Data Scientist - 90394595 - Washington

****PLEASE NOTE: ****

Amtrak OIG is not a Federal agency. Our employment opportunities are not federal jobs.

***This position requires U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent resident status. The OIG does not sponsor work visas or provide employment-based immigration sponsorship of any kind.***

Join with the Inspector General to help make America’s railroad operate more efficiently and effectively. Our team provides independent oversight of Amtrak’s programs and operations and works diligently to prevent and detect fraud, waste, and abuse by Amtrak employees, contractors, or vendors. This work not only helps to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Amtrak, but it also informs decision-making by Amtrak’s Board of Directors, Amtrak management, and Congress. We employ a diverse team of auditors, special agents, analysts, forensic examiners, lawyers, and support staff to complete our exciting mission. Join us as we continue toward our goal of building a model OIG centered on independence, teamwork, diversity, work-life balance, and oversight that makes a difference!

SUMMARY OF DUTIES

The Data Scientist collects, prepares and analyzes data to help the OIG conduct audits and investigations of Amtrak (the company) programs and operations, in accordance with lawful standards. The incumbent will support complex audits and sensitive criminal, civil, and administrative investigations with data analytics strategies that help assess the economy, efficiency, and effectiveness of Amtrak programs and operations and help identify potential fraud, waste, and abuse. Evidence the incumbent develops may also be used by OIG investigators for civil or criminal accountability in conjunction with relevant United States Attorney Offices. The incumbent will work with OIG Data Analysts, Data Engineers, and company resources to access data, learn related business processes, identify relevant internal controls, ensure completeness and accuracy of the data, and generate business insights using advanced data analytics techniques such as machine learning and artificial intelligence.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Central Function for Oversight Analytics

• Serves as a subject‑matter expert on data science, advanced analytics, fraud detection, and quantitative risk assessment.
• Advances the strategic vision for audit and investigative analytics across the OIG.
• Takes direction from the Director and Senior Director of Data Analytics to prioritize analytic efforts but works independently without significant supervisory guidance in collecting, preparing, and analyzing data.
• Follows best practices and/or established analytic standards, methodologies, quality control practices to ensure compliance with OIG and company policies.
•  Become an expert in using Alteryx as a primary tool for building analytic tests.

Fraud, Waste & Abuse Detection

• Designs, develops, and oversees advanced data analytics tests, statistical models, and machine learning solutions to detect potential fraud, waste, abuse, and improper payments.
• Builds risk‑scoring and prioritization frameworks to support audit planning and investigative targeting.

Internal Control & Risk Analytics

• Learns company systems and business processes and identifies internal controls relevant to analytic objectives.
• Conducts data‑driven assessments of internal control effectiveness by identifying systemic control weaknesses, compliance risks, and process inefficiencies across program areas.

Data Collection and Management

• Designs and implements automated data extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) routines for complex and large datasets from internal and external systems.
• Monitors changes to source systems that affect data integrity, access, or analytics outputs.
• Independently prepares, cleans, normalizes, and validates data to ensure data integrity, completeness, and reliability prior to analytical use.
• Performs quality assurance reviews of others’ work and prepares own reports to a high degree of excellence.
• Meets with the company officials to obtain an accurate understanding of systems, business processes, and related data structures, for the purpose of informing analytical work. 

Oversight Engagement Support

• Works with auditors and investigators to understand objectives, identify relevant data, brainstorm analytic approaches, and interpret results.
• Proposes expert analytic strategies using available tools to identify trends, anomalies, relationships, and patterns across large and complex datasets.
• Ensures analytic evidence is reliable, sufficient, relevant, and defensible for audit findings or investigative use.

Communication, Visualization & Reporting

• Creates advanced visualizations, dashboards, exhibits, and automated reports that provide business insights and illustrate risk areas for audits and investigations.
• Prepares briefing materials, testimony, messages, and fact sheets that clearly and effectively communicate analytic methods and results to technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
• Assists the Office of Counsel in litigation preparation and testifies as a data analytics expert when required.

