Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. SMX Services & Consulting is seeking an experienced Senior Data Scientist / Machine Learning Engineer to support the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service modernization initiative. The role focuses on developing predictive models, optimizing sampling and analytical processes, establishing reproducible machine-learning workflows, and integrating AI/ML capabilities with NASS’s Lakehouse and cloud environment.
Responsibilities
- Develop predictive models supporting survey optimization
- Perform feature engineering and algorithm optimization
- Design and tune supervised-learning models
- Validate model performance using A/B testing and other appropriate validation techniques
- Develop reproducible ML and analytical pipelines
- Support integration of AI/ML capabilities with NASS's Lakehouse architecture
- Ensure models and analytical processes are reproducible
- Support FAIR principles: Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable
- Incorporate appropriate data-governance practices into model-development workflows
- Identify and address potential model bias
- Work with developers, architects, statisticians, data specialists, and NASS technical SMEs
- Document model design, methodology, assumptions, testing, and results
- Support implementation of automated, monitored, and documented data pipelines
- Contribute to the modernization team's testing, validation, and knowledge-transfer activities
Skills
- Minimum **5 years of AI/ML model development and deployment experience**
- Strong Python skills
- Strong SQL skills
- Experience with one or more major ML frameworks, including: + TensorFlow + PyTorch + Scikit-learn
- Supervised machine-learning experience
- Feature engineering
- Algorithm optimization and tuning
- Model testing and validation
- Experience designing reproducible pipelines
- Hands-on Lakehouse architecture experience
- Cloud-platform experience, with **Microsoft Azure preferred**
- Understanding of data governance
- Understanding of model bias detection
- Experience supporting reproducible analytical environments
- Candidates must be **U.S. Citizens or Lawful Permanent Residents** and must be able to successfully complete USDA-required fingerprinting and background investigation requirements
- * USDA or USDA NASS
- * Federal statistical or data programs
- * Federal government technology programs
- * Large-scale survey or sampling systems
- * Azure data/AI environments
- * Databricks or similar Lakehouse platforms
- * Statistical workflows using Python, R, and/or SAS
- * Highly regulated or sensitive-data environments
Benefits
- Remote work
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