Sr. Principal Data Scientist - Machine Learning Engineer

Build user-friendly, production-grade ML/AI applications (e.g., Streamlit, Gradio) that provide data insights to teams across the enterprise and enable better decision making

Develop and maintain cloud-based infrastructure (AWS, Databricks) and tooling to support scalable and reliable data analytics workflows

Design and implement CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure-as-code (Terraform, AWS CloudFormation), and MLOps practices that enhance team productivity

Optimize existing workflows and advocate for software engineering best practices (version control, modular design, testing) to drive team efficiency and code quality

Stay current on cloud technologies, MLOps trends, and application frameworks to identify opportunities for improvement

What Makes You Successful in this role:
You balance speed with quality: You can assess when "good enough now" beats "perfect later" and prioritize impact and working solutions over perfection.
You have high agency: You proactively gather information, identify blockers, can operate in ambiguity, and make thoughtful decisions with incomplete information.
You're technically versatile: You're comfortable diving into infrastructure one day and analyzing a dataset the next, stepping into different roles depending on project needs.
You're a bridge-builder: You can talk to data scientists about model deployment, engineers about infrastructure, and business stakeholders about their problem. You translate and collaborate across domains.
Work Arrangement
This is a hybrid/remote position. Most of our team is based in the Northern Virginia area, and we welcome candidates who can sometimes collaborate in person, but we operate primarily remotely and value flexibility. This position's standard work schedule is a 9/80. The 9/80 schedule allows employees who work a nine-hour day Monday through Thursday to take every other Friday off.
Basic Qualifications:

Must have a PhD with 4 years of relevant professional experience OR a Master's degree with 6 years of relevant professional experience OR Bachelor's degree with 8 years of relevant professional experience

Must have strong proficiency with Python, SQL, and Git

Must have experience with frameworks for rapid application development (e.g., Streamlit, Gradio, Starlette, Next.js)

Must have knowledge of DevOps or MLOps concepts and their application in data science workflows

Must have strong understanding of containerization (e.g., Docker, Podman)

Must have the ability to work collaboratively with data teams (data scientists, analysts) to support analytics workflows and insights

Must have demonstrated problem-solving and critical-thinking skills with an ability to handle complex technical challenges

Must have excellent communication skills and comfort engaging with non-technical stakeholders

Preferred Qualifications:

Proven track record of deploying and monitoring production-grade software systems on AWS

Experience with Databricks and PySpark for data transformation and analytics

Proven experience building and deploying web-based visualization or decision-support tools for business use cases

Exposure to workflow orchestration tools (e.g., AWS Step Functions, Apache Airflow) and infrastructure-as-code tools (e.g., Terraform, AWS CloudFormation)

Familiarity with scalable data architectures and machine learning deployment frameworks

Domain experience in manufacturing analytics, operations research, supply chain optimization, or financial forecasting

Background in consulting, forward-deployed engineering, or other client-facing technical roles where you translated ambiguous business problems into technical solutions

Primary Level Salary Range: $142,200.00 - $213,200.00The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Northrop Grumman considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, skills and current market conditions.Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives. In addition, Northrop Grumman provides a variety of benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business.The application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates.Northrop Grumman is an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. For our complete EEO and pay transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.

Client-provided location(s): Falls Church, VA

Job ID: NorthropGrumman-R10222135-2

Employment Type: OTHER

Posted: 2026-02-09T19:37:27