Data Scientist Specialist

Dice is the leading career destination for tech experts at every stage of their careers. Our client, Apex Systems, is seeking the following. Apply via Dice today! Job#: 3008114 Job Description: Data Scientist Specialist (GenAI) Location: Onsite - McLean, VA Length: Contract (6 months) We are seeking a highly experienced Data Scientist Specialist with deep expertise in Generative AI (GenAI) to lead the design and development of advanced AI Agents, agentic workflows, and GenAI applications that solve complex enterprise challenges. This is a hands-on, onsite role in McLean, VA, requiring strong technical leadership across LLMs, RAG/GraphRAG, multi-modal AI, agentic architectures, evaluation frameworks, and AWS-native AI platforms. You will collaborate closely with full-stack engineers, UX designers, product managers, and data engineers to deliver production-grade GenAI solutions at scale. If you or anyone you know would be interested in this position or would like to know more, please apply now or send all resumes to Key Responsibilities • Architect and implement GenAI systems: • Build scalable AI agents, agentic workflows, and GenAI applications for diverse business use cases. • Model development & optimization: • Fine-tune and optimize lightweight LLMs; evaluate and adapt models such as Claude (Anthropic), Azure OpenAI, and open-source alternatives. • RAG & GraphRAG architectures: • Design and deploy Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and GraphRAG systems using vector databases and enterprise knowledge bases. • Enterprise data curation: • Curate and prepare enterprise data using connectors integrated with AWS Bedrock Knowledge Bases and/or Elasticsearch. • Agent interoperability: • Implement solutions leveraging Model Context Protocol (MCP) and Agent-to-Agent (A2A) communication patterns. • Experimentation & ML platforms: • Build and maintain Jupyter-based notebooks using SageMaker, MLFlow, or Kubeflow on Kubernetes (EKS). • Cross-functional collaboration: • Work with UI engineers, microservices teams, designers, and data engineers to deliver full-stack GenAI experiences. • Enterprise integration: • Integrate GenAI solutions with enterprise platforms via APIs and standardized GenAI architectural patterns. • Evaluation & safety: • Establish evaluation frameworks, bias mitigation strategies, safety protocols, and guardrails for production deployment. • Data ingestion & preprocessing: • Build ingestion pipelines that extract, chunk, enrich, and anonymize data from PDFs, video, and audio using semantic chunking and privacy controls. • Multimodal ETL orchestration: • Orchestrate multimodal pipelines using Apache Spark, PySpark, or similar frameworks for automated ETL/ELT workflows. • Embeddings & vector search: • Implement embedding-driven architectures and integrate with vector stores (AWS Knowledge Bases, Elasticsearch, MongoDB Atlas) to support RAG and agentic systems. Required Qualifications • Bachelor's or Master's degree in AI, Data Science, Computer Science, or related field. • Extensive experience in AI/ML, including 3+ years in applied GenAI or LLM-based solutions. • Deep expertise in prompt engineering, fine-tuning, RAG, GraphRAG, vector databases, and multi-modal models. • Proven experience with AWS cloud-native AI development (SageMaker, Bedrock, MLFlow/Kubeflow on EKS). • Strong programming skills in Python and ML/LLM libraries (Transformers, LangChain, etc.). • Strong understanding of GenAI system patterns, agentic architectures, evaluation frameworks, and guardrails. • Demonstrated success working in cross-functional, agile teams. • GitHub code repository link required for candidate evaluation. Preferred Qualifications • Published research, conference contributions, or patents in AI/ML/LLM domains. • Experience with enterprise AI governance, responsible AI, and ethical deployment frameworks. • Familiarity with MLOps, CI/CD pipelines, and scalable inference APIs. EEO Employer Apex Systems is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate or allow discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, genetic information, registered domestic partner status, marital status, disability, status as a crime victim, protected veteran status, political affiliation, union membership, or any other characteristic protected by law. Apex will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable law. If you have visited our website in search of information on employment opportunities or to apply for a position, and you require an accommodation in using our website for a search or application, please contact our Employee Services Department at or . Apex Systems is a world-class IT services company that serves thousands of clients across the globe. When you join Apex, you become part of a team that values innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning. We offer quality career resources, training, certifications, development opportunities, and a comprehensive benefits package. Our commitment to excellence is reflected in many awards, including ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing in Talent Satisfaction in the United States and Great Place to Work in the United Kingdom and Mexico. Apex uses a virtual recruiter as part of the application process. Click for more details. Apex Benefits Overview: Apex offers a range of supplemental benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life, disability, and other insurance plans that offer an optional layer of financial protection. We offer an ESPP (employee stock purchase program) and a 401K program which allows you to contribute typically within 30 days of starting, with a company match after 12 months of tenure. Apex also offers a HSA (Health Savings Account on the HDHP plan), a SupportLinc Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with up to 8 free counseling sessions, a corporate discount savings program and other discounts. In terms of professional development, Apex hosts an on-demand training program, provides access to certification prep and a library of technical and leadership courses/books/seminars once you have 6+ months of tenure, and certification discounts and other perks to associations that include CompTIA and IIBA. Apex has a dedicated customer service team for our Consultants that can address questions around benefits and other resources, as well as a certified Career Coach. You can access a full list of our benefits, programs, support teams and resources within our 'Welcome Packet' as well, which an Apex team member can provide.