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, IT.

Applicants for this role may also receive access to additional matched opportunities through the Careertakes platform.

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What You’ll Do

Confidential Client is hiring an entry-level Junior Data Scientist to support mission-focused AI/ML and data-analytics work at Fort Belvoir, VA. You will work under senior technical staff to help collect, clean, analyze, and visualize structured and unstructured datasets that inform assessments of adversary capabilities.

• Collect, organize, clean, and prepare structured and unstructured datasets for analysis
• Assist in identifying and evaluating relevant commercial and open-source data sources
• Support development, testing, and validation of AI/ML tools and analytical methods
• Perform exploratory data analysis to identify patterns, trends, and relationships
• Create clear data visualizations, summaries, and written reports of analytical findings
• Document data sources, processing steps, and analytical procedures for reproducibility
• Support improvements to data acquisition, discovery, and analytic tooling
• Collaborate with senior analysts and cross-functional team members on research tasks

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Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a quantitative field or equivalent experience
• 0–3 years of relevant professional, internship, or research experience
• Foundational knowledge of data science, statistics, or quantitative analysis
• Familiarity with data collection, cleaning, and basic analytical techniques
• Understanding of basic AI/ML concepts and typical workflows
• Strong attention to detail, analytical reasoning, and problem-solving skills
• Clear written and verbal communication skills to present analytical findings
• Ability to work onsite at Fort Belvoir, VA
• TS/SCI clearance required for assignments involving classified work

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Preferred Qualifications

• Degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Engineering, or related field
• Practical experience with Python, R, SQL, or similar analytic languages/tools
• Academic, internship, or project experience with machine learning models
• Experience with data visualization tools (e.g., matplotlib, ggplot, Tableau, Power BI)
• Familiarity with handling both structured and unstructured data (text, logs, tabular)
• Interest in national security, defense analytics, or counter-WMD (CWMD) missions
• Experience working on research or technical teams in collaborative settings

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Location, Clearance & Compensation

• Location: Onsite at Fort Belvoir, VA (work will require presence at the installation)
• Clearance: TS/SCI clearance is required for classified assignments; candidates must meet suitability for access
• Estimated compensation (from source): $78,732 per year (estimated)

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Why Join

• Gain hands-on experience applying AI/ML and quantitative methods to real-world national-security problems
• Work closely with senior data scientists and technical experts in a mission-driven environment
• Opportunity to build a strong foundation in data engineering, modeling, and analytic communication

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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.