Senior Data Scientist - AI Strategy & Innovation (Public Trust Eligible)

Location: Hybrid - Must be available to work onsite in the DC metro area as needed. Clearance: Ability to obtain/maintain Public Trust

🌎 The Mission

At Synectics, we don't just build models-we build mission-ready intelligence. As a Senior Data Scientist, you'll play a strategic role in advancing a federal agency's enterprise AI and data strategy, using cutting-edge tools to transform operations, decision-making, and public service delivery. This is an opportunity to move beyond modeling and into real-world impact.

🛠️ Your Role

You will lead AI product innovation efforts, working directly with agency stakeholders and other teams to design, prototype, and deploy scalable, cost-efficient machine learning and AI solutions. Your work will shape the roadmap for mission-critical applications using LLMs, AI agents, and intelligent workflows.

You're not just a builder. You're a collaborator, communicator, and trusted advisor.

🔑 What You'll Do

• Architect and deploy production-ready AI/ML solutions aligned with federal AI and data strategies.
• Collaborate directly with federal clients and cross-functional teams to define needs, roadmap, and outcome.s
• Lead experimentation with advanced models: LLMs, SLMs, embedding models, AI agents, and agentic workflows.
• Guide MLOps best practices for model development, training, optimization, and monitoring.
• Ensure high-quality data readiness and integrity across all phases of the AI lifecycle.
• Champion AI performance measurement using metrics like accuracy, recall, F1 score, ROUGE, and t-SNE
• Contribute to DevOps practices, including version control, testing, and deployment pipelines.
• Mentor team members and contribute to a culture of continuous improvement.

📋What You Bring

• 8+ years of professional experience as a Data Scientist (not analyst or engineer)
• Bachelor's degree in Mathematics, Data Science, Computer Science, Engineering, or related field
• Proven experience in end-to-end development of AI products, from strategy and design to deployment
• Strong communication and leadership skills with the ability to engage directly with non-technical federal stakeholders
• Deep expertise in Python and AI frameworks like PyTorch, Langchain, Hugging Face, OpenAI, TensorFlow
• Experience with MLOps tools and services such as AWS Bedrock, SageMaker
• Familiarity with embedding models, NLP, chatbot development, summarization, and AI agent workflows
• Solid understanding of data quality, validation pipelines, and performance metrics
• Experience with DevOps tools and practices (e.g., Git, automated testing)

⭐Bonus Points For

• Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, or another quantitative discipline
• Experience working in federal AI/data transformation projects
• Background in applied research or product-focused machine learning teams

💼 Why Join Synectics?

At Synectics, you'll help shape the digital future of public service. Our projects impact real people at a national scale, and we work at the forefront of ethical AI, secure data platforms, and applied innovation. We offer a collaborative culture, clear growth pathways, and a flexible hybrid environment backed by a team that values leadership, integrity, and curiosity.

🎁 Benefits That Matter

• Hybrid work flexibility
• Competitive compensation
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage (HMO, POS, HSA options)
• 401(k) with company match
• Company-paid life, short-term, and long-term disability insurance
• Paid time off, leave, and federal holidays
• Employee referral bonus program and professional development support

🔒 Security Clearance Requirements

This position requires obtaining and maintaining a Public Trust Clearance as part of our federal contract obligations.

Synectics is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We offer a competitive salary and an impressive complete benefits package. We also provide an environment that supports everyone's professional development and growth. We comply with all applicable federal, state, and local regulations.

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