Data Scientist

Agile Defense is seeking a Data Scientist/Engineer to architect and operationalize scalable, AI-enabled data solutions for the Department of Defense's CDAO ADA IR program. You will join a multidisciplinary team delivering analytics, machine learning, and engineering practices in mission-critical environments at Combatant Commands to convert raw data into actionable insights. The role blends statistical modeling with hands-on software engineering within secure, containerized environments, collaborating with product managers, full-stack developers, platform engineers, and mission stakeholders to enable informed decision-making.

The position requires clear technical communication, a collaborative mindset, and experience delivering in agile environments that emphasize reproducibility, testing, and continuous delivery. Familiarity with cloud-based data platforms such as Databricks, Palantir Foundry, or AWS-native services is highly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and deploy scalable AI-enabled data solutions within the CDAO ADA IR program for the DoD.
• Contribute to a multidisciplinary team that blends advanced analytics, ML, and engineering in mission-critical contexts at Combatant Commands.
• Shape and operationalize data pipelines, preprocessing workflows, feature engineering strategies, and ML services inside secure, containerized environments.
• Collaborate closely with product managers, full-stack developers, platform engineers, and mission stakeholders to translate raw data into decision-support tools and meaningful insights.

Requirements

• 4+ years of experience in applied data science, machine learning engineering, or data pipeline development.
• Proficiency in Python, SQL, and distributed data frameworks such as Spark, Databricks, and PySpark.

Preferred Skills

• Experience developing ML models from training to deployment using libraries like scikit-learn, TensorFlow, XGBoost, and MLflow.
• Familiarity with MLOps, API development, and secure cloud-based environments (AWS, Azure, Palantir Foundry).
• Solid understanding of data validation, model testing, and performance evaluation techniques.
• Experience with data visualization and storytelling using Tableau, Plotly, or Matplotlib.
• Excellent technical communication skills, able to explain complex concepts to non-technical audiences.

Technologies

• Python, SQL, Spark, Databricks, PySpark
• scikit-learn, TensorFlow, XGBoost, MLflow
• AWS, Azure, Palantir Foundry
• Tableau, Plotly, Matplotlib

Education and Background

• A bachelor’s degree plus 3 years of recent specialized experience, or an associate’s degree plus 7 years of recent specialized experience, or a major certification plus 7 years of recent specialized experience, or 11 years of recent specialized experience.

Working Conditions

• Onsite work in a SCIF facility.

About Agile Defense

Agile Defense emphasizes action and forward-thinking solutions. The company pursues adaptive innovation to support national missions by integrating advanced technologies, skilled professionals, and agile processes to deliver rapid, effective results.

Our Core Values

• Happy — foster a positive, interconnected work environment that motivates and engages teams.
• Helpful — prioritize collaboration and mutual support to drive collective success.
• Honest — maintain transparent, trustworthy communication and ethical conduct.
• Humble — stay grounded, respect others, and remain open to learning.
• Hungry — pursue excellence and continuous improvement with curiosity and drive.
• Hustle — unwavering effort to advance the mission and deliver results.

Equal Opportunity Employer

We may use AI tools to assist with parts of the hiring process, including resume review and screening analyses. These tools complement human judgment and do not replace it. If you want more information about data handling or how your materials are processed, please contact us.