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Research Statistician

Effective October 11, 2021, all current and newly hired IDA employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 unless they have been granted a medical or religious exemption. Individuals who accept employment with IDA will be required to provide proof that they are fully vaccinated or receive approval for a medical or religious accommodation prior to starting employment. 

Who We Are
The Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) is a private, nonprofit corporation headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, just outside Washington, DC. IDA’s mission is to answer the most challenging U.S. security and science policy questions with objective analysis leveraging extraordinary scientific, technical, and analytic expertise. IDA operates three Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDC’s). 

Why Work for IDA?
IDA’s Operational Evaluation Division (OED) is seeking a Research Staff Member to join our Test Science Team in Alexandria, VA. OED’s primary task is to support the Department of Defense in evaluating how effective, suitable, and survivable military systems are under operationally realistic conditions. IDA takes great pride in the high caliber and timeliness of its analyses, which are produced in an atmosphere that encourages independent thinking and objective results. Work at IDA is conducted in a team environment and often involves a multi-disciplinary approach.

Primary Responsibilities
  • Assist in the design, planning, and observation of operational tests (e.g., develop test designs leveraging experimental design principles, produce power calculations)
  • Provide quantitative analytic support to the government sponsor and other researchers within OED (e.g., predictive modeling, statistical analysis of human and system performance data)
  • Assist in the preparation of documents (e.g., briefings and reports on the design, conduct, and findings of operational tests, graphs that clearly present findings from analyses, meeting materials)
  • Communicate effectively to mid- and senior-level civilian and military officials regarding test design methods and findings from operational tests to the government sponsor in a clear, professional manner
  • Develop new statistical methods to improve the DoD’s approach to test design, validation of models and simulations, and analytical methods for data analysis for the unique challenges of operational testing major acquisition weapon systems, emerging technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence and autonomous systems), and data quality (e.g., small sample sizes, safety constraints, operational realism)
  • Develop materials to educate the DoD’s test community (e.g., quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques, test design methods, survey methods).
  • Contribute to the development of policies, strategies, or frameworks surrounding the planning and execution of test and evaluation in DoD.

What Will You Need?
  • A Doctoral degree in Statistics, Data Science, Mathematics, or Computer Science, or a similar degree that emphasizes quantitative analysis, artificial intelligence, or machine learning.
  • Candidates must have experience with one or more of the following statistical packages: JMP, R, SAS, or Python. 
  • Candidates must have demonstrated ability in applied statistics (e.g., design of experiments, linear modeling, reliability, or Bayesian methods).
  • Ability to work independently or in teams.
  • Expertise in one or more of Bayesian methods; computer programming; artificial intelligence; machine learning; legal, moral, and ethical issues involving technology; or human-system interaction is desired.
  • Military or civilian DoD acquisition or test experience is desired but not required.
  • Travel is required (10-25%)
  • Successful completion of a background check is required. 
 
U.S. Citizenship is required

Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance is required

IDA is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing a fair recruiting process and working environment free from discrimination. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identify, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. Click here to learn more about IDA's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.