1

Machine Learning Specialist Jobs in Virginia (NOW HIRING)

Data Scientist

Chantilly, VA · On-site

$95K - $142K/yr

Data Science specialists work on teams spanning various disciplines, experience levels, and organizational boundaries. * Primary functions include: * Developing and executing machine learning and ...

... in machine learning and related research, and present research findings with the broader community * Work closely with, and incorporate feedback from other specialists, engineers, and product ...

... in machine learning and related research, and present research findings with the broader community * Work closely with, and incorporate feedback from other specialists, engineers, and product ...

This position is contingent upon award The AI/ML Integration Specialist directs and executes all ... AWS Machine Learning Specialty; TensorFlow Developer * Security Clearance: Secret * Health Care ...

Posted today

Senior Applied Scientist

Reston, VA · On-site

$95K - $130K/yr

... in machine learning and related research, and present research findings with the broader community. * Work closely with, and incorporate feedback from other specialists, engineers, and product ...

Senior Applied Scientist

Reston, VA · On-site

$95K - $130K/yr

... in machine learning and related research, and present research findings with the broader community. * Work closely with, and incorporate feedback from other specialists, engineers, and product ...

Showing results 41-60

Machine Learning Specialist information

See Virginia salary details

$20.3K

$53.5K

$96.2K

How much do machine learning specialist jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 4, 2026, the average yearly pay for machine learning specialist in Virginia is $53,463.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $38,700.00 and $60,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a machine learning specialist?

A Machine Learning Specialist is a professional who designs, develops, and implements machine learning models and algorithms to solve complex problems. They work with large datasets, use statistical and computational techniques, and optimize models for accuracy and efficiency. Their role often involves data preprocessing, feature engineering, model selection, and deployment. They collaborate with data scientists, software engineers, and domain experts to integrate machine learning solutions into business applications.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a machine learning specialist?

To thrive as a Machine Learning Specialist, you need a strong background in mathematics, programming (Python, R), and data analysis, typically supported by a relevant degree in computer science or a related field. Experience with machine learning frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, and knowledge of cloud platforms like AWS or Azure is highly valued, and certifications in these can enhance your qualifications. Strong problem-solving skills, curiosity, and the ability to communicate complex concepts clearly make someone stand out in this field. These skills and qualifications are crucial for effectively developing, deploying, and explaining machine learning solutions to diverse stakeholders.

What are some common challenges a machine learning specialist might face?

Machine Learning Specialists often encounter challenges such as ensuring data quality, selecting appropriate algorithms, and scaling solutions for real-world application. Navigating the complexities of messy or incomplete datasets and tuning models for optimal performance can be demanding. Balancing innovation with practical deployment constraints, such as computational resources and integration with existing systems, is also common. To address these challenges, collaboration with data engineers, domain experts, and product teams is essential, and ongoing professional development helps specialists stay ahead in this rapidly evolving field.

Is machine learning a high paying job?

Machine learning specialists typically earn high salaries due to the specialized skills required, such as programming, data analysis, and knowledge of algorithms. Salaries vary by experience, location, and industry, but overall, the role is considered well-compensated within the tech field.

What are popular job titles related to Machine Learning Specialist jobs in Virginia?

For Machine Learning Specialist jobs in Virginia, the most frequently searched job titles are:

Infographic showing various Machine Learning Specialist job openings in Virginia as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 70% Full Time, 28% Part Time, and 1% Contract. Highlights an 87% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 11% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $53,463 per year, or $25.7 per hour.

Principal Data Scientist - AI Foundations, Specialist Models

Capital One

Mclean, VA • On-site

Full-time

Re-posted 21 days ago


Capital One rating

7.8

Company rating: 7.8 out of 10

Based on 148 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

88th of 174 rated banks


Job description

Principal Data Scientist - AI Foundations, Specialist Models
Data is at the center of everything we do. As a startup, we disrupted the credit card industry by individually personalizing every credit card offer using statistical modeling and the relational database, cutting edge technology in 1988! Fast-forward a few years, and this little innovation and our passion for data has skyrocketed us to a Fortune 200 company and a leader in the world of data-driven decision-making.
As a Data Scientist at Capital One, you'll be part of a team that's leading the next wave of disruption at a whole new scale, using the latest in computing and machine learning technologies and operating across billions of customer records to unlock the big opportunities that help everyday people save money, time and agony in their financial lives.
Team Description
The Entity Resolution Systems team builds and ships state of the art machine learning solutions to support entity resolution within the enterprise. A core capability that powers a wide range of use cases spanning from marketing to customer servicing, our work has immediate impact across multiple lines of business. We partner with product, tech and design teams to deliver personalized experiences to our data and platform users to drive productivity and innovation. You will be the driving force to experiment, innovate and create next generation experiences powered by the latest emerging ML technologies and turbo-charged thru agentic software development practices. We are building a modern, extensible entity resolution stack that leverages the latest developments in deep learning and transformer architectures, graph approaches. On this team, team members apply the latest research and methodologies to real-world problems and deliver solutions at scale for our 100M+ customers.
In this role, you will:
  • Partner with a cross-functional team of data scientists, software engineers, and product managers to build a next-generation entity resolution solution that leverages cutting-edge machine learning approaches to solve real-world business problems
  • Leverage a broad stack of technologies - Python, AWS, Spark, modern state of the art models like transformers, graph ML, and more - to reveal the insights hidden within huge volumes of numeric and textual data
  • Build machine learning models through all phases of development, from design through training, evaluation, validation, and implementation
  • Leverage Agentic AI tools and workflows to build and test
  • Flex your interpersonal skills to translate the complexity of your work into tangible business goals

