[Remote] Data Scientist

Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Elder Research Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of MANTECH International Corporation, is seeking a motivated Data Scientist to join their team in Arlington, VA. The role involves supporting the IRS's mission by developing data-driven solutions for tax compliance and fraud detection, requiring collaboration with government clients and technical teams.ResponsibilitiesPrior programming experience, preferably in Python or R, including data exploration, feature engineering, model development, and writing modular, reusable, well-documented code within an iterative development process that includes peer review and collaborationDemonstrated experience using Python, SQL, and Databricks for data analysis, modeling, statistical evaluation, and working with Markdown for technical documentationExplore, clean, and wrangle large, complex datasets to uncover insights and identify opportunities for data science–driven solutions in support of assessments, gap analyses, and actionable recommendations for IRS stakeholdersDesign, develop, test, validate, and implement quantitative and qualitative data science solutions and predictive risk models (including audit selection, refund review, and fraud prevention initiatives) that are modular, maintainable, adaptable to evolving government and regulatory requirements, and supported by robustness, sensitivity, and significance testing to ensure defensible and explainable resultsApply statistical and machine learning techniques (supervised and unsupervised) to anomaly detection, fraud identification, and non-compliance risk scoring to help prioritize cases based on compliance risk, fraud indicators, and business impactCollaborate with clients, subject matter experts, and cross-functional teams to refine problem statements, requirements, and analytical approaches, while demonstrating the ability to work independently in a collaborative, fast-paced environmentPrepare and deliver technical and non-technical briefings, reports, and presentations to audiences with varying levels of analytical sophistication, translating business and compliance needs into technical solutions with strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skillsSkillsBachelor of Science degree in a relevant field such as statistics, computer science, economics, mathematics, analytics, data science, business, or social sciences2-10+ years of experience in data science, analytics, or a related technical fieldExperience using version control systems (e.g., Git) and collaborative development practicesStrong understanding of relational databases and SQLComfortable learning new tools, methodologies, and domains, including working outside your comfort zoneStrong analytical mindset with a willingness to tackle complex mathematical and statistical challengesWillingness to travel and work on-site at client locations as required by project needsPrior programming experience, preferably in Python or R, including data exploration, feature engineering, model development, and writing modular, reusable, well-documented code within an iterative development process that includes peer review and collaborationDemonstrated experience using Python, SQL, and Databricks for data analysis, modeling, statistical evaluation, and working with Markdown for technical documentationExplore, clean, and wrangle large, complex datasets to uncover insights and identify opportunities for data science–driven solutions in support of assessments, gap analyses, and actionable recommendations for IRS stakeholdersDesign, develop, test, validate, and implement quantitative and qualitative data science solutions and predictive risk models (including audit selection, refund review, and fraud prevention initiatives) that are modular, maintainable, adaptable to evolving government and regulatory requirements, and supported by robustness, sensitivity, and significance testing to ensure defensible and explainable resultsApply statistical and machine learning techniques (supervised and unsupervised) to anomaly detection, fraud identification, and non-compliance risk scoring to help prioritize cases based on compliance risk, fraud indicators, and business impactCollaborate with clients, subject matter experts, and cross-functional teams to refine problem statements, requirements, and analytical approaches, while demonstrating the ability to work independently in a collaborative, fast-paced environmentPrepare and deliver technical and non-technical briefings, reports, and presentations to audiences with varying levels of analytical sophistication, translating business and compliance needs into technical solutions with strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skillsMust currently possess an IRS Public Trust clearance with Full Background InvestigationAdvanced degree (MS or PhD) in statistics, computer science, data science, mathematics, analytics, engineering, or related fields; experience applying advanced statistical concepts including sampling considerations, bias detection, weighting techniques, handling missing or outlier data, exploratory analysis, and longitudinal forecasting; and understanding of the data analytics lifecycle (e.g., CRISP-DM)Experience with PySpark, Unity Catalog, and Jobs in Databricks, with familiarity using platforms and tools such as Databricks and AWSExperience with Natural Language Processing (NLP) and text analytics applied to unstructured documents or case notes, as well as graph analytics and network analysis to identify relationships, fraud rings, or interconnected entitiesExperience with containerization and environment management (e.g., venv, conda)Experience operating in secure or remote government environments, including use of bash and command-line toolsBenefitsRemote Type HybridFull timeCompany OverviewElder Research, Inc. is a consulting company in data science, predictive analytics, and text mining. It is a sub-organization of ManTech. It was founded in 1995, and is headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA, with a workforce of 51-200 employees. Its website is http://elderresearch.com/.