Director of Data Science

About ICA

International Consulting Associates, Inc. (ICA) is a rapidly growing, woman-owned small business located in the Washington, D.C. Metro area. Founded in 2009, we partner with federal agencies and large government services primes to achieve their mission-critical objectives. We're a trusted advisor, delivering cutting-edge innovation and solutions in three key areas: Research and Data Analysis, Advanced Data Science, and Strategic Services. Our current focus is on supporting multiple analytics and research programs across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

At ICA, we believe our success starts with our people. We foster a collaborative "one-team" environment where work-life balance is prioritized. We're building dynamic, highly skilled teams in a welcoming and supportive atmosphere. If you're passionate about using your technical expertise to make a difference in federal healthcare, we want to talk to you.

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced and visionary Director of Data Science to join our talented and dynamic team. As the senior leader of the Data Science team, you will leverage your technical expertise, business acumen, and leadership capabilities to collaborate with senior stakeholders within our customer organizations. Your primary focus will be to understand and identify their requirements and needs in the areas of Big Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Machine Learning (ML).

The Director will ensure our Data Science team possesses the skills, experience, tools, and resources necessary to successfully solve our clients' most challenging data and AI problems. You will play a pivotal role in enabling the company to achieve its growth goals in Data Science, AI, and ML services.

Overseeing a team two dozen full-time employees and consultants, you will manage a portfolio of projects currently supporting government clients in federal healthcare. You will plan and direct the operational policies, objectives, and initiatives for the Data Science Division and directly supervise subordinate managers within the division.

As a recognized project management professional and senior technical expert, you will develop strategies and drive tactical actions to attain short- and long-term financial and mission-critical operational goals. You will monitor financial and operational metrics to measure achievement of organizational objectives, enforcing high standards of quality and professionalism in all division services and deliverables.

About You

You are inquisitive by nature, detail oriented, creative, patient, and a results-focused problem solver who enjoys collaboration with your team. You use critical reasoning, are open-minded and enjoy the steps involved when confronted with a complex challenge.  You have a high standard of accountability and can influence customers by creating effective presentations that communicate complex analytics to non-technical senior management and executives. You bring experience communicating with Government stakeholders and project team(s) effectively and timely both verbally and in writing. You are comfortable coordinating day-to-day project activities and client contact.

Qualifications

Education:

• Master's or PhD degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Data Science, or a related quantitative field.

Experience:

• 12+ years of experience in data science or a related field.

• At least 5 years of management experience leading teams of 10 or more data scientists, ML engineers, solution architects, and data engineers.

• 8+ years of experience developing enterprise data solutions to solve complex business problems, preferably in a consulting or services-related role.

Technical Skills:

• Deep expertise in statistical modeling, machine learning algorithms, and AI techniques.

• Proficiency with programming languages such as Python and R, and experience with data manipulation libraries (e.g., pandas, NumPy).

• Extensive experience with AI/ML frameworks like TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn.

• Strong knowledge of big data technologies (e.g., Hadoop, Spark) and experience with data warehousing solutions.

• Advanced knowledge of cloud computing environments, especially AWS services (Athena, S3, Glue, SageMaker, Comprehend).

• Familiarity with MLOps practices and tools (e.g., MLflow, Kubeflow).

Project Management:

• Proven ability to manage large-scale, complex data science projects from conception to deployment.

• Experience with Agile/Scrum methodologies and project management tools.

Leadership and Soft Skills:

• Demonstrated ability to lead, mentor, and develop high-performing technical teams.

• Exceptional communication skills, capable of articulating complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a strategic mindset.

Additional Preferred Skills:

• Experience with data analysis and program management for health-related organizations, including FDA, CMS, NIH, CDC, VA, Defense Health Agency, among others.

• Familiarity with workflow management tools (e.g., Kanban, Scrum).

• Experience in the federal healthcare sector and understanding of its unique data challenges.