--- title: 'Data Scientist 3 - MLOps at Captivation Software' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/data-scientist-3-mlops-captivation-software-annapolis-junction-xh87e45r234z' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-11-07' --- # Data Scientist 3 - MLOps at Captivation Software - **Company:** Captivation Software - **Location:** Annapolis Junction, MD - **Posted:** 2026-11-04 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-07 - **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/captivation/jobs/5473287008 ## Job description Build to something to be proud of. Captivation has built a reputation on providing customers exactly what is needed in a timely manner. Our team of engineers take pride in what they develop and constantly innovate to provide the best solution. Captivation is looking for software developers who can get stuff done while making a difference in support of the mission to protect our country. Description Captivation Software is looking for a senior level Data Scientist who has a significant MLOps and data science background. ## Responsibilities - Produce data visualizations that provide insight into dataset structure and meaning - Work with subject matters experts (SMEs) to identify important information in raw data and develop scripts that extract this information from a variety of data formats (e.g., SQL tables, structured metadata, network logs) - Incorporate SME input into feature vectors suitable for analytic development and testing - Translate customer qualitative analysis process and goals into quantitative formulations that are coded into software prototypes - Develop and implement statistical, machine learning, and heuristic techniques to create descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics - Develop statistical tests to make data-driven recommendations and decisions - Develop experiments to collect data or models to simulate data when required data are unavailable - Develop feature vectors for input into machine learning algorithms - Identify the most appropriate algorithm for a given dataset and tune input and model parameters - Evaluate and validate the performance of analytics using standard techniques and metrics (e.g. cross validation, ROC curves, confusion matrices) - Oversee the development of individual analytic efforts and guide team in analytic development process - Guide analytic development toward solutions that can scale to large datasets - Partner with software engineers and cloud developers to develop production analytics - Develop and train machine learning systems based on statistical analysis of data characteristics to support mission automation - Lead a team of data scientists in the development of multiple analytic efforts - Work with customers and SMEs to define analytic requirements and guide the team in formulating analytics that meet requirements - Guide the transition of prototyped analytics to production system - Understand emerging machine learning and pattern recognition algorithms and guide a team of data scientists in integrating state-of-the-art algorithms into solutions - Delegate analysis responsibilities to one or more team members and monitor performance ## Requirements Security Clearance: - Must currently hold a Top Secret/SCI U.S. Government security clearance with a favorable Polygraph, therefore all candidates must be a U.S. citizen Minimum Qualifications: - A minimum of ten (10) years of experience in two (2) or more of the following - Designing/Implementing machine learning - Data mining - Advanced analytical algorithms - Advanced statistical analysis - Artificial intelligence - Software engineering with data analysis software such as R, Python, SAS, or MATLAB. - Bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university in a quantitative discipline (e.g., statistics, mathematics, operations research, engineering or computer science) - An additional four (4) years of experience in software development, cloud development, analyzing datasets, or developing descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics can be substituted for a Bachelor's degree. - A Master’s Degree from an accredited college or university in a quantitative discipline can be substituted for two (2) years of experience for a total of eight (8) years of experience required - A Doctoral Degree from an accredited college or university in a quantitative discipline can be substituted for four (4) years of experience for a total of six (6) years of experience required. This position is open for direct hires only. We will not consider candidates from third party staffing/recruiting firms. ## Benefits - Annual Salary: $130,000 - $270,000 (Depends on the Years of Experience) - Up to 20% 401k contribution (No Matching Required and Vested from Day 1) - Above Market Hourly Rates - $3,600 HSA Contribution - 6 Weeks Paid Time Off - Company Paid Employee Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance/Life Insurance/Short-Term & Long-Term Disability/AD&D ## About Captivation Software ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Captivation Software is a