Data Scientist - Secret Clearance

$119K - $198K San Diego, CA, US Mid Level Data Scientist

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Skills & Technologies

Python

About This Role

AI job market dashboard showing open roles by category

Our Deloitte Strategy \& Transactions team helps guide clients through their most critical moments and transformational initiatives. From strategy to execution, this team delivers integrated, end\-to\-end support and advisory services covering valuation modeling, cost optimization, restructuring, government operations modernization, business design and transformation, infrastructure and real estate, mergers and acquisitions (M\&A), and sustainability. Work alongside clients every step of the way, helping them navigate new challenges, avoid financial pitfalls, and provide practical solutions at every stage of their journey\-before, during, and after any major transformational projects or transactions.

Work You'll Do

Our Deloitte Strategy \& Transactions team helps guide clients through their most critical moments and transformational initiatives. From strategy to execution, this team delivers integrated, end\-to\-end support and advisory services covering valuation modeling, cost optimization, restructuring, government operations modernization, business design and transformation, infrastructure and real estate, mergers and acquisitions (M\&A), and sustainability. Work alongside clients every step of the way, helping them navigate new challenges, avoid financial pitfalls, and provide practical solutions at every stage of their journey\-before, during, and after any major transformational projects or transactions.

Work You'll Do

This role requires a strong foundation in statistics, machine learning, predictive modeling, and data visualization, along with the ability to design, develop, and maintain data pipelines, databases, application programming interfaces (APIs), and analytical models. The successful candidate will translate requirements into technical solutions, work effectively across teams, and deliver reliable outcomes in a mission\-focused setting.

As a Project Manager on the engagement, you will:

  • Collaborate with technical and mission stakeholders to translate operational needs into scalable, secure, and reliable solutions.
  • Oversee data quality, governance, documentation, and continuous improvement.
  • Lead the development, refinement, and execution of data strategies.
  • Advise senior leadership on software solutions to enable efficient and effective execution of mission priorities.
  • Translate leadership intent into actionable plans, initiatives, and performance objectives.
  • Coordinate across functional areas to align efforts with strategic goals.
  • Conduct research, trend analysis, and assessments to support data management strategies.
  • Design, develop, test, deploy, and maintain software tools and dashboards.
  • Monitor progress against strategic objectives and identify risks, gaps, and dependencies.

The successful candidate would possess these skills:

  • Ability to work independently and collaborate as part of a team
  • Effective written and verbal communication skills
  • Meticulous attention to detail and quality of work product
  • Ability to build and sustain professional relationships
  • Ability to lead projects or workstreams
  • Ability to manage and prioritize multiple tasks in a fast\-paced and dynamic environment
  • Strong interpersonal skills and professional demeanor
  • Ability to meet deadlines
  • Ability to provide clear mentorship and guidance to others

The Team

Deloitte's Government \& Public Services (GPS) practice \- our people, ideas, technology and outcomes \- is designed for impact. Serving federal, state, \& local government clients as well as public higher education institutions, our team of professionals brings fresh perspective to help clients anticipate disruption, reimagine the possible, and fulfill their mission promise.

Our Operations Transformation offering provides NextGen core operational solutions and operating models, business\-led technology support, and process optimization services, maximizing value to our government clients' missions.

The Project Delivery Talent Model is designed for professionals with specialized skills that align to a current client need. Team members focus on delivering services to clients, without additional expectations related to business development or promotion. Their employment is tied to their role on a project, and they are eligible for a benefits package that is competitive for project delivery\-focused professionals.

Qualifications

Required:

  • Bachelor's degree
  • 8\+ years of experience with Python, Structured Query Language (SQL), or comparable programming languages, with the ability to write maintainable, scalable code and apply software engineering best practices in complex environments
  • Active Secret security clearance required
  • Ability to travel 0\-30%, on average, based on the work you do and the clients and industries/sectors you serve
  • Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship, now or at any time in the future

The wage range for this role takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs. The disclosed range estimate has not been adjusted for the applicable geographic differential associated with the location at which the position may be filled. At Deloitte, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their role and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is $119,000 to $198,400\.

You may also be eligible to participate in a discretionary annual incentive program, subject to the rules governing the program, whereby an award, if any, depends on various factors, including, without limitation, individual and organizational performance.

\#LI\-AA19

Salary Context

This $119K-$198K range is below the median for Data Scientist roles in our dataset (median: $160K across 258 roles with salary data).