The Ideal Candidate is:
  • Innovative. You continually research and evaluate emerging technologies. You stay current on published state-of-the-art methods, technologies, and applications and seek out opportunities to apply them.
  • Creative. You thrive on bringing definition to big, undefined problems. You love asking questions and pushing hard to find answers. You're not afraid to share a new idea.
  • Technical. You're comfortable with open-source languages and are passionate about developing further. You have hands-on experience developing data science solutions using open-source tools and cloud computing platforms.
  • Statistically-minded. You've built models, validated them, and back tested them. You know how to interpret a confusion matrix or a ROC curve. You have experience with clustering, classification, sentiment analysis, time series, and deep learning.
  • A data guru. "Big data" doesn't faze you. You have the skills to retrieve, combine, and analyze data from a variety of sources and structures. You know understanding the data is often the key to great data science.

Basic Qualifications:
  • Currently has, or is in the process of obtaining one of the following with an expectation that the required degree will be obtained on or before the scheduled start date:
    • A Bachelor's Degree in a quantitative field (Statistics, Economics, Operations Research, Analytics, Mathematics, Computer Science, or a related quantitative field) plus 5 years of experience performing data analytics
    • A Master's Degree in a quantitative field (Statistics, Economics, Operations Research, Analytics, Mathematics, Computer Science, or a related quantitative field) or an MBA with a quantitative concentration plus 3 years of experience performing data analytics
    • A PhD in a quantitative field (Statistics, Economics, Operations Research, Analytics, Mathematics, Computer Science, or a related quantitative field)

Preferred Qualifications:
  • Master's Degree in "STEM" field (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics), or PhD in "STEM" field (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics)
  • Experience working with AWS
  • At least 3 years' experience in Python, Scala, or R
  • At least 3 years' experience with machine learning
  • At least 3 years' experience with SQL

Capital One will consider sponsoring a new qualified applicant for employment authorization for this position.
The minimum and maximum full-time annual salaries for this role are listed below, by location. Please note that this salary information is solely for candidates hired to perform work within one of these locations, and refers to the amount Capital One is willing to pay at the time of this posting. Salaries for part-time roles will be prorated based upon the agreed upon number of hours to be regularly worked.
McLean, VA: $161,800 - $184,600 for Princ Associate, Data Science
New York, NY: $176,500 - $201,400 for Princ Associate, Data Science
San Jose, CA: $176,500 - $201,400 for Princ Associate, Data Science
Candidates hired to work in other locations will be subject to the pay range associated with that location, and the actual annualized salary amount offered to any candidate at the time of hire will be reflected solely in the candidate's offer letter.
This role is also eligible to earn performance based incentive compensation, which may include cash bonus(es) and/or long term incentives (LTI). Incentives could be discretionary or non discretionary depending on the plan.
Capital One offers a comprehensive, competitive, and inclusive set of health, financial and other benefits that support your total well-being. Learn more at the Capital One Careers website. Eligibility varies based on full or part-time status, exempt or non-exempt status, and management level.
This role is expected to accept applications for a minimum of 5 business days.
No agencies please. Capital One is an equal opportunity employer (EOE, including disability/vet) committed to non-discrimination in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. Capital One promotes a drug-free workplace. Capital One will consider for employment qualified applicants with a criminal history in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable laws regarding criminal background inquiries, including, to the extent applicable, Article 23-A of the New York Correction Law; San Francisco, California Police Code Article 49, Sections 4901-4920; New York City's Fair Chance Act; Philadelphia's Fair Criminal Records Screening Act; and other applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations regarding criminal background inquiries.
If you have visited our website in search of information on employment opportunities or to apply for a position, and you require an accommodation, please contact Capital One Recruiting at 1-800-304-9102 or via email at RecruitingAccommodation@capitalone.com. All information you provide will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extent required to provide needed reasonable accommodations.
For technical support or questions about Capital One's recruiting process, please send an email to Careers@capitalone.com
Capital One does not provide, endorse nor guarantee and is not liable for third-party products, services, educational tools or other information available through this site.
Capital One Financial is made up of several different entities. Please note that any position posted in Canada is for Capital One Canada, any position posted in the United Kingdom is for Capital One Europe and any position posted in the Philippines is for Capital One Philippines Service Corp. (COPSSC).

What Capital One employees say

Pay

Benefits

Hours and flexibility

Workplace

Get the full story on Breakroom