Data Scientist

Steampunk is seeking a Data Scientist to help shape ML/AI strategies and deliver production-ready solutions alongside an existing team of Data Architects and Developers. This onsite role in McLean, VA focuses on turning data into decision-support and modeling outcomes that stakeholders can use, while partnering across engineering and AI/ML operations to keep systems reliable, reproducible, and audit-friendly.

Compensation: USD 125,000 - 160,000 per year. Salary range is determined by factors including geographic location, contractual requirements, education, knowledge, skills, competencies, and experience.

Responsibilities

• Conduct exploratory data analysis (EDA) to identify trends, surface data quality issues, and determine where modeling can create value.
• Build machine learning models using tools such as scikit-learn, XGBoost, PyTorch, TensorFlow, or similar libraries.
• Perform feature engineering, dataset preparation, and model optimization to improve predictive accuracy and operational performance.
• Evaluate models with appropriate statistical methods and performance metrics, document findings, and support iterative improvement cycles.
• Collaborate with Data Engineers to understand and enhance data pipelines so model-ready datasets are accurate, complete, and consistent.
• Work with AI Developers and LLMOps/MLOps Engineers to integrate ML models into production environments or decision-support applications.
• Create visualizations, dashboards, and data stories to communicate insights clearly to stakeholders.
• Support human-centered design by translating user needs into modeling requirements and refining model outputs based on feedback.
• Improve reproducibility and auditability by maintaining well-organized code, notebooks, documentation, and experiment histories.
• Stay current with modern data science methods, ML techniques, data processing tools, and cloud-enabled analytics workflows.
• Contribute to the growth of the AI & Data Exploitation Practice.

Requirements

• Ability to hold a position of public trust with the US government.
• 2-4 years industry experience developing ML/AI solutions and a focus on solving complex problems.
• 2-4 years direct experience in Data Modeling and Data Solution Development.
• 1+ year performing queue modeling and survival analysis.
• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information systems, engineering, business, or a related scientific or technical discipline.
• Experience manipulating structured and unstructured data for analysis.
• Strong programming skills in SQL, Python, R, Scala, Java, or similar languages.
• Experience using Python to manipulate large data sets.
• Experience with DevSecOps as it applies to data science.
• Demonstrated experience with TensorFlow, Keras, or other deep learning tools and frameworks.
• Demonstrated experience with big data systems including Hadoop, Spark, and Scala.
• Data visualization skills in Tableau, Power BI, D3, ArcGIS, or similar.
• Experience with Git, Bash, and Unix commands.
• Experience with Cloud analytics (AWS, Azure, or GCP) including tools such as AWS SageMaker and Azure HDInsight.
• Familiarity/plus items: Flask is a plus; knowledge of DBOps and MLOps framework is a plus; experience with Solr or Elasticsearch is a plus.

Identity Statement

• During the application process, you are expected to be on camera during interviews and assessments.
• Steampunk reserves the right to take your picture to verify your identity and prevent fraud.

Onsite location: McLean, VA