knowledge graphs, graph data modeling, and semantic technologies such as ontologies and taxonomies.
• Hands-on experience with language models or AI-assisted workflows, including evaluating output quality.
• U.S. Citizen requirement per contract requirements.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust Clearance in accordance with contract requirements.

Tools you may work with

• Python, SQL, pandas, NumPy, scikit-learn
• Knowledge graphs and graph data modeling (for example, Neo4j, Cypher)
• Vector search, embeddings, RAG, and AI agent frameworks such as LangGraph
• AWS and other major cloud services

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans
• Flexible Spending Account
• 4% 401K Match (immediate vesting)
• Paid Time Off
• Tuition reimbursement, certification programs, and professional development
• Flexible work schedule
• On-site gym and childcare option

Preferred qualifications

• Graph databases and query languages such as Neo4j and Cypher
• Vector search, embeddings, RAG, and AI agent frameworks such as LangGraph
• Entity resolution, record linkage, and systems for matching, classifying, linking, or ranking records
• Enterprise data migration, ETL, or modernization (especially for ERP or HR systems)
• Time-series analysis, anomaly detection, model monitoring, and drift analysis
• Cloud data and ML services on AWS or another major cloud platform
• Human-in-the-loop AI workflows, experiment tracking, and model evaluation
• Experience working in segmented networks, controlled-change environments, or formal authorization environments
• Active Public Trust Clearance
• Preference for candidates local to the Washington, DC metro area

Additional information: Groundswell does not accept unsolicited resumes through or from search firms or staffing agencies.

Accommodation: If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request a reasonable accommodation as part of the employment selection process, contact [email protected] or 703-639-1777.

Salary: USD 103,307 - 178,090 per year.