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“What are the Best Government Contracting Career Opportunities?”

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Data scientists, DevSecOps engineers top the list of best government contracting opportunities

Data science is a rapidly growing industry. From nursing to marketing to law enforcement, nearly every industry is looking for experienced data scientists. Data science jobs also are available in most of the departments and agencies within the federal government.

In an effort to further establish the role of chief data officers and their support staff, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) recently added data science titles to a number of positions within their organizations. The initiative aims to improve data management and implement evidence-based policy making within the federal government.

“Data scientist work is multifaceted and requires talent from interdisciplinary backgrounds,” OPM associate director for employee services Mark Reinhold adds. “Data scientists are defined as practitioners with sufficient knowledge in the areas of business needs, domain knowledge, analytical skills and software and systems engineering to manage the end-to-end data processes in the data life cycle.”

Data Scientist Qualifications

According to the USAjobs website, below is a list of primary qualifications for a data scientist.

  • Programming. Knowledge of languages such as SQL, Python, C/C++, Perl, JavaScript, and more make data science candidates more competitive in applying for jobs, as well as knowing which tools are right for the problem at hand.
  • Statistical ability. Successful candidates will be able to perform complex statistical analysis on datasets, including data structures and database management, exploratory data analysis and visualization, regression and classification
  • Analytical thinking. This is an important skill set that allows data scientists to approach and visualize business problems analytically, think creatively and evaluate various data science solutions.
  • Domain knowledge. Most positions require sector-specific domain knowledge. In the federal government, data scientists are needed in many sectors, including agriculture, climate, consumer, defense, economics and education.

Development, Security and Operations (DevSecOps) Engineers is another profession in high demand within the federal government. A DevSecOps engineer requires advanced skills, utilizing a combination of programming knowledge and communication skills to automate tasks and integrate with other departments. Specific responsibilities of a DevSecOps engineer include:

  • Assist all phases of software systems programming application
  • Evaluates new and existing software products
  • Develops and maintains mission-critical information extraction, analysis, and management systems
  • Implements streaming analysis algorithms to generate question focused data sets (QFDs)
  • Provides direct and responsive support for urgent analytic needs
  • Participates in architecture and software development activities
  • Translates loosely defined requirements into solutions
  • Uses open source technologies and tools to accomplish specific use cases encountered within the project
  • Uses coding languages or scripting methodologies to solve a problem with a custom workflow
  • Collaborates with others on the project to brainstorm about the best way to tackle a complex technological infrastructure, security, or development problem
  • Performs incremental testing actions on code, processes, and deployments to identify ways to streamline execution and minimize errors encountered.

DevSecOps Engineer Qualifications

It’s important to gain a few years of experience after graduation before starting a career with DevSecOps. The role requires experience in security and knowledge of automation tools and programming languages. Starting a career in security generally requires a technical degree like computer science or engineering and learning basic security principles. Another option is to obtain a certification, typically offered by Microsoft, CompTIA, Cisco or Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH).

Join Our Team

Cask is a leading management consulting firm specializing in delivering business and technical expertise to clients across commercial and government markets. Founded in 2004, Cask saw the need to help clients use and unlock the value of technology in more efficient and cost effective ways. Cask consultants consider the bigger picture and determine how greater value can be created by aligning IT strategy with the overall mission strategy.

We are proud to be named a Top Five Firm by Consulting magazine for five of the past six years. With a retention rate of 90 percent, Cask’s success is based upon its most valuable assets – the people who work here. With a comprehensive benefits package and job stability, we strive to infuse our culture with the trust that makes people comfortable. Integrity serves as the backbone of our company and a spirit of teamwork makes every person an active participant in Cask’s future.

At Cask, these DevOps positions are crucial to our success supporting DISA and the U.S. Navy with application modernization and upgrade efforts. Interested in launching your career as a Data Scientist or DevSecOps Engineer? Visit our job board and apply today!

Cask, Human Resources

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