AI/ML Data Scientist

$113K - $188K Arlington, VA, US Mid Level Data Scientist

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Skills & Technologies

AwsDemandtoolsPythonPytorchSagemakerTensorflow

About This Role

AI job market dashboard showing open roles by category

Job Family:

Data Science Consulting Travel Required:

Up to 25% Clearance Required:

Ability to Obtain Public TrustWhat You Will Do:

  • Partner with stakeholders to define and deliver AI/analytics use cases, translating business needs into scalable data science solutions.
  • Design and develop machine learning models and analytical approaches to support search, discovery, and insight generation across structured and unstructured data.
  • Build and implement NLP, semantic search, and entity resolution capabilities to enable advanced information retrieval and relationship analysis.
  • Leverage document\-based data (e.g., OCR/ICR outputs, metadata, and free text) to extract insights and support downstream analytics and search solutions.
  • Collaborate with data engineers to integrate models into production environments, including Palantir Foundry, Databricks, and AWS\-based platforms.
  • Develop model evaluation frameworks, confidence scoring, and explainability approaches to ensure transparency and usability of AI outputs.
  • Support development of analytics, reporting, and dashboards to drive operational insights and decision\-making.
  • Operate within an Agile delivery model, contributing to sprint planning, experimentation, and iterative solution delivery.
  • Communicate findings and recommendations clearly to both technical and non\-technical audiences, including client stakeholders.
  • Contribute to solution design, proposal support, and thought leadership in AI/analytics capabilities.

What You Will Need:

  • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, or related field.
  • A minimum of 4 years of experience in data science, machine learning, or applied analytics roles
  • U.S. Citizenship required and ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust clearance.
  • Experience developing and applying machine learning models, including:

+ Natural Language Processing (NLP)

+ Semantic search or information retrieval

+ Entity resolution or relationship modeling

  • Experience working with large\-scale structured and unstructured data, particularly document\-based datasets (e.g., text, PDFs, images).
  • Experience leveraging metadata and extracted features to support analytics and modeling.
  • Strong proficiency in Python for data science and machine learning (e.g., Pandas, Scikit\-learn, PyTorch or TensorFlow) and solid SQL skills.
  • Experience working with Databricks and/or Spark\-based environments for scalable data processing.
  • Familiarity with AWS cloud services for data access, processing, or model deployment.
  • Experience working with data lake or lakehouse architectures (e.g., AWS S3, Databricks), including querying and transforming large\-scale datasets.
  • Experience integrating models into production environments (e.g., APIs, batch pipelines, or embedded analytics platforms).
  • Understanding of model evaluation, validation, and performance metrics.
  • Strong communication skills and ability to translate analytical outputs into actionable insights.
  • Experience working in cross\-functional, matrixed teams in an Agile environment.

What Would Be Nice To Have:

  • Experience working with Palantir Foundry and/or Palantir AIP, particularly in support of AI\-enabled search or analytics workflows.
  • Consulting experience strongly preferred
  • Experience building AI\-enabled search solutions, including semantic search, document retrieval, and ranking models.
  • Experience with multimodal data processing, including text and image\-based analytics.
  • Familiarity with OCR/ICR pipelines and document intelligence use cases.
  • Experience with enterprise ML platforms (e.g., AWS SageMaker, Databricks Machine Learning) for model development, deployment, and lifecycle management.
  • Experience developing explainable AI (XAI) solutions, including confidence scoring and traceability of results.
  • Experience designing analytics dashboards or reporting solutions for end users.
  • Previous experience supporting federal clients or working in regulated environments.
  • Experience in a consulting firm and/or client\-facing delivery role.
  • Experience supporting training, user enablement, or scaling analytics capabilities across teams.
  • Familiarity with graph\-based analytics, ontology\-driven models, or relationship mapping.

The annual salary range for this position is $113,000\.00\-$188,000\.00\. Compensation decisions depend on a wide range of factors, including but not limited to skill sets, experience and training, security clearances, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs. What We Offer:

Guidehouse offers a comprehensive, total rewards package that includes competitive compensation and a flexible benefits package that reflects our commitment to creating a diverse and supportive workplace.

Benefits include:

  • Medical, Rx, Dental \& Vision Insurance
  • Personal and Family Sick Time \& Company Paid Holidays
  • Position may be eligible for a discretionary variable incentive bonus
  • Parental Leave and Adoption Assistance
  • 401(k) Retirement Plan
  • Basic Life \& Supplemental Life
  • Health Savings Account, Dental/Vision \& Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
  • Short\-Term \& Long\-Term Disability
  • Student Loan PayDown
  • Tuition Reimbursement, Personal Development \& Learning Opportunities
  • Skills Development \& Certifications
  • Employee Referral Program
  • Corporate Sponsored Events \& Community Outreach
  • Emergency Back\-Up Childcare Program
  • Mobility Stipend

About Guidehouse

Guidehouse is an Equal Opportunity Employer–Protected Veterans, Individuals with Disabilities or any other basis protected by law, ordinance, or regulation.

