Senior Data Science Engineer Jobs in Virginia

Senior Data Science Engineer jobs in Virginia are in strong demand, concentrated in defense contracting, federal consulting, financial technology, and cloud computing, with openings at every level from mid-career through principal engineer. The busiest hiring metros are Northern Virginia, Richmond, and the Hampton Roads corridor, where established employers like Booz Allen Hamilton, Leidos, and Capital One maintain large data science operations. Machine learning engineering, MLOps, and natural language processing are the most sought-after specialties among Virginia employers right now. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.

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Overview

Open roles48
Top employerCapital One
Top cityMcLean, VA
Cities hiring8
Work type44% On-site
Top industryBanking

Showing 5 of 48+ Senior Data Science Engineer jobs

Capital One
Manager, Data Science and Optimization - Retail Bank
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Capital One
Added 1d ago
Manager, Data Science and Optimization - Retail Bank
Capital One
McLean, Virginia
Creative & Design
Product Management
Project & Program Management
Project Management
Master's degree
10,000+

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University of Virginia
Applied Economist / Data Science Research Analyst
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University of Virginia
Added 2d ago
Applied Economist / Data Science Research Analyst
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia
Business Analyst
Compliance & Risk
Consulting & Professional Services
$60k - $80k/yr
Bachelor's degree in statistics
10,000+

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MITRE
Data Science, Lead
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MITRE
Added 3d ago
Data Science, Lead
MITRE
McLean, Virginia
Customer Service
Customer Support
Hybrid
Master's degree
5,001-10,000

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Axiologic Solutions
Senior Data Science Product Manager
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Axiologic Solutions
Added 3d ago
Senior Data Science Product Manager
Axiologic Solutions
Springfield, Virginia
Account Management
Customer Success
Sales
Master's degree in business
201-500

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Teknoluxion
Data Science Analyst
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Teknoluxion
Added 3d ago
Data Science Analyst
Teknoluxion
Springfield, Virginia
Business Analyst
Data Analytics
IT Support
$138k - $167k/yr
Bachelor's degree in systems engineering
51-200

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See All 48 Senior Data Science Engineer Jobs in Virginia

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Senior Data Science Engineer Jobs by City in Virginia

Where Virginia roles are concentrated, by current openings.

Richmond
10 jobs
Charlottesville
5 jobs
Springfield
4 jobs
Arlington
3 jobs
Herndon
1 job
Alexandria
1 job
Newport News
1 job

Senior Data Science Engineer Job Market in Virginia

A snapshot from current Virginia openings, updated as new roles post.

Who's Hiring

  • Capital One
    Capital One17
  • Information Technology Senior Management Forum
    Information Technology Senior Management Forum8
  • University of Virginia
    University of Virginia5
  • CarMax
    CarMax4
  • MITRE
    MITRE1

Top Industries Hiring

  • Banking & Financial Services10
  • Consulting & Professional Services2
  • Accounting & Auditing1
  • Government & Public Sector1
  • Investment & Asset Management1

What Virginia Employers Look For

The qualifications that appear most often in senior data science engineer jobs across Virginia.

  • Bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, statistics, or a closely related quantitative field
  • Five or more years of experience building and deploying production machine learning models at scale
  • Proficiency in Python and SQL with hands-on experience in frameworks such as TensorFlow or PyTorch
  • Experience with cloud platforms, particularly AWS or Azure, common across Virginia government and commercial contracts
  • Ability to obtain or maintain a U.S. security clearance, frequently required by Northern Virginia defense contractors
  • Strong communication skills translating complex model outputs into actionable insights for non-technical stakeholders

Senior Data Science Engineer Jobs in Virginia: Frequently Asked Questions

How do you become a senior data science engineer in Virginia?

Senior data science engineer roles in Virginia do not require a state-issued license, but employers consistently expect a master's degree or equivalent experience in computer science, statistics, or data engineering alongside a strong portfolio of deployed models. In Northern Virginia, where defense and federal consulting dominate, holding or being eligible for a security clearance is a practical prerequisite at the senior level. Building experience in cloud-native ML platforms and contributing to open-source or internal production systems strengthens a Virginia application considerably.

How much do senior data science engineers make in Virginia?

Senior data science engineers in Virginia earn a median of about $126,430 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $76,420 for the lowest 10% to over $207,890 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.

Which companies hire senior data science engineers in Virginia?

Employers hiring senior data science engineers in Virginia right now include Capital One, Information Technology Senior Management Forum, and University of Virginia, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. Virginia's concentration of federal agencies and defense contractors means many of these employers require candidates who can work on classified or sensitive government programs.

Which Virginia cities have the most senior data science engineer jobs?

McLean, Richmond, and Charlottesville account for the largest share of senior data science engineer openings in Virginia. Northern Virginia drives the bulk of demand through its dense cluster of federal agencies, intelligence community contractors, and tech-sector headquarters, while Richmond draws openings from financial services firms and healthcare systems, and Hampton Roads reflects defense and naval research demand concentrated around its major military installations.

Are there remote senior data science engineer jobs in Virginia?

Yes, and more than most fields, since senior data science engineering is largely a desk-based, analytical discipline that transfers well to remote environments. About 56% of senior data science engineer openings tied to Virginia are remote or hybrid as of August 2026, reflecting broader tech-sector flexibility. Model development, experimentation, and code review are the tasks most commonly performed fully remote, while on-site expectations tend to arise for roles involving classified systems or real-time collaboration with federal clients.

How can I get hired as a senior data science engineer in Virginia with little or no experience?

The most realistic entry path is a junior or associate data scientist role at one of Virginia's large consulting firms or federal contractors, where structured onboarding programs help candidates build production ML experience quickly. Employers like Booz Allen Hamilton and Leidos run rotational analyst programs and early-career pipelines that place graduates into data-focused project teams. Lateral moves from data analyst, software engineer, or business intelligence roles are common, and earning a cloud certification on AWS or Azure, combined with a GitHub portfolio of end-to-end ML projects, gives early-career Virginia applicants a concrete edge.

Where can I find and apply to senior data science engineer jobs in Virginia?

You can find and apply to senior data science engineer jobs in Virginia on Migrate Mate, which lists current Virginia openings across defense contracting, financial services, healthcare, and commercial tech. Find roles that fit your experience and apply directly to the employers posting them.

See All 48 Senior Data Science Engineer Jobs in Virginia

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