Data Scientist - Spaceforce

Bestgate Engineering•Columbia, MD

2d•$130,000 - $200,000

About The Position

Bestgate Engineering is seeking a Data Scientist / Software Engineer to support mission-focused data platforms and applications aligned with the technical ecosystem commonly associated with Palantir Warp Core, Foundry, Gotham, and similar enterprise data platforms. This role is a strong fit for someone who can work across data science, data engineering, and software development. The candidate will help transform complex, fragmented mission data into usable data products, analytics workflows, dashboards, and operational applications.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, Information Systems, or a related field. Equivalent experience may be considered.
3+ years of experience in software engineering, data engineering, data science, analytics engineering, or a related technical role.
Strong experience with Python and SQL.
Experience building data pipelines, ETL/ELT workflows, data transformations, or analytics applications.
Familiarity with Palantir Foundry, Gotham, Warp Core, or comparable enterprise data platforms such as Databricks, Snowflake, Spark-based platforms, Airflow, NiFi, Kafka, or cloud-native data systems.
Understanding of distributed data processing concepts, especially Apache Spark / PySpark.
Experience using Git and modern software engineering practices, including code reviews, automated testing, and issue tracking.
Ability to work independently, solve ambiguous technical problems, and communicate effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
U.S. citizenship required.
Active U.S. Government security clearance preferred; clearance requirements may vary by contract.

Nice To Haves

Hands-on experience with Palantir Foundry, Gotham, Warp Core, or related tools.
Experience with ontology-backed applications, semantic data models, or mission workflow modeling.
Experience with Docker, Kubernetes, APIs, cloud platforms, or secure government environments.
Experience with machine learning, statistical analysis, anomaly detection, forecasting, graph analytics, or geospatial analytics.
Experience supporting command-and-control, intelligence, space, cyber, readiness, or other mission data platforms.

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain data pipelines that ingest, normalize, transform, and enrich data from multiple sources.
Build analytics workflows, data products, dashboards, and mission-facing applications that support operational decision-making.
Write production-quality code using Python, SQL, PySpark, and related data engineering tools.
Support ontology-style data modeling, including the representation of mission entities, relationships, workflows, and operational events.
Work directly with users, analysts, engineers, and stakeholders to understand mission needs and translate them into technical solutions.
Troubleshoot data quality issues, pipeline failures, integration problems, and software defects.

Benefits

PTO: Starting at 31 days with options to increase or decrease for personal needs.
401k: 7% gift, fully vested from day one!
Free Medical, Dental, Vision: Coverage for employees and dependents.
$5,000 in Training: For certifications, conferences, and continued learning.
End-of-Year Bonuses: Recognizing your hard work.
Morale-Building Hours: 8 hours annually for team-building activities.
Flexibility
Internal mobility programs
Career pathing
Engaged leadership
A robust external referral program.