View full Data Scientist salary data →

Role Details

Company Deloitte
Title Data Scientist - Secret Clearance
Location San Diego, CA, US
Category Data Scientist
Experience Mid Level
Salary $119K - $198K
Remote No

About This Role

Data Scientists extract insights and build predictive models from data. In the AI era, many roles now include LLM-powered analytics, automated reporting, and integration with generative AI tools. The role has evolved from 'the person who runs SQL queries' to 'the person who builds AI-powered data products.'

Modern data science roles fall into two camps: analytics-focused (insights, dashboards, experimentation) and ML-focused (building predictive models, recommendation systems, NLP features). The best data scientists can operate in both modes. The AI shift means that even analytics-focused roles now involve building automated insight pipelines using LLMs, going well beyond one-off reports.

Across the 4,317 AI roles we're tracking, Data Scientist positions make up 8% of the market. At Deloitte, this role fits into their broader AI and engineering organization.

Data Scientist roles remain in high demand, though the definition keeps shifting. Companies increasingly want candidates who can bridge traditional statistics with modern ML and LLM capabilities. The 'pure insights' data scientist role is consolidating into analytics engineering, while the 'build models' data scientist role is merging with ML engineering.

What the Work Looks Like

A typical week includes: analyzing experiment results for a product feature launch, building a predictive model for customer churn, creating an automated reporting pipeline using LLM-powered summarization, presenting insights to stakeholders, and cleaning data (always cleaning data). The ratio of analysis to engineering varies by company, but expect both.

Data Scientist roles remain in high demand, though the definition keeps shifting. Companies increasingly want candidates who can bridge traditional statistics with modern ML and LLM capabilities. The 'pure insights' data scientist role is consolidating into analytics engineering, while the 'build models' data scientist role is merging with ML engineering.

Skills Required

Python (52% of roles)

Python, SQL, and statistical modeling are the foundation. Increasingly, roles want experience with LLMs for data analysis, automated insight generation, and building AI-powered data products. Familiarity with cloud data platforms (Snowflake, BigQuery, Databricks) and ML frameworks (scikit-learn, PyTorch) covers most job requirements.

Experimentation design and causal inference are underrated skills that separate strong candidates. Companies care about whether their product changes cause improvements, and can distinguish causation from correlation. A/B testing methodology, Bayesian statistics, and the ability to communicate uncertainty to non-technical stakeholders are high-value skills.

Good postings specify the data stack, the types of problems you'll work on, and the team structure. Look for companies that differentiate between analytics and ML data science. Vague 'data scientist' postings that list every skill under the sun usually mean the company doesn't know what they need.

Compensation Benchmarks

Data Scientist roles pay a median of $192,890 based on 789 positions with disclosed compensation. Mid-level AI roles across all categories have a median of $194,400. This role's midpoint ($158K) sits 18% below the category median. Disclosed range: $119K to $198K.

Across all AI roles, the market median is $215,000. Top-quartile compensation starts at $266,300. The 90th percentile reaches $320,790. For comparison, the highest-paying categories include AI Safety ($287,500) and Research Engineer ($272,100). By seniority level: Entry: $110,000; Mid: $194,400; Senior: $227,400; Director: $274,554; VP: $241,000.

Deloitte AI Hiring

Deloitte has 59 open AI roles right now. They're hiring across AI/ML Engineer, AI Architect, Data Engineer, Research Engineer. Positions span Rosslyn, VA, US, Baltimore, MD, US, Morristown, NJ, US. Compensation range: $140K - $379K.

Location Context

Across all AI roles, 15% (635 positions) offer remote work, while 3,657 require on-site attendance. Top AI hiring metros: New York (1,650 roles, $220,000 median); San Francisco (1,335 roles, $265,000 median); Los Angeles (708 roles, $214,112 median).

Career Path

Common paths into Data Scientist roles include Data Analyst, Statistician, Quantitative Researcher.

From here, career progression typically leads toward Senior Data Scientist, ML Engineer, AI Product Manager.

Start with statistics and SQL. Build a real analysis project on public data that demonstrates insight generation alongside model building. The market values data scientists who can communicate findings clearly to business stakeholders. If you want to move toward ML engineering, invest in software engineering fundamentals and production deployment skills.

