Senior Data Scientist

Job description

Elder Research Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of MANTECH international Corporation seeks a motivated, career and customer-oriented Data Scientist to join our team in Arlington, VA. This role is a remote role preferably in the Washington DC area.

As a Data Scientist, you will support the Internal Revenue Service’s mission to improve tax compliance, fraud detection, and risk identification across large, complex tax and financial data environments. You will work directly with government clients, program managers, and technical teams to understand business and compliance challenges, design analytical approaches, and deliver data-driven solutions that inform enforcement, audit prioritization, and fraud prevention efforts.

In this role, you will develop, test, and deploy predictive and statistical models using structured and unstructured data to identify anomalies, non-compliance risk, and potential fraud within tax records and related datasets. You will contribute across the full data science lifecycle, from problem formulation and data exploration through model validation, deployment, and stakeholder communication.

Responsibilities

Prior 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 collaboration

Demonstrated experience using Python, SQL, and Databricks for data analysis, modeling, statistical evaluation, and working with Markdown for technical documentation

Explore, 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 stakeholders

Design, 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 results

Apply 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 impact

Collaborate 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 environment

Prepare 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 skills

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor of Science degree in a relevant field such as statistics, computer science, economics, mathematics, analytics, data science, business, or social sciences

5-10+ years of experience in data science, analytics, or a related technical field

Experience using version control systems (e.g., Git) and collaborative development practices

Strong understanding of relational databases and SQL

Comfortable learning new tools, methodologies, and domains, including working outside your comfort zone

Strong analytical mindset with a willingness to tackle complex mathematical and statistical challenges

Willingness to travel and work on-site at client locations as required by project needs

Preferred Qualifications

Advanced 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 AWS

Experience 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 entities

Experience with containerization and environment management (e.g., venv, conda)

Experience operating in secure or remote government environments, including use of bash and command-line tools

Clearance Requirements

Must currently possess an IRS Public Trust clearance with Full Background Investigation

Physical Requirements

Must be able to remain in a stationary position 50%

Needs to occasionally move about inside the office to access file cabinets, office machinery, etc.

Frequently communicates with co-workers, management, and customers, which may involve delivering presentations. Must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations

Elder Research considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to disability or veteran status or any other status protected under any federal, state, or local law or regulation.

If you need a reasonable accommodation to apply for a position with Elder Research, please email us at and provide your name and contact information.

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Worksite address

arlington, VA, 22201, US

Who can apply

Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.