Credit Risk Data Science Jobs in Seattle, WA (NOW HIRING)

Job Summary:
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is a world-class research institution focused on scientific research and national security. They are seeking a Chief Data Scientist with expertise in data science and AI Safety to lead research programs and align PNNL’s AI safety portfolio with mission requirements.
Responsibilities:
• Shape and execute forward-looking strategies for advancing AI Safety research, evaluation methodologies, and trustworthy deployment practices within PNNL’s national security mission space.
• Partner with government sponsors as a senior technical leader, translating evolving mission priorities and operational risk considerations into actionable research direction and investment opportunities.
• Lead high-visibility proposal development to help shape national investment in frontier-model safety, agentic AI governance, secure machine learning operations, and evaluation infrastructure.
• Lead nationally visible AI Safety programs, ensuring technical excellence, sponsor alignment, risk-informed execution, and timely delivery of impactful results.
• Serve as a senior technical leader in AI Safety, guiding approaches for evaluating, testing, and characterizing the behavior, risks, and emergent properties of AI models including but not limited to large language models, multimodal models, and agentic AI systems.
• Provide technical leadership that supports interdisciplinary teams, helping shape research methodologies, data science and engineering best practices, and evaluation strategies while overseeing end-to-end analytic workflows.
• Build and sustain collaborations across DOE laboratories, federal agencies, academia, and industry to accelerate innovation and deliver integrated, mission‑aligned AI Safety capabilities.
• Partner with software engineering and operational teams to transition research outputs into secure, scalable real-world systems that support national security missions.
• Represent PNNL as a senior AI Safety expert in technical exchanges, working groups, and high-impact national and international forums.
• Publish influential research, contribute to emerging standards, and help shape national discourse on AI Safety.
• Communicate PNNL’s AI capabilities and mission relevance to external stakeholders, articulating use cases, technical solutions, and emerging challenges within the broader national security landscape.
• Support the technical and professional development of junior through senior researchers, offering guidance on research challenges, technical leadership skills, and effective collaboration practices.
• Contribute to an inclusive and learning-oriented environment that encourages scientific rigor, safety-first innovation, and high-impact interdisciplinary work.
• Collaborate with other senior researchers to strengthen PNNL’s AI Safety workforce through mentorship, knowledge sharing, and community building.
Qualifications:
Required:
• BS/BA and 9+ years of relevant work experience -OR-
• MS/MA and 7+ years of relevant work experience -OR-
• PhD with 5+ year of relevant experience
• U.S. Citizenship
• Background Investigation: Applicants selected will be subject to a Federal background investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified matter in accordance with 10 CFR 710, Appendix B.
• Drug Testing: All Security Clearance positions are Testing Designated Positions, which means that the applicant selected for hire is subject to pre-employment drug testing, and post-employment random drug testing.
Preferred:
• Advanced degree in computer science, engineering, data science, mathematics, or a related discipline.
• Active DOE Q or TS/SCI clearance and ability to maintain such clearance.
• Demonstrated impact in AI Safety (e.g., peer‑reviewed publications, recognized awards, contributions to community standards).
• National reputation in AI Safety, frontier model evaluation, trustworthy AI, secure machine learning operations, or related mission relevant technical areas.
• Familiarity with agentic AI safety (tool‑use governance, retrieval hygiene, autonomous decision workflows) and evaluation of multi‑step reasoning systems.
• Experience developing and applying cutting edge AI/ML in national security environments, with an understanding of mission needs and operational constraints.
• Experience serving as PI or project manager on multi‑institution R&D efforts.
• Strong record of securing external funding, managing research portfolios, and initiating new R&D programs in applied AI or AI Safety domains.
• Experience working with sponsors such as DOE, NNSA, DoD, DHS, or other mission agencies, with the ability to help shape strategic research investments.
• Proven ability to communicate complex technical concepts to diverse audiences across government, industry, and academia.
Company:
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory operates as a government research laboratory. Founded in 1965, the company is headquartered in Richland, USA, with a team of 5001-10000 employees. The company is currently Late Stage.