Data Scientist - DIRECT HIRE

Join a mission driven team at the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration. This direct hire Data Scientist role concentrates on leveraging data assets, governance, and analytics including AI to boost mission delivery, streamline operations, and support informed decision making. The position is onsite in Denver, CO with a salary range of USD 85,447 to 158,322 per year, and situational telework may be available pending supervisor approval. This role helps build foundational data science capabilities across FTA for current and future analytics initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with analysts and internal stakeholders to map business processes, gather requirements, design analysis approaches, and coordinate the development of data products.
• Analyze diverse data sources to deliver data driven insights and recommendations that streamline operations and improve program performance; present findings to technical and non technical audiences, including senior leadership.
• Develop, document, and apply statistically sound methods and strategies to ensure information used for management decisions is valid and reliable.
• Test data quality and compliance with internal policy; perform data wrangling and propose broadly applicable recommendations to address data imperfections.
• Contribute to building the scientific and technical capabilities within FTA to support ongoing and future data analytics projects; share knowledge on tools, technologies, and best practices.

Qualifications

• Experience interpreting data sets and applying statistical and analytic methods to identify patterns that guide decision making, streamline operations, or improve programs.
• Experience with Python, R, SQL or other analytical tools to develop analyses, reports, or data products.
• Experience translating business problems into objective, measurable statements and communicating results through clear visuals and stakeholder-facing explanations.
• Three years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a PhD or a PhD or equivalent doctoral degree.
• Combination of education and experience: coursework equivalent to a major field of study (30 semester hours) plus additional education or relevant experience.
• Experience supporting efforts to enhance data governance, management, and use across an organization, including collaboration with diverse stakeholders.
• Experience directing advanced data science and AI initiatives from concept to deployment, including guidance on model classification, developing machine learning algorithms, and evaluating models deployed in production.
• Data Analysis and Analytics: ability to manipulate internal and external data sources, structured and unstructured, to achieve organizational goals.
• Data Management: knowledge of data management principles, modeling techniques, backups, recovery, dictionaries, warehousing, mining, archiving, disposal, and standardization processes.
• Data Visualization and Communications: skills to generate reports or visualizations, communicating findings and limitations in plain language and with supporting diagrams or media.
• Service Delivery: focus on meeting internal and external customer needs, incorporating feedback to improve products and services, and committing to continuous improvement.

Technologies

• Python
• R
• SQL

Locations and work setup

• 1 vacancy across multiple locations: Denver, CO; Washington, DC; Atlanta, GA; Chicago, IL; Cambridge, MA; Kansas City, MO; New York, NY; Fort Worth, TX; Seattle, WA

Work site: Telework may be eligible on a situational basis. If teleworking, a telework agreement will be required in accordance with agency policy.

Eligibility and application details

• Open to the public: U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
• Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL): Federal employees whose position was eliminated and who are eligible for priority consideration.
• Posting deadline: Due by 11:59 p.m. ET on July 21, 2026.
• Direct Hire Authority will be used to fill this position; high application volume may limit consideration for all applicants. Veterans' preference and traditional rating and ranking do not apply to this vacancy.