Data Scientist

Excella is a leading provider of Agile software development and data and analytics solutions to clients in the federal, commercial and non-profit sectors. We believe that great work leads to great things –- our experts measure success by the positive impact we make on our clients, community, and colleagues. We are growing fast and need passionate, innovative people who love working with technology and are ready to make an impact. Here's what you can expect from us:

• Workplace sites look different for everyone – whether it’s your home or the office, we believe in a flexible work/life balance that supports you regardless of your location. We offer a home office allowance that can be used for home office furniture/equipment, a daily pass for a coworking space, etc. Our commute reimbursement plan has you covered for whether you bike, Metro, or drive to work.
• We offer top of industry medical, dental, and vision benefits with multiple options to choose from such as an employer-contributed health savings account, infertility coverage, and orthodontia so you can select the plan that works best for you.
• Regardless of what stage of life you’re in, Excella wants to support you. We provide 8 weeks of Parental Leave, discounted pet insurance, and a Care.com membership with 3 back-up emergency child or elder care days annually – all available to you on your first day.
• Starting day one, every employee is bonus eligible and receives 15 days of paid vacation, 6 federal holidays, and 4 floating holidays.
• Doing your best work means having the best tools! Excella’s TechEleX program provides you with multiple options to suit your technology needs. Choose between a variety of Mac or PC devices, and to ensure your hardware remains current, at the end of a 3-year period Excella will replace your existing computer with a new model from the program. Plus, we’ll even give you the original device to keep for your personal use!
• Excella provides a Workplace Allowance to offset both the costs to maintain a distributed work environment and to enhance your workplace wellness. Excella will reimburse all full-time Excellians for up to $500 in expenses incurred during the calendar year.
• Diversity and inclusion matter. Excella created and continues to support employee led-affinity groups and the Inclusion Diversity Equity Ambassador (IDEA) team, a cross-functional employee-led initiative to continually foster innovation and increase inclusion within Excella.
• We'll invest in your career by providing 3 days of paid professional development every year, including travel and registration fees to attend classes and conferences.
• We encourage mindfulness and overall well-being through employee wellness events, a HeadSpace membership, as well as access to TalkSpace and mental health coverage through our medical plans.

Overview

The Data Scientist is responsible for using advanced statistical, algorithmic, machine learning, data mining and visualization techniques to help advance and complete client projects. The Data Scientist must also be able to communicate complex quantitative analyses in a clear, precise, and actionable manner to management and executive level audiences.

Responsibilities

• Working directly with client stakeholders to understand and define analysis objectives and then translate these into actionable results.
• Obtaining data from multiple, disparate data sources including structured, semi-structured and unstructured data.
• Using machine learning and data mining technique to understand the patterns in large volumes of data, identify relationships detect data anomalies, and classify data sets.
• Working with data integration developers to assess data quality and define data processing business rules for cleansing, aggregation, enhancement etc. support analysis and predictive modeling activities.
• Designing and building algorithms and predictive models using techniques such as linear and logistic regression, support vector machines, ensemble models (random forest and/or gradient boosted trees), neural networks, and clustering techniques.
• Deploying predictive models and integrating them into business processes and applications.
• Validating and optimizing model performance upon deployment and tracking over time as necessary.
• Presenting complex analysis results tailored to different audiences (e.g. technical, manager, executive) in a highly consumable and actionable form including the use of data visualizations.

Qualifications

Technical:

• 3+ years in a hands-on role performing advanced predictive analytics using tools like Python, R, or Scala.
• 3+ years writing simple to complex SQL queries to obtain data from multiple source systems.
• 3+ years using data mining methods, such as clustering analysis and anomaly detection, to understand data patterns and select appropriate predictive techniques.
• Experience with applied machine learning (tree-based methods, ensemble methods, neural networks/deep learning)
• Proficient understanding of relational (e.g. Oracle, SQL Server, PostgreSQL) and Big Data distributed structures (Hadoop/Spark) in order to source data effectively.
• Experience using natural language processing techniques preferred.
• Experience using advanced analytics techniques for fraud detection and prevention preferred.
• Experience building machine learning models for production environment preferred.

Non-Technical:

• Excellent communication skills to be able to interact directly with non-technical client stakeholders and act in a business-to-technical translation role.
• Experience working in an onsite client technical consulting environment preferred.
• Experience working within the Agile Scrum Framework.
• Self-motivated and self-managing.
• Proficient in creating reasonable and accurate time estimates for assigned tasks.
• Understanding of DevOps Research and Assessment (DORA) and the capabilities within the DORA capability catalog is encouraged.

Excella is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law. Excella is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. To request reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, contact Recruiting@excella.com or 703-840-8600.

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