Data Science Manager, Forward Deployed

Air•Arlington, VA

7d•Onsite

About The Position

Air’s Data Science Manager, Forward Deployed, manages the AI model development discipline and team, including AI roadmap development, AI/ML model development and evaluation, and the design of models and AI systems for specific use cases for National Security customers. The role works cross-functionally with Product, Sales, and Engineering and directly with customers to understand their challenges and deliver high-quality, decision-grade models and product features. It also involves recruiting and developing data science talent, advancing machine learning to deliver customer value, and identifying new ways to use models to generate insights. The manager leads and mentors forward-deployed data scientists, AI engineers, and MLE engineers from ideation through implementation. They oversee practical AI development, team standards and culture, and the quality of scientific and software deliverables. The role coordinates complex work across multiple clients and use cases, partners with platform teams to generalize client solutions into platform and product features, and organizes science team processes to support efficient execution and business goals. This is a full-time position based out of Air’s Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, or Arlington, Virginia, office. The role may require up to 50% travel and requires U.S. citizenship.

Requirements

U.S. citizenship.
Bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Data Science, or a related field.
At least 3 years of experience building and deploying ML- or LLM-powered systems in production environments.
At least 2 years of experience leading or mentoring engineering teams in production environments.
Practical experience building, developing, and productionizing machine learning systems.
Advanced software skills in Python.
Experience with common LLM algorithms and implementations.
Hands-on experience with AWS and cloud infrastructure.
Familiarity with Git source control management.
Ability to work collaboratively with little supervision.
Strong desire to learn and investigate new technologies.
Willingness to work in a challenging, fast-paced technology environment.

Nice To Haves

Current U.S. security clearance, or ability to obtain one with company sponsorship.
Experience in or exposure to a startup or other entrepreneurial environment.
Experience with Claude Code and GenAI coding best practices.

Responsibilities

Lead and mentor a team of forward-deployed data scientists, AI engineers, and MLE engineers from ideation through implementation, fostering a collaborative and productive environment.
Organize complex AI/ML/data science work for multiple clients across use cases such as LLM/GenAI, reinforcement learning, decision science, capability simulation, document understanding, and forecasting, and domains including logistics, MRO, and supply chains.
Establish coding, testing, and AI coding best practices and standards for engineers.
Oversee AI development for practical deployed use cases by nurturing the AI team culture, defining AI/ML tool usage, and applying scientific methods.
Oversee the quality of scientists’ deliverables, including model delivery, coding, evaluation, and testing.
Collaborate with client stakeholders and Air’s product, forward deployment, and engagement teams to translate business requirements into technical specifications.
Seek innovation and process improvement opportunities and find efficiencies in assigned work.
Work with AI platform teams to generalize AI cases built for particular clients into platform and product features.
Organize and lead science team processes to ensure efficient project execution and alignment with business goals.
Develop AI roadmaps and oversee AI/ML model development and evaluation for National Security customer use cases.
Recruit and develop data science talent.