Data Scientist

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes

CLEARANCE TYPE: Top Secret with SCI Eligibility

LOCATION: Pentagon - Arlington, VA (Onsite)

Nortex Cyber Solutions is seeking an experienced Senior Data Scientist to support mission-critical data analytics, modeling, and integration efforts within the Department of Defense (DoD). This position will work with complex structured and unstructured datasets to develop analytical solutions, improve data accessibility, and support informed decision-making.

The ideal candidate will have a strong background in data science, machine learning, and data engineering, with hands‑on experience using Databricks and Palantir Foundry. This role requires strong problem‑solving skills, attention to detail, and the ability to work independently and collaboratively in a secure, mission‑focused environment.

Duties/Responsibilities

• Collect, explore, clean, transform, and analyze structured and unstructured data to identify trends, patterns, and actionable insights.
• Develop, implement, and evaluate statistical analyses, predictive models, and machine learning solutions to support operational and mission requirements.
• Apply natural language processing (NLP), text mining, and other advanced analytical techniques to extract meaningful information from complex datasets.
• Design, develop, maintain, and optimize scalable data pipelines and workflows using Databricks and Palantir Foundry.
• Develop data processing and integration solutions using Python, PySpark, SQL, and Delta Lake.
• Integrate data from REST APIs and external systems using secure authentication methods, including OAuth 2.0 and certificate‑based authentication.
• Develop and maintain data models, Ontology objects, and analytical applications within Palantir Foundry.
• Create dashboards, reports, and visualizations to communicate analytical findings to technical and nontechnical stakeholders.
• Support data storage, access management, and integration within AWS environments, including S3 and IAM.
• Apply software development best practices, including version control, code reviews, automated testing, and CI/CD using GitLab.
• Collaborate with data engineers, software developers, analysts, and government stakeholders to translate mission requirements into technical solutions.
• Ensure data quality, integrity, traceability, and compliance with applicable security and data governance requirements.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation for data pipelines, analytical models, processes, and solutions.
• Identify opportunities to improve data processing efficiency, automate workflows, and enhance existing analytical capabilities.

Skills

Required

• Strong proficiency in Python, including pandas and PySpark, and SQL.
• Experience with data exploration, cleansing, analysis, and visualization across structured and unstructured datasets.
• Ability to develop quantitative analyses, predictive models, and analytical solutions.
• Hands‑on experience applying natural language processing, text mining, or machine learning techniques.
• Production experience with Databricks, including notebooks, jobs, workflows, Delta Lake, and secrets management.
• Production experience with Palantir Foundry, including Code Repositories or Pipeline Builder, Ontology, and Workshop.
• Experience integrating data through REST APIs using OAuth 2.0 or certificate‑based authentication.
• Working knowledge of AWS cloud services, particularly S3 and IAM.
• Experience with Git‑based development and CI/CD practices, preferably using GitLab.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and problem‑solving skills.
• Ability to communicate complex technical information clearly and collaborate with cross‑functional teams.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, particularly when working with sensitive or classified data.

Preferred

• Advanced statistical modeling techniques, including hypothesis testing, regression, classification, clustering, and model evaluation.
• Experience with scikit‑learn, PyTorch, Plotly, Seaborn, or similar analytical and visualization libraries.
• Knowledge of large language model (LLM) applications, including retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG), embeddings, prompt design, and model output evaluation.
• Experience with Palantir AIP, including AIP Logic, AI agents, and Foundry model integration.
• Familiarity with document text extraction and OCR tools such as Apache Tika, pdfplumber, and Tesseract.
• Experience developing dashboards and analytical applications using Foundry, Databricks SQL, Power BI, or Tableau.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Graph API, SharePoint Online, or Microsoft 365 in GCC High or DoD environments.
• Knowledge of change‑data‑capture techniques, including incremental APIs, content hashing, and idempotent pipelines.
• Experience with front‑end development using React, TypeScript, or Ontology SDK applications.
• Familiarity with DoD enterprise data platforms, including Advana or Maven Smart System, or AWS GovCloud.
• Knowledge of data governance in classified environments, including classification markings, data lineage, and cross‑domain transfer processes.

Education & Experience

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field. Additional relevant experience may substitute for education where permitted by the applicable contract labor category.
• Minimum of eight (8) years of professional experience in data science, data engineering, analytics, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated experience developing and maintaining analytical solutions and data pipelines in production environments.
• Active Top Secret security clearance with eligibility for Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) access.
• U.S. citizenship required due to government security clearance requirements.
• Ability to work onsite at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia.

Preferred

• Master's degree or PhD in Data Science, Statistics, Computer Science, or a related quantitative field.
• Previous experience supporting Department of Defense, Intelligence Community, or other federal government programs.
• Experience developing analytical solutions within classified or highly regulated environments.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to work onsite at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, in a secure office environment.
• Ability to remain in a stationary position for extended periods while working at a computer.
• Frequent use of computers, keyboards, and other standard office equipment.
• Ability to communicate effectively with colleagues, customers, and stakeholders in person and through electronic communication.
• Ability to move throughout office facilities and attend meetings as required.
• Ability to occasionally move or transport office equipment and materials weighing up to 15 pounds, with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Ability to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.

Benefits & Perks

As an Employee First company, we offer a comprehensive and competitive total rewards package:

• 100% Company‑paid medical insurance for employees
• 100% Company‑paid dental and vision insurance
• Competitive salary
• Generous 401k employer contribution to your 401k with no required personal contribution with immediate vesting
• Generous PTO and parental leave
• Flexible work hours

This role requires use of technical data subject to U.S. Government contract restrictions; therefore, this posting is only for U.S. Citizens.

Nortex Cyber Solutions is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.