Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA) is seeking an Applied Computational Scientist to join our team in Bentonville, Arkansas. The ideal candidate should be passionate about pursuing practical solutions to complex problems, driven by developing mathematical models to aid in real-world government and military operations. The candidate who accepts the Staff Scientist 1 role will be an important voice in model development and implementation tasks, to ensure we meet client requirements and our own internal quality standards. This position requires the ability to work independently with minimal supervision on self-identified subtasks, while collaborating with a multi-disciplinary team regularly to align with project requirements.

The successful candidate will join a multi-disciplinary team of professionals developing mathematical models to solve critical problems of national importance.

What you'll do as a Staff Applied Computational Scientist:

• Design and implement predictive mathematical models for engineering and operations applications that satisfy identified requirements
• Explain technical details of model algorithms to technical staff, software developers, and layperson stakeholders
• Evaluate model performance and advocate for necessary improvements
• Provide technical input for methodology selection and implementation

Required qualifications:

• Master's degree, or Bachelor's degree with 2-4 years of experience, or High School diploma with 8-10 years of experience
• Experience in applying computational methods to real-world problems
• Strong programming skills including Python
• Strong written and verbal interpersonal communication skills
• Superior attention to detail
• US citizen with the ability to obtain DoD Secret clearance
• Willingness to relocate to Bentonville, Arkansas

Preferred qualifications:

• Expertise in mathematical optimization, such as optimization algorithms, iterative methods and heuristics
• Minor in Computer Science

COMPANY INFORMATION:

Applied Research Associates, Inc. (aka ARA) is an employee-owned international research and engineering company known for providing technically superior solutions to complex and challenging problems in the physical sciences. We were founded in Albuquerque, NM in 1979 as the disco era was, thankfully, closing out and the personal computer era was beginning. We employ over 2300 professionals and continue to grow. ARA offices throughout the U.S. and Canada provide a broad range of technical expertise in defense, civil, and health technologies, computer software and simulation, systems analysis, environmental technologies, and testing and measurement. Around ARA you are equally likely to hear a conversation about Kubernetes clusters as you are a debate on merits of a reverse polish notation (RPN) calculator!

While this is all of the Year One and Beyond stuff, Day One is highly impressive too. These are things like our competitive salary, Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) & 401(k) with matching program, benefits package which includes medical, dental, vision, flex spending, telehealth services, company-paid life & disability insurance including paid maternity disability leave through our company-paid short-term disability benefit, domestic partner coverage, dependent care flex spending, daycare discounts, pet insurance, relocation opportunities, floating holidays, tuition reimbursement, professional development as well as flexible schedules. At ARA, we pride ourselves on having a challenging culture where innovation & experimentation are the norm. At ARA, employees are our greatest assets, so we give our employees the tools, training, and opportunities to take active roles as owners. The motto, "Engineering and Science for Fun and Profit" sums up the ARA experience. The company realizes employee ownership spawns' greater creativity and initiative along with higher performance and customer satisfaction levels.

ARA is passionate about inclusion and diversity in our workplace. We seek colleagues who will contribute to the unique culture that makes ARA such a great place to work. For additional information and an opportunity to join this unique workplace, please apply at careers.ara.com.

Experience

• 8 - 10 years: Years of experience with high school diploma
• 2 - 4 years: Years of experience with Bachelors degree

Education

• Masters or better in Applied Mathematics or related field
• Bachelors or better in Mathematics or related field

Behaviors

• Team Player: Works well as a member of a group
• Detail Oriented: Capable of carrying out a given task with all details necessary to get the task done well

Motivations

• Self-Starter: Inspired to perform without outside help

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.