small, developer-owned company that builds innovative software solutions for the Armed Forces and the Intelligence Community. - **Entity Type**: Private - **Headquarters**: Columbia, Maryland, United States - **Founded**: 2014 - **Founders**: Dave Barbalato (President) ## Core Business - **Primary industry/industries**: Software Development, Defense & Intelligence, Digital Signal Processing, Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning - **Target customers**: United States Department of Defense, United States Army, US CYBERCOM, Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), and other Intelligence Community agencies (B2G/Government) - **Mission or purpose statement**: "Build something to be proud of." — The company is focused on engineering digital solutions for mission makers, delivering software engineering expertise with the agility and efficiency of a small business. ## Products & Services Captivation delivers expertise across a broad spectrum of technical disciplines rather than a single product. Their core service areas include: - **Digital Signal Processing (DSP)**: Specialized engineering for RF and signal intelligence. - **Big Data / Streaming Analytics**: Processing and analyzing large-scale data streams. - **Machine Learning / Artificial Intelligence**: Developing AI/ML models, including NLP and MLOps. - **Application Development**: Full-stack development using Java, Python, C++, Angular, and modern frameworks. - **Data Visualization**: Creating UI/UX solutions for complex data. - **DevOps & Platform Engineering**: Infrastructure management with AWS, Kubernetes, Docker, Terraform, GitLab, and Ansible. - **Network Engineering**: Expertise with Cisco/Arista, SSP, STE, and STN. - **Systems Administration**: Linux, AWS, and security-focused system management. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available (private company) - **Key Metric**: The company has 9 employees (as of latest LinkedIn data) but is actively hiring with 53+ open job postings, indicating rapid growth or a high-demand project-based model. - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Not publicly available. Key clients include the US Department of Defense, US Army, US CYBERCOM, and DISA. - **Growth Signals**: The company has 53 active job postings on Greenhouse, with a yearly job posting growth of +65.6%. They are expanding their presence with multiple offices in Maryland (Columbia, Annapolis Junction, Baltimore) and an office in the United Kingdom. ## Competitive Advantages - **Specialized Mission Focus**: Deep expertise in serving the Intelligence Community and Armed Forces, a niche with high barriers to entry due to security clearance requirements. - **Technical Leadership**: Founded and led by engineers (Dave Barbalato has 15+ years of software engineering experience; Daniel Barbalato has 10 years in DSP). The company is described as "technical from the top down." - **Developer-Oriented Culture**: Operates like a tech startup with a flattened company structure and a focus on transparency, which is rare in the defense contracting space. - **Exceptional Compensation Package**: Offers a 20% 401(k) employer contribution with no match required, a $3,400 HSA contribution, and fully company-paid medical/dental/vision insurance. ## Strategic Focus - **Talent Acquisition**: Actively seeking the "BEST and BRIGHTEST" cleared professionals, with a strong emphasis on hiring for a wide range of engineering roles. - **Geographic Expansion**: Maintaining a presence in the Maryland area (near key government clients) and expanding to the UK. - **Staying at the Cutting Edge**: Pursuing work with leading software technologies (AI/ML, cloud, GPU computing) to remain competitive and deliver innovative solutions to clients. ## Why Work Here - **Culture**: Described as a "small, developer-oriented company" with a "progressive attitude" and a "flattened company structure." The company values transparency and empowers its team. - **Remote/Hybrid/Office Policy**: Primarily on-site/in-office work at their Columbia, MD, Annapolis Junction, MD, and Baltimore, MD locations. Some hybrid roles are available (e.g., AI Engineer). - **Notable Perks**: - Up to 20% 401(k) Employer Contribution (NO MATCH REQUIRED). - $3,400 HSA Contribution. - Company-Paid Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance. - Company-Paid Life and Disability Insurance. - Flexible Paid Time Off (PTO). - Learning & Development Program (Udemy). - Free snacks and drinks. - Performance bonuses. - Generous parental leave. - **Engineering Culture**: Employees work with modern tech stacks (AWS, Kubernetes, Docker, Python, Java, etc.) on meaningful mission-critical problems. The company encourages open-source contributions. ## Sources 1. [captivation.us](https://captivation.us/) 2. [LinkedIn - Captivation](https://www.linkedin.com/company/captivation-software) 3. [Greenhouse - Captivation Careers](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/captivation) 4. [Built In - Captivation Software](https://builtin.com/company/captivation-software) 5. 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