Data Science Manager, Forward Deployed

Air•Pittsburgh, PA

4h•Onsite

About The Position

The Data Science Manager, Forward Deployed, manages Air’s AI model development discipline and team. The role includes developing the AI roadmap, overseeing AI/ML model development and evaluation, and designing models and AI systems for National Security customer use cases. Working cross-functionally with Product, Sales, and Engineering, the manager delivers decision-grade models and product features while working directly with customers to understand their challenges. The position calls for a hands-on, innovative leader who can identify problems, guide implementation, and recruit and develop data science talent. The manager leads forward-deployed data scientists, AI engineers, and MLE engineers from ideation through implementation; organizes complex work across multiple clients and technical domains; and establishes development standards and team processes. The role oversees the quality of scientific and software deliverables, translates customer requirements into technical specifications, and works with AI platform teams to generalize client-specific solutions into platform and product features. This is a full-time role based in Air’s Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, or Arlington, Virginia office and may require up to 50% travel.

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.
Strong desire to learn and investigate new technologies.
Familiarity with Git source control management.
Ability to work collaboratively with little supervision.
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 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 areas including LLM/GenAI, reinforcement learning, decision science, capability simulation, document understanding, forecasting, logistics, MRO, and supply chains.
Establish coding, testing, and AI coding practices and standards for engineers.
Oversee AI development for practical deployment use cases, including team culture, AI/ML tool usage, and application of scientific methods.
Oversee the quality of model delivery, coding, evaluation, and testing to maintain high standards in science and software.
Collaborate with client stakeholders and Air’s product, forward deployment, and engagement teams to translate business requirements into technical specifications.
Identify innovation and process improvement opportunities and find efficiencies in assigned work.
Work with AI platform teams to generalize client-specific AI solutions into platform and product features.
Organize and lead science-team processes to support efficient project execution and alignment with business goals.
Recruit and develop data science talent.