Senior/Staff/Principal Data Scientist (HHS)

The role

Data scientists organize, synthesize, and analyze data to help government stakeholders and product teams make informed decisions. You will focus on the AI Use-Case Inventory and broader OCDO priorities by turning policy and reporting requirements into analytical workflows.

What you will do

• Develop repeatable data quality checks, validate schemas, and standardize metadata
• Evaluate, classify, and document risks for enterprise AI use cases
• Clean, integrate, and analyze complex data from multiple sources
• Apply machine learning and natural language processing to automate data tagging and enrichment
• Prepare reporting datasets and turn findings into clear dashboards and recommendations
• Choose appropriate tools for analysis, automation, or modeling
• Collaborate with product managers, designers, engineers, and other specialists

Required qualifications

• Experience working with AI systems, modern AI tooling, and enterprise AI model workflows
• Background in metadata standards, data profiling, and schema validation
• Strong proficiency in Python and SQL
• Experience cleaning, validating, and preprocessing data from diverse sources
• Ability to design, prototype, and build statistical models
• Ability to preserve privacy and security when performing data analysis
• Ability to communicate findings to technical, non-technical, and executive audiences
• Ability to use visualization tools to highlight actionable insights
• Experience working on cross-functional teams in iterative delivery
• A mindset and work approach that aligns with core values
• All work must be conducted within the U.S., excluding U.S. territories
• Must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. now and in the future without sponsorship

Nice to have

• Experience conducting risk assessments, evaluations, and compliance classifications for AI use cases
• Strong data engineering skills, including backend pipeline code, ETL workflows, and metadata processing
• Practical experience applying AI, machine learning, and natural language processing to automate data tagging, classification, and metadata enrichment
• Familiarity with federal data governance, AI governance, enterprise AI model inventories, or open data reporting
• Proficiency with Power BI
• Experience delivering technology in government, regulated industries, or other public-benefit settings
• A track record of staying aligned and accountable on remote teams

Benefits

• Medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance
• Short-term and long-term disability insurance
• Life and AD&D insurance
• Dependent care FSA, healthcare FSA, health savings account
• Dollar-for-dollar 401(k) match up to 10% of salary with no vesting period
• Flexible paid-time-off policy (generally around 25 days per year), plus 11 paid federal holidays
• Up to 12 weeks paid-time-off for eligible new birth, adoption, or foster parents
• Performance rewards, including annual salary increase, annual performance bonus, spot bonuses, and stock options
• Business development / sales bonuses
• Referral bonuses
• Annual $2000 allowance for professional development
• Annual $750 allowance for tech-related purchases

Before you apply

• Some roles require a degree or additional years of experience as a substitute
• Must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. now and in the future without sponsorship
• Must obtain and maintain a Public Trust clearance
• Must complete a company background check successfully

About the company

Skylight is a digital consultancy using design and technology to help government agencies deliver better public services.