Guidehouse will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable law or ordinance including the Fair Chance Ordinance of Los Angeles and San Francisco.

If you have visited our website for information about employment opportunities, or to apply for a position, and you require an accommodation, please contact Guidehouse Recruiting at 1\-571\-633\-1711 or via email at [email protected]. All information you provide will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extent required to provide needed reasonable accommodation.

All communication regarding recruitment for a Guidehouse position will be sent from Guidehouse email domains including @guidehouse.com or [email protected]. Correspondence received by an applicant from any other domain should be considered unauthorized and will not be honored by Guidehouse. Note that Guidehouse will never charge a fee or require a money transfer at any stage of the recruitment process and does not collect fees from educational institutions for participation in a recruitment event. Never provide your banking information to a third party purporting to need that information to proceed in the hiring process.

If any person or organization demands money related to a job opportunity with Guidehouse, please report the matter to Guidehouse’s Ethics Hotline. If you want to check the validity of correspondence you have received, please contact [email protected]. Guidehouse is not responsible for losses incurred (monetary or otherwise) from an applicant’s dealings with unauthorized third parties.

*Guidehouse does not accept unsolicited resumes through or from search firms or staffing agencies. All unsolicited resumes will be considered the property of Guidehouse and Guidehouse will not be obligated to pay a placement fee.*

Salary Context

This $113K-$188K range is below the median for Data Scientist roles in our dataset (median: $157K across 236 roles with salary data).

View full Data Scientist salary data →

Role Details

Company Guidehouse Inc.
Title AI/ML Data Scientist
Location Arlington, VA, US
Category Data Scientist
Experience Mid Level
Salary $113K - $188K
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 3,823 AI roles we're tracking, Data Scientist positions make up 8% of the market. At Guidehouse Inc., 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

Aws (31% of roles) Demandtools (1% of roles) Python (52% of roles) Pytorch (16% of roles) Sagemaker (5% of roles) Tensorflow (13% 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 $198,000 based on 808 positions with disclosed compensation. Mid-level AI roles across all categories have a median of $165,000. This role's midpoint ($150K) sits 24% below the category median. Disclosed range: $113K to $188K.

Across all AI roles, the market median is $200,100. Top-quartile compensation starts at $253,500. The 90th percentile reaches $307,500. For comparison, the highest-paying categories include AI Engineering Manager ($275,000) and AI Safety ($274,200). By seniority level: Entry: $97,880; Mid: $165,000; Senior: $227,400; Director: $247,800; VP: $250,000.

Guidehouse Inc. AI Hiring

Guidehouse Inc. has 4 open AI roles right now. They're hiring across Data Scientist, AI/ML Engineer, MLOps Engineer. Positions span Arlington, VA, US, New York, NY, US, Washington, DC, US. Compensation range: $188K - $225K.

Location Context

Across all AI roles, 15% (590 positions) offer remote work, while 3,217 require on-site attendance. Top AI hiring metros: New York (2,643 roles, $211,000 median); San Francisco (2,168 roles, $253,000 median); Los Angeles (1,792 roles, $191,580 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 3,823 open positions tracked in our dataset. By seniority: 112 entry-level, 1,798 mid-level, 1,516 senior, and 397 leadership roles (Director, VP, C-Level). Remote roles make up 15% of the market (590 positions). The remaining 3,217 roles require on-site or hybrid attendance.

The market median for AI roles is $200,100. Top-quartile compensation starts at $253,500. The 90th percentile reaches $307,500. Highest-paying categories: AI Engineering Manager ($275,000 median, 41 roles); AI Safety ($274,200 median, 55 roles); Research Engineer ($260,000 median, 434 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 3,823 open positions across 15 role categories. The largest categories by volume: AI/ML Engineer (2,629), Data Scientist (322), AI Software Engineer (279). 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 (112) are outnumbered by mid-level (1,798) and senior (1,516) 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 397 positions, representing the bottleneck between technical execution and organizational strategy.

Remote work availability sits at 15% of all AI roles (590 positions), with 3,217 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 $200,100. Top-quartile roles start at $253,500, and the 90th percentile reaches $307,500. 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 Engineering Manager roles lead at $275,000 median, while Prompt Engineer roles sit at $140,000. 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 (1,979 postings), Aws (1,190 postings), Azure (899 postings), Rag (839 postings), Gcp (726 postings), Pytorch (595 postings), Prompt Engineering (595 postings), Claude (540 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 808 roles with disclosed compensation, the median salary for Data Scientist positions is $198,000. 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 3,823 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.
Guidehouse Inc. 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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