Collaboration, Governance & Security

• Develops productive working relationships with internal and external stakeholders at all organizational levels.
• Meets regularly with the team to discuss progress and obstacles and recommend solutions. Ensures work, information, ideas, and technology flow freely.
• Works with Data Engineers and OIG IT Mission Support to implement data governance, security, and access controls.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Data Science, Statistics, Computer Science, Information Systems, or related quantitative field.
• 5+ years of progressive experience performing advanced data analytics in audit, investigation, fraud detection, or compliance environments.
• Expert proficiency with Python, R, SQL, Power BI, Alteryx, ACL, and cloud‑based analytics platforms.
• 3+ years of experience developing analytical solutions using cloud native tools and APIs for ETL, storage, and analysis.

PREFERRED:

• Master’s degree in Data Science, Data Analytics, Statistics, Computer Science, Information Systems, or other fields related to data analysis, machine learning, artificial intelligence, business information management, or forensic accounting.
• Professional certifications such as CFE, CIA, CISA, or equivalent.
• Advanced proficiency performing statistical analysis using data analytics software packages, or cloud native tools.
• Strong analytic skills related to working with unstructured datasets.
• Knowledge of working with JSON format data, including parsing and stringifying.
• Experience designing and implementing Artificial Intelligence strategy.
• Experience presenting analytic evidence in criminal, civil, or administrative proceedings.
• Investigative experience with an emphasis on complex white-collar crimes involving contracts, procurement, vendors, finance, human resources, public corruption, revenue, and health care.
• Broad knowledge of the laws, practices, and procedures of federal Offices of Inspector General.
• Familiarity with passenger rail or transportation operations

COMPENSATION:

The hiring salary range for the Data Scientist is $124,600 - $160,500. This is the starting salary range and does not reflect the full salary range of the position. Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to education, work experience, certifications, internal equity, etc.  In addition to your salary, Amtrak OIG offers a comprehensive benefit package that includes health, dental, and vision plans; health savings accounts; wellness programs; flexible spending accounts; 401K retirement plan with employer match; life insurance; short and long term disability insurance; paid time off; back-up care; adoption assistance; surrogacy assistance; reimbursement of education expenses; Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility; Railroad Retirement sickness and retirement benefits; and rail pass privileges. Learn more about our benefits offerings here.

Requisition ID: 166329
Band Zone: D1C

Location:  Washington D.C.

Work Arrangement:  Onsite

Relocation: No

Travel:  Yes – 25%

You power our progress through your performance.
 

We want your work at Amtrak to be more than a job. We want your career at Amtrak to be a fulfilling experience where you find challenging work, rewarding opportunities, respect among colleagues, and attractive compensation. Amtrak maintains a culture that values high performance and recognizes individual employee contributions. 

Amtrak is committed to a safe workplace free of drugs and alcohol. All Amtrak positions requires a pre-employment background check that includes prior employment verification, a criminal history check and a pre-employment drug screen. 

Candidates who test positive for marijuana will be disqualified, regardless of any state or local statute, ordinance, regulation, or other law that legalizes or decriminalizes the use or possession of marijuana, whether for medical, recreational, or other use. Amtrak's pre-employment drug testing program is administered in accordance with DOT regulations and applicable law.  

In accordance with DOT regulations (49 CFR § 40.25), Amtrak is required to obtain prior drug and alcohol testing records for applicants/employees intending to perform safety-sensitive duties for covered Department of Transportation positions. If an applicant/employee refuses to provide written consent for Amtrak to obtain these records, the individual will not be permitted to perform safety-sensitive functions.

In accordance with federal law governing security checks of covered individuals for providers of public transportation (Title 6 U.S.C. §1143), Amtrak is required to screen applicants for any permanent or interim disqualifying criminal offenses. 

Note that any education requirement listed above may be deemed satisfied if you have an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.

Amtrak is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race/color, to include traits historically associated with race, including but not limited to, hair texture and hairstyles such as braids, locks and twists, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related conditions, such as lactation), national origin/ethnicity, disability (intellectual, mental and physical), veteran status, marital status, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, genetic information, citizenship or any other personal characteristics protected by law.