What to Expect in Interviews

Interviews combine statistics, coding, and business acumen. SQL is almost always tested, often with complex joins and window functions. Expect a case study round where you're given a business problem and asked to design an analysis plan. Coding rounds focus on pandas, statistical modeling, and visualization. The strongest differentiator is how well you communicate insights to non-technical stakeholders during presentation rounds.

When evaluating opportunities: Good postings specify the data stack, the types of problems you'll work on, and the team structure. Look for companies that differentiate between analytics and ML data science. Vague 'data scientist' postings that list every skill under the sun usually mean the company doesn't know what they need.

AI Hiring Overview

The AI job market has 4,317 open positions tracked in our dataset. By seniority: 138 entry-level, 2,071 mid-level, 1,655 senior, and 453 leadership roles (Director, VP, C-Level). Remote roles make up 15% of the market (635 positions). The remaining 3,657 roles require on-site or hybrid attendance.

The market median for AI roles is $215,000. Top-quartile compensation starts at $266,300. The 90th percentile reaches $320,790. Highest-paying categories: AI Safety ($287,500 median, 34 roles); Research Engineer ($272,100 median, 227 roles); AI Engineering Manager ($244,000 median, 23 roles).

Data Scientist roles remain in high demand, though the definition keeps shifting. Companies increasingly want candidates who can bridge traditional statistics with modern ML and LLM capabilities. The 'pure insights' data scientist role is consolidating into analytics engineering, while the 'build models' data scientist role is merging with ML engineering.

The AI Job Market Today

The AI job market spans 4,317 open positions across 15 role categories. The largest categories by volume: AI/ML Engineer (3,004), Data Scientist (345), AI Software Engineer (309). These three account for the majority of open positions, though smaller categories often have higher per-role compensation because of specialized skill requirements.

The seniority mix tells a story about where AI teams are in their maturity. Entry-level roles (138) are outnumbered by mid-level (2,071) and senior (1,655) positions, reflecting that most companies are past the 'build a team from scratch' phase and need experienced engineers who can ship production systems. Leadership roles (Director, VP, C-Level) total 453 positions, representing the bottleneck between technical execution and organizational strategy.

Remote work availability sits at 15% of all AI roles (635 positions), with 3,657 requiring on-site or hybrid attendance. The remote share has stabilized after the post-pandemic correction. Senior and specialized roles (Research Scientist, ML Architect) are more likely to be remote-eligible than entry-level positions, partly because experienced hires have more negotiating power and partly because these roles require less hands-on mentorship.

AI compensation is structured in clear tiers. The market median sits at $215,000. Top-quartile roles start at $266,300, and the 90th percentile reaches $320,790. These figures include base salary with disclosed compensation. Total compensation (including equity, bonuses, and sign-on) runs 20-40% higher at companies that offer those components.

Category matters for compensation. AI Safety roles lead at $287,500 median, while Prompt Engineer roles sit at $145,000. The spread between highest and lowest-paying categories reflects the premium on specialized technical skills versus broader analytical roles.

The most in-demand skills across all AI postings: Python (2,249 postings), Aws (1,224 postings), Azure (938 postings), Rag (915 postings), Gcp (660 postings), Pytorch (640 postings), Prompt Engineering (624 postings), Kubernetes (559 postings). Python dominates, appearing in the vast majority of role descriptions regardless of category. Cloud platform experience (AWS, GCP, Azure) is the second most common requirement. The newer entrants to the top skills list (RAG, vector databases, LLM APIs) reflect the shift from traditional ML toward generative AI applications.

Frequently Asked Questions

Based on 789 roles with disclosed compensation, the median salary for Data Scientist positions is $192,890. Actual compensation varies by seniority, location, and company stage.
Python, SQL, and statistical modeling are the foundation. Increasingly, roles want experience with LLMs for data analysis, automated insight generation, and building AI-powered data products. Familiarity with cloud data platforms (Snowflake, BigQuery, Databricks) and ML frameworks (scikit-learn, PyTorch) covers most job requirements.
About 15% of the 4,317 AI roles we track offer remote work. Remote availability varies by company and seniority level, with senior and leadership roles more likely to offer location flexibility.
Deloitte is among the companies actively hiring for AI and ML talent. Check our company profiles for detailed breakdowns of open roles, salary ranges, and hiring trends.
Common next steps from Data Scientist positions include Senior Data Scientist, ML Engineer, AI Product Manager. Progression depends on whether you lean toward technical depth, people management, or product strategy.

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