Senior Data Scientist

About ICA

International Consulting Associates, Inc. (ICA) is a rapidly growing 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

Are you passionate about leveraging advanced analytics to drive organizational transformation? In today's data-driven landscape, we're seeking a Senior Data Scientist who can both architect sophisticated machine learning solutions and provide strategic leadership in the implementation of cutting-edge AI technologies.

As a Senior Data Scientist, you'll shape how organizations like the FDA approach their most critical challenges through data science. Working closely with executive stakeholders, you'll translate complex business problems into innovative technical solutions, mentor team members, and serve as a technical authority in machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Your role combines technical expertise with strategic vision – you'll design advanced analytical models, establish best practices, and communicate insights to diverse audiences. You'll have the opportunity to make a significant impact at the intersection of public health and regulatory science, working with forward-thinking organizations to solve challenging problems through innovative data science solutions.

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 others by creating effective presentations that communicate complex analytics to non-technical senior management and executives.

If you have a passion for leveraging data science, machine learning, and especially cutting-edge LLM techniques to solve real-world problems, we encourage you to apply. Come grow with us and make a meaningful impact.

Qualifications:

• Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Data Science, or a related quantitative field

• Experience - 7 to 8 years of overall professional experience in data science, analytics, or a related field

• At least 2–3 years of hands-on experience specifically focused on Large Language Models (LLMs) and related techniques (e.g., fine-tuning, instruction tuning, prompt engineering).

• Ability to obtain a Public Trust Clearance (Required for the role)

• Must be authorized to work in the United States

Technical Proficiency:

• Coding knowledge and experience with at least one of the following languages: Python, C, R, Java, Scala, with strong proficiency in Python being highly preferred.

• Proven ability to use statistical computer languages (Python, R, SQL, etc.) for data manipulation, analysis, and model development.

• Knowledge of ML and data mining techniques (Regression, Deep Learning, NLP, Time Series Analysis, Social Media Analysis, etc.).

• Familiarity with AWS services (Athena, S3, Glue, SageMaker, Comprehend, Bedrock) for scalable model development.

• Preferred: exposure to MLOps tools, big data technologies (Hadoop, Spark), or other cloud services.

• LLM-Focused Skills (Desired, not all required):
  - PEFT (LoRA/QLoRA) for efficient model fine-tuning.
  - Instruction Fine-tuning, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), Chain-of-Thought (CoT)/Tree-of-Thought (ToT).
  - Quantization, Pruning, and Knowledge Distillation strategies for model optimization.
  - Experience with Hugging Face Transformers, LangChain, Llama Index, and/or large-scale training frameworks. - Familiarity with LLM evaluation, interpretability, and best practices.

Soft Skills:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex data insights into clear, concise narratives.

• A strong problem-solver who is adaptable, motivated, and has a passion for continuous learning.

• Collaborative mindset, demonstrating the ability to work across teams and partner effectively with various stakeholders

Responsibilities:

• Data Analysis & Modeling

• Client-Facing Presentations

• Predictive Modeling & Optimization

• Model Monitoring

• Identify Opportunities

• Innovation & Strategy

• LLM-Focused Development