Your greatest work is ahead!
Leidos’ Defense Systems – Sensor Systems Analysis & Engineering (SSA&E) Portfolio is seeking an experienced Data Scientist to serve as a machine learning (ML) SME within our Sensor Systems Analysis and Engineering Department.
You will join a diverse team of engineers, scientists, and software developers to create unique solutions for complex problems. Our team tackles critical challenges that support the current and future defense of our nation, including the rapidly growing domains of machine learning and artificial intelligence (ML/AI).
You will work within an established, highly skilled team alongside other contractors and our customers. Joining us means the opportunity to collaborate with leading experts while growing your career in areas that excite you. You will quickly become an integral member of the team and will be entrusted with significant and meaningful responsibilities. Because of this, we seek driven, engaged professionals who demonstrate exceptional character—our work often involves sensitive and unique challenges that require a high degree of trust from our customers.
If this sounds like an environment where you can thrive, keep reading!
Leidos Defense Systems Sector provides a broad portfolio of systems, solutions, and services across land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace domains for customers worldwide. Our portfolio includes enterprise and mission IT, large-scale intelligence systems, command and control, geospatial and data analytics, cybersecurity, logistics, training, and intelligence analysis and operations support. We tackle the world’s toughest security challenges in support of “can’t fail” missions.
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Primary Responsibilities
- Serve as a recognized SME in applied statistics and ML/AI, with extensive experience collaborating with researchers across government laboratories and academia.
- Work closely with engineers and scientists to solve problems across ML, data science, statistics, computer vision, and image/signal processing to support weapon automatic target recognition (ATR) development. This requires ATR expertise in multiple sensor modalities, including passive EO/IR, SAR, and LIDAR/LADAR.
- Lead and conduct research in ATR development, signal information estimation, ML model forensics and interpretability, out-of-distribution detection, and adversarial attack detection/mitigation.
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in mathematics, statistics, data science, computer science, or a related engineering/science field with 25 years of relevant experience OR Masters degree in mathematics, statistics, data science, computer science, or a related engineering/science field with 15-20 years of relevant experience OR Doctorate with 13-16 years of relevant experience
- Experience leading teams of scientists and engineers in the development of novel ML solutions.
- In-depth knowledge of classical ML techniques as well as modern deep learning (DL) architectures for supervised and unsupervised learning.
- Strong background in applied statistics and statistical testing, including non-parametric approaches and high-dimensional data analysis.
- Experience developing advanced statistical methods for evaluating neural networks or other ML frameworks.
- Experience conducting forensic analyses of DL models and ATR systems to identify weaknesses or issues.
- Experience developing ATR solutions—including object detection, pose estimation, tracking, and recognition—for EO/IR/RF/LiDAR sensing domains.
- Familiarity with hyperdimensional computing concepts and ML applications.
- US citizen, possess and maintain an active DoD security clearance (SECRET or higher) required.
If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares.
Original Posting:December 3, 2025For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.
The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.
Top Skills
What We Do
We Are Leidos
For 50 years we have been tackling some of the biggest problems that face our nation and our world.
OUR MISSION
Through our culture of innovation and history of performance, we develop deep customer trust built on integrity and create enduring solutions that improve our world. Leidos is a science and technology solutions leader working to address some of the world’s toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, homeland security, civil, and healthcare markets. The company’s 43,000 employees support vital missions for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Reston, Va., Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $11.09 billion for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2020.
Leidos was cited for the meaningful work employees perform that is challenging, impactful, and aligned with our customers’ missions as reasons professionals want to work and stay at our company. Leidos has also been named to lists including Forbes’ Best Employers for Diversity, Forbes’ America’s Best Employers for Women, Military Times Best for Vets Employers, and Ethisphere Institute’s World's Most Ethical Companies®.
Employees enjoy career enrichment opportunities available through mobility and development and experience rewarding relationships with supportive supervisors and talented colleagues and customers. Employees appreciate our flexible work environment, allowing for and encouraging a true work-life balance. Our professionals are also excited about our Employee Resource Groups, like the newly launched Collaborative Outreach with Remote and Embedded Employees (CORE), which strives to create an environment where every employee, regardless of location, feels fully engaged as a valued employee of Leidos.
Your most important work is ahead.
