Data Science Director Jobs in McLean, VA
Data Science Director jobs in McLean, Virginia concentrate in the Tysons Corner corridor, the Route 123 business district, and the McLean central business area, with demand driven by federal contracting, defense analytics, and financial services. Employers actively hiring include Capital One, Information Technology Senior Management Forum, and Deloitte. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.
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Data is at the center of everything we do. As a startup, we disrupted the credit card industry by individually personalizing every credit card offer using statistical modeling and the relational database, cutting edge technology in 1988! Fast-forward a few years, and this little innovation and our passion for data has skyrocketed us to a Fortune 200 company and a leader in the world of data-driven decision-making.
As a Data Science Leader at Capital One, you’ll be part of a team that’s leading the next wave of disruption at a whole new scale, using the latest in computing and machine learning technologies and operating across billions of customer records to unlock the big opportunities that help everyday people save money, time and agony in their financial lives.
The Intelligent Foundations and Experiences (IFX) group is at the center of bringing our vision for AI at Capital One to life. We work hand-in-hand with our partners across the company to advance the state of the art in science and AI engineering. The Emerging AI Patterns team within IFX group is a new strategic initiative to explore and operationalize cutting-edge AI paradigms like Agentic frameworks, multi-agent collaboration. We are specifically focused on revolutionizing how Capital One develops, deploys, and manages a large number of machine learning models through Agentic AI systems.
In this role, you will:
Partner with a cross-functional team of software engineers, distinguished researchers, and solutions architects to drive great decisions through modeling
Define and drive towards an end state that is based on simplicity and the adoption of digital technologies, cloud hosting, and open source software.
Distill the details of complex interconnected modeling systems to influence senior business leaders on model strategy, business use, and risks
Assess, challenge, and at times defend state-of-the-art decision-making systems to internal and regulatory partners
Shape our practice of building machine learning models, from design through training, evaluation, validation, and implementation
Oversee development of benchmark and challenger models to stress test critical modeling decisions
The Ideal Candidate is:
A leader. You challenge conventional thinking and work with stakeholders to identify and improve the status quo.
Creative. You thrive on bringing definition to big, undefined problems. You love asking questions and pushing hard to find answers. You’re not afraid to share a new idea.
Technical. You’re comfortable with open-source languages and are passionate about developing further. You have hands-on experience developing data science solutions using open-source tools and cloud computing platforms.
Statistically-minded. You’ve built models, validated them, and backtested them. You know how to interpret a confusion matrix or a ROC curve. You have experience with clustering, classification, sentiment analysis, time series, and deep learning.
Basic Qualifications:
Currently has, or is in the process of obtaining one of the following with an expectation that the required degree will be obtained on or before the scheduled start date :
A Bachelor's Degree in a quantitative field (Statistics, Economics, Operations Research, Analytics, Mathematics, Computer Science, or a related quantitative field) plus 11 years of experience performing data analytics
A Master's Degree in a quantitative field (Statistics, Economics, Operations Research, Analytics, Mathematics, Computer Science, or a related quantitative field) or an MBA with a quantitative concentration plus 9 years of experience performing data analytics
A PHD in a quantitative field (Statistics, Economics, Operations Research, Analytics, Mathematics, Computer Science, or a related quantitative field) plus 6 years of experience performing data analytics
At least 6 years of experience leveraging open source programming languages for large scale data analysis
At least 6 years of experience working with machine learning
At least 6 years of experience utilizing relational databases
Preferred Qualifications:
PhD in “STEM” field (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics) plus 5 years of experience in data analytics
At least 6 years of experience in Python, Scala, or R for large scale data analysis
At least 6 years of experience with machine learning
At least 2 year of experience working with AWS
At least 6 years of experience with complex architectural patterns (SOA), building APIs, microservices, and event streams
At least 6 years of experience with DevOps or DevSecOps and building CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins, Artifactory, Chef, Ansible, AWS CloudFormation templates, GitHub, and Sonar
Capital One will consider sponsoring a new qualified applicant for employment authorization for this position.
Capital One is open to hiring a Remote Employee for this opportunity.
The minimum and maximum full-time annual salaries for this role are listed below, by location. Please note that this salary information is solely for candidates hired to perform work within one of these locations, and refers to the amount Capital One is willing to pay at the time of this posting. Salaries for part-time roles will be prorated based upon the agreed upon number of hours to be regularly worked.
Remote (Regardless of Location): $286,200 - $326,700 for Sr Dir, Data ScienceMcLean, VA: $314,800 - $359,300 for Sr Dir, Data Science
Candidates hired to work in other locations will be subject to the pay range associated with that location, and the actual annualized salary amount offered to any candidate at the time of hire will be reflected solely in the candidate’s offer letter.
Capital One offers a comprehensive, competitive, and inclusive set of health, financial and other benefits that support your total well-being. Learn more at the Capital One Careers website. Eligibility varies based on full or part-time status, exempt or non-exempt status, and management level.
This role is expected to accept applications for a minimum of 5 business days. No agencies please. Capital One is an equal opportunity employer (EOE, including disability/vet) committed to non-discrimination in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. Capital One promotes a drug-free workplace. Capital One will consider for employment qualified applicants with a criminal history in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable laws regarding criminal background inquiries, including, to the extent applicable, Article 23-A of the New York Correction Law; San Francisco, California Police Code Article 49, Sections 4901-4920; New York City’s Fair Chance Act; Philadelphia’s Fair Criminal Records Screening Act; and other applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations regarding criminal background inquiries.If you have visited our website in search of information on employment opportunities or to apply for a position, and you require an accommodation, please contact Capital One Recruiting at 1-800-304-9102 or via email at RecruitingAccommodation@capitalone.com. All information you provide will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extent required to provide needed reasonable accommodations.
For technical support or questions about Capital One's recruiting process, please send an email to Careers@capitalone.com
Capital One does not provide, endorse nor guarantee and is not liable for third-party products, services, educational tools or other information available through this site.
Capital One Financial is made up of several different entities. Please note that any position posted in Canada is for Capital One Canada, any position posted in the United Kingdom is for Capital One Europe and any position posted in the Philippines is for Capital One Philippines Service Corp. (COPSSC).
See All 49 Data Science Director Jobs in McLean
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Find Data Science Director JobsData Science Director Job Market in McLean
Who's Hiring
- Capital One29

