Linguistic Data Annotation Jobs in Washington, DC

Organization Summary
The Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS), based at the University of Maryland College Park, was established in 2018 under the auspices of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (USDI) to be a strategic asset for research and development in social systems, autonomy and augmentation, and advanced computing. One of only 15 designated Department of Defense University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs) in the nation and the only UARC focused on supporting the intelligence community, ARLIS conducts both unclassified and classified research spanning from basic to applied system development and works to serve the US Government as an independent and objective trusted agent. The University of Maryland Applied Research Lab for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS) is seeking qualified applicants with experience in linguistics, computational linguistics and natural language processing (NLP). This is a full-time position. Successful candidates will contribute to a portfolio of ongoing government-sponsored projects. Key Responsibilities
- Conduct applied research in computational linguistics, NLP, and linguistic data modeling, including text analytics, entity recognition, and multilingual corpus development.
- Design and evaluate algorithms and workflows for linguistic and cultural data processing.
- Develop and maintain NLP pipelines and tools using Python and associated libraries (e.g., spaCy, scikit-learn, NLTK, Pandas, NumPy).
- Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams spanning AI, data science, and cognitive modeling.
- Author research reports, publications, and proposals in support of ongoing ARLIS projects.
- Engage with U.S. Government sponsors to translate research insights into operational applications.
Must be able to obtain a U.S. security clearance. If selected, you must meet the requirements for access to classified information and will be subject to a government security clearance investigation that includes criminal and credit history checks, as well as verification of U.S. citizenship, birth, education, employment, and military history. Minimum Qualifications
• Master’s or doctoral degree in linguistics, computational linguistics, or language/literature such as English literature, Chinese, Chinese literature, or other language(s)/literature(s)
• Background in and demonstrated proficiency with computational linguistics/natural language processing (NLP), regardless of degree area, such as through the application of NLP to problems in candidate’s area of expertise
• Minimum intermediate knowledge of Python for all-purpose use/application to a variety of problems (1+ years of regular use for NLP, data science, general scripting, etc. and comfort with all commonly used aspects of the language); 2+ years of regular use for professional applications/advanced knowledge preferred
• Previous experience with a variety of common Python packages and Python tasks preferred (e.g., Pandas, Numpy, general web requests/scripted API utilization, scikit-learn, spaCy, and/or similar) Preferred Qualifications
- Two (2) or more years of professional Python development experience.
- Experience with multilingual or cross-cultural language processing, including Mandarin Chinese or other non-English languages.
- Knowledge of Chinese cultural norms and linguistic structures.
- Prior experience supporting DoD, IC, or federal research programs.
- Experience with machine translation, corpus linguistics, or linguistic annotation tools.
- Record of peer-reviewed publications or technical contributions in NLP, linguistics, or language technology. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Strong grounding in linguistic theory, computational methods, and applied data science.
- Ability to prototype and deploy NLP workflows efficiently using Python-based tools.
- Effective written and verbal communication skills for technical and sponsor audiences.
- Collaborative mindset and ability to integrate with multidisciplinary teams.
- Commitment to responsible AI and ethical research practices. Physical Demands
Work is performed in an office or hybrid research environment. Occasional travel may be required for sponsor meetings or technical exchanges.