Data Scientist - Junior/Journeyman
The Junior/Journeyman Data Scientist at Confidential Client supports the development and validation of predictive sustainment models for space mission systems, leveraging data analytics and machine learning to improve operational availability and maintenance decision-making. This role collaborates with engineering and operations teams to analyze reliability data, develop predictive maintenance tools, and produce actionable insights that support national defense space capabilities.
About Careertakes
👉 Important disclosure: Careertakes is a third-party recruiting platform supporting this hiring process. If selected, you will be employed directly by our client, Defense and Space Manufacturing, Aviation and Aerospace Component Manufacturing, and Armed Forces.
Applicants for this role may also receive access to additional matched opportunities through the Careertakes platform.
Role Overview
Confidential Client is seeking a Data Scientist - Junior/Journeyman to support predictive sustainment and reliability analysis for space mission systems. This early-career role applies data analytics, reliability techniques, and basic ML to improve operational availability, detect degradation trends, and support sustainment decision-making across engineering, logistics, and operations teams.
What You’ll Do
- Develop, maintain, and refine predictive analytics and predictive maintenance models for space mission systems.
- Analyze operational data, maintenance records, telemetry streams, reliability metrics, and system performance trends to identify degradation or failure indicators.
- Support supervised and unsupervised ML approaches—where permitted—for anomaly detection, maintenance forecasting, and reliability trend identification.
- Build and validate data pipelines, feature-engineering workflows, and model QA steps to ensure reproducibility and analytical accuracy.
- Assist with failure mode analyses, lifecycle performance studies, and sustainment risk assessments.
- Produce clear analytical summaries, technical findings, sustainment metrics, and decision-support products for program management and engineering reviews.
- Maintain configuration-controlled analytical artifacts and contribute to sustainment baselines and Task Order deliverables.
- Coordinate with cross-functional teams to ensure data fidelity, traceability, and compliance with sustainment frameworks.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications
- US Citizenship with TS/SCI clearance at time of application, and ability to obtain and maintain SAP clearance.
- Bachelor's degree in Data Science, Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Analytics, or a related field.
- Experience with Python, R, or similar data analytics tools.
- Familiarity working with datasets and basic statistical / ML techniques.
- Strong analytical problem-solving skills and clear documentation ability.
- Ability to report to the designated work location in Colorado Springs, CO (up to full time, per customer needs).
Desired Qualifications
- Exposure to reliability engineering concepts (FMEA, FRACAS, RCM, probability-of-failure models).
- Experience or exposure to predictive maintenance modeling, CBM+, or digital sustainment environments.
- Experience with analytics visualization tools (Power BI, Tableau).
- Familiarity with ML workflows, feature engineering, or anomaly detection pipelines.
- Background supporting defense systems, sustainment programs, or engineering teams.
- Early-career certifications (e.g., CompTIA Data+, AWS Cloud Practitioner, or introductory reliability certifications).
Compensation & Benefits
- Colorado Pay Transparency Salary range: USD $100,000.00 / Yr. - USD $150,000.00 / Yr.
- Competitive total compensation and typical benefits may include health insurance, HSA/FSA options, retirement savings plans, life and disability insurance, and paid/unpaid time away. Exact benefit eligibility may vary by location and hire date.
Location & Clearance
- Location: Colorado Springs, CO — candidates must be able to report to the designated work location as required by the customer.
- Clearance: TS/SCI at time of application is required. Candidates must be U.S. citizens and able to obtain/maintain required clearances (including SAP-level access where applicable).
Equal Opportunity & Hiring Transparency
Careertakes and our client are Equal Opportunity Employers committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We prohibit discrimination or harassment of any kind. To support a fair and efficient hiring process, AI tools may be used to assist with application review or resume screening. These tools do not replace human decision-making. Final hiring decisions are made by people.
If you have questions about how your data is used, please contact us directly.
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