- Information Technology Senior Management Forum14
- Deloitte4

- Booz Allen Hamilton2

Top Industries Hiring
- Banking & Financial Services16
- Accounting & Auditing2
- Investment & Asset Management2
- Consulting & Professional Services2
Data Science Director Jobs in McLean: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a data science director job in McLean?
The strongest path into a data science director role in McLean runs through the federal contracting and defense intelligence sectors, which dominate local hiring. Candidates who combine leadership experience with clearance eligibility or active clearances stand out immediately. Financial services and cybersecurity analytics firms clustered near Tysons Corner also hire regularly. Experience managing cross-functional teams, presenting to executive stakeholders, and translating model outputs into business decisions gives McLean candidates a concrete edge.
Which companies hire data science directors in McLean?
Employers hiring data science directors in McLean right now include Capital One, Information Technology Senior Management Forum, and Deloitte, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. McLean's employer mix is heavily weighted toward government contractors, defense and intelligence consultancies, and financial institutions, all of which maintain substantial data science leadership functions locally.
Are there remote data science director jobs in McLean?
Yes, though director-level roles with team oversight and stakeholder management components tend to require at least a hybrid presence. About 50% of data science director openings tied to McLean are remote or hybrid as of August 2026, reflecting broader flexibility in analytical and strategy-focused work. Roles tied to classified federal contracts in McLean are the most likely to require on-site attendance.
How can I get a data science director job in McLean with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path in McLean is moving into a senior data scientist or analytics manager role at a mid-size federal contractor or financial services firm first. McLean employers regularly hire senior individual contributors who take on informal team-lead responsibilities before moving into formal director titles. Building experience with cloud data platforms, model deployment pipelines, and presenting findings to non-technical leadership aligns directly with what local contractors and consulting firms look for when promoting into director roles.
Which industries hire the most data science directors in McLean?
The sectors hiring the most data science directors in McLean are Banking & Financial Services, Accounting & Auditing, and Investment & Asset Management, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. McLean's position as a hub for federal agencies and their contractors, combined with a dense concentration of financial and technology consulting firms, makes those sectors the primary engines of local data science leadership demand.
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