Senior Data Scientist

Job Title: Senior Data Scientist

Direct client

Location:
100% Remote

Type:
Contract (C2C / W2)

Experience Level:
Advanced

Role Overview

seeking a
Senior Data Scientist
to support a
high-impact AI/ML initiative
focused on improving the
child welfare intake process
.

This role will lead the
design, development, and evaluation of NLP-driven and machine learning models
, ensuring solutions are
statistically sound, scalable, and aligned with state objectives
.

Key Responsibilities

Development Framework

• Define technical execution framework:
• Task breakdowns
• Milestones
• Deliverables
• Identify:
• Data dependencies
• Risks and mitigation strategies

Current State Analysis

• Participate in discussions on:
• Existing intake workflows
• Decision-making processes
• Resource allocation
• Identify and prioritize process gaps impacting outcomes

AI / ML Solution Development

- Lead design of
next-gen intake system using NLP & ML
- Define functional modules and system architecture
- Evaluate:
- Data sources (real, simulated, historical)
- Algorithmic trade-offs (accuracy vs performance vs scalability)
- Document solution for transparency

Design Reviews

• Establish and lead design review processes
• Evaluate:
• Functional effectiveness
• Technical feasibility
• Data security & risk
• Testing strategies

Proof-of-Concept Implementation

• Oversee prototype development
• Conduct:
• Weekly status reviews
• Gate reviews
• Resolve technical and operational blockers

Stakeholder Demo Support

- Support
conference room demonstrations (3–4 days)
- Showcase impact on:
- Child outcomes
- Resource optimization
- Capture stakeholder feedback

Roadmap & Agile

- Contribute to long-term
technology integration roadmap
- Actively support
Agile development processes

Required Qualifications (MUST HAVE)

Education

• Bachelor’s / Master’s / PhD in:
• Computer Science
• Mathematics
• Engineering
• Physics
• Related field

Core Expertise

• Strong experience in:
• Machine Learning & Statistical Modeling
• NLP (Natural Language Processing)
• Adaptive / probabilistic systems

Government / Domain Experience

- Experience in
US Federal programs requiring TS/SCI clearance
- Hands-on work with:
- Geospatial analysis
- Pattern of Life analysis
- Social network modeling

Data Engineering (CRITICAL)

- Experience building
high-performance data pipelines
- Proven ability:
- Process
700M+ records in <30 minutes
- Handle large-scale, recurring data workloads

Child Welfare Data (VERY IMPORTANT)

- Experience with
CCWIS data
- Expertise in:
- Data cleaning
- Feature selection
- Statistical tuning
- Predictive modeling for child welfare outcomes

Advanced Skills

- Build ML algorithms
from scratch
- Evaluate trade-offs:
- Accuracy vs compute vs scalability
- Design:
- Non-rule-based decision systems
- Stochastic input models
- Convert human/social decision-making into
computational models

Preferred Skills

• Experience in:
• AI solutions in public sector
• Risk & fraud analytics
• Behavioral modeling
• Exposure to:
• End-to-end ML lifecycle
• Explainable AI / model transparency