Data Scientist Practice Lead

Excella is a leading provider of Agile software development and data and analytics solutions to clients in the federal, commercial and non-profit sectors. We believe that great work leads to great things –- our experts measure success by the positive impact we make on our clients, community, and colleagues. We are growing fast and need passionate, innovative people who love working with technology and are ready to make an impact. Here's what you can expect from us:

• Workplace sites look different for everyone – whether it’s your home or the office, we believe in a flexible work/life balance that supports you regardless of your location. We offer a home office allowance that can be used for home office furniture/equipment, a daily pass for a coworking space, etc. Our commute reimbursement plan has you covered for whether you bike, Metro, or drive to work.
• We offer top of industry medical, dental, and vision benefits with multiple options to choose from such as an employer-contributed health savings account, infertility coverage, and orthodontia so you can select the plan that works best for you.
• Regardless of what stage of life you’re in, Excella wants to support you. We provide 8 weeks of Parental Leave, discounted pet insurance, and a Care.com membership with 3 back-up emergency child or elder care days annually – all available to you on your first day.
• Starting day one, every employee is bonus eligible and receives 15 days of paid vacation, 6 federal holidays, and 4 floating holidays.
• Diversity and inclusion matter. Excella created and continues to support employee led-affinity groups and the Inclusion Diversity Equity Ambassador (IDEA) team, a cross-functional employee-led initiative to continually foster innovation and increase inclusion within Excella.
• We have a "bring your own device" workplace and will share the cost of a new computer of your choice -- Mac or PC. It's up to you.
• We'll invest in your career by providing 3 days of paid professional development every year, including travel and registration fees to attend classes and conferences.
• We encourage mindfulness and overall well-being through employee wellness events, a HeadSpace membership, as well as access to TalkSpace and mental health coverage through our medical plans.

Overview   

We are seeking a senior, experienced Data Science Practice Manager to support client delivery work and evolve our data science practice. The responsibilities include operating in a technical lead role on client projects, assisting with federal and private sector business development activities, and serving as a mentor and SME for our current team of data scientists.  

Responsibilities:  

• Leading meetings and discussions with clients and co-workers to refine the understanding of the business problem 
• Using machine learning and data mining techniques (linear and logistic regression, support vector machines, ensemble models - random forest and/or gradient boosted trees, neural networks, and clustering techniques) to understand the patterns in large volumes of data, identify relationships, detect data anomalies, and classify data sets 
• Writing re-usable code in Python and working to refine it through code review and discussion 
• Working with multiple, disparate data sources including structured, semi-structured and unstructured data to explore, wrangle and understand available data 
• Working with data engineers to design data pipelines and repositories to support advanced analytics use cases 
• Integrating AI model outputs into business processes and applications
• Validating and optimizing model performance upon deployment and monitoring over time
• Employing MLOps practices and tools to increase automation and resiliency
• Communicating complex quantitative analyses in a clear, precise, and actionable manner to management and executive level audiences
• Supporting learning and professional development of our data science team to grow the next generation of data science leaders at Excella
• Assisting with business development activities, including buyer discussions, proposal responses, orals, and technical challenges to win new work. 

Qualifications:

• 8+ years of experience in advanced analytics/data science roles 
• 3+ years of experience leading a technical team delivering machine learning models 
• 3+ years hands-on experience with Python analytics tools and libraries 
• Proficient understanding and usage of relational SQL (e.g. Oracle, SQL Server, PostgreSQL) databases and data structures
• Experience using NoSQL (e.g. Mongo, Neo4j) databases and data structures
• Excellent communication skills to be able to interact directly with non-technical client stakeholders and act in a business-to-technical translation role
• Experience supporting federal business development, including written proposal responses and presentations
• Experience leveraging Agile principles and practices to deliver AI solutions 

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Masters's Degree or Ph.D. in math or science disciplines 
• Experience deploying machine learning models in AWS 
• Experience working in a client technical consulting environment 

Excella is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.