Hiring our Heroes Skillbridge - Data Scientist

Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc. (SPA) delivers high-impact, technical solutions to complex national security issues. With over 50 years of business expertise and consistent growth, we are known for continuous innovation for our government customers, in both the US and abroad. Our exceptionally talented team is highly collaborative in spirit and practice, producing Results that Matter. Come work with the best! We offer opportunity, unique challenges, and clear-sighted commitment to the mission. SPA: Objective. Responsive. Trusted.  

SPA provides timely, objective, analytic assessments that integrate technical, operational, programmatic, policy and business analysis to a variety of Government acquisition offices. These offices span throughout the Department of Defense to include major defense programs and new weapon technology development programs. Analysts and Engineers supporting these programs would continue SPA’s decades of support to high-profile, major acquisition programs.

At SPA, we are committed to our nation's Military and Veterans through our partnership with Hiring Our Heroes, providing an opportunity for transitioning service members to gain valuable civilian work experience through an individual fellowship.  The fellowship is open to all ranks and experience levels. 

During this program, the service member will be on-site performing an individual externship in a mid to mid to senior-level career-type role. The service member will be receiving on the job training, supporting a work schedule equivalent to 32 hours per week. The program provides a comprehensive fellowship experience including professional development, networking with leadership, and training specifically focused on our leadership principles, company history, stakeholder engagement, product and service overview, and core job responsibilities. Our goal is to provide qualified individuals with a full-time offer at the conclusion of the Skillbridge Externship program.  

The successful candidate will be expected to shadow and provide advanced analytical support to SPA customers in the national security and homeland defense mission spaces, applying rational, systematic, science-based techniques, and critical thinking to help inform and improve decision-making. Candidates will be expected to apply principles of mathematics and statistics, computer science, software development, and the latest technologies to design and implement an analytical infrastructure and tools, workflow processes, and complex data visualizations.

The candidate may be required to:

• Design and execute analytical methodologies leveraging modern tools accented with personal innovation
• Use a variety of analytic tools and techniques to evaluate data and recommend actions to overcome challenges
• Effectively communicate data and analytic related topics to technical and non-technical audiences
• Develop or adopt data standards and frameworks to collect, integrate and link, and manage data
• Implement data exploration techniques, analytical methods, operations research, and modeling and simulation tools to support program execution
• Develop, deploy, manage, and document models and analytic methods
• Create software code to extract and transform data for use in analysis
• Develop automated analytic algorithms to assist with data management
• Develop plans of action and timetables in order to meet established deadlines

Required Qualifications (multiple levels needed):  Experience in assisting with the development of professional reports to impact decision-making and a current Secret clearance, as well as

Must be an active participant in the Hiring our Heroes Skillbridge Fellowship to be considered for the Externship.   

Junior:

• Bachelor’s degree in math, physical or computer science, data science, analytics, or related STEM field
• Up to 3 years of experience conducting data analysis and assessment and presenting results

Mid:

• Bachelor’s degree in math, physical or computer science, data science, analytics or related STEM field
• 4-10 years of experience conducting data analysis and assessment and presenting results

Senior:

• Bachelor’s degree in math, physical or computer science, data science, analytics or related STEM field
• 10+ years of experience conducting data analysis and assessment and presenting results

Desired Qualifications: 

• Top Secret Clearance
• Advanced Degree
• Expertise with at least one programming or query language such as R, Python, SQL, or Cypher
• Proficiency with relational databases or NoSQL database
• Previous experience working with a government agency
• Experience using methodologies that support technology and investment decisions to improve national security mission success