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Staff Data Scientist, Optimization
Job Location:
Job Location:
San Diego, CA - USA
Yearly Salary:
USD 175000 - 220000
Yearly Salary:
Posted:
3 September 2026 (19 hours ago)
Posted:
Application Deadline:
1 December 2026
Application Deadline:
Vacancies:
1 Vacancy
Vacancies:
Department:
Job Summary
Who We Are
At Firestorm we are building the future of expeditionary defense manufacturing and autonomous systems. Modern conflict has exposed a fundamental problem: the systems needed most by operators are often too expensive too slow to produce and too difficult to sustain at scale. Firestorm exists to change that.
We develop mission-adaptable aerial systems and deployable manufacturing infrastructure designed to put capability directly into the hands of the warfighter. From modular unmanned aircraft to xCell our deployable microfactory our goal is to make defense systems rapidly deployable adaptable and producible at the point of need.
We are looking for builders operators and problem-solvers who want to work on meaningful technology with real-world impact.
About the Role
Firestorm builds uncrewed aircraft and the manufacturing network that produces them: full-capability plants deployable xCell edge factories and forward-deployed sites that stand up production near the point of need.
Crucible is the software that runs that network. It plans and executes production across factories that dont look alike using supply that isnt guaranteed to arrive. It has to answer practical questions: what should we build where should we build it what constrains the plan and what changes when material capacity or demand moves.
Many of those are optimization problems. The answer has to account for production capacity inventory sourcing lead times transportation and incomplete information. It also has to solve quickly enough to be useful and explain why it produced the plan it did.
We are hiring a Staff Data Scientist to own the optimization and decision science behind Crucible. As the first dedicated data scientist on the team youll set the technical direction for how Crucible models and solves planning problems while staying hands-on building the models that ship in the product. Youll work directly with the Crucible software team and with manufacturing supply chain and product as we grow both the platform and the science behind it.
What Youll Do
- Own Crucibles optimization models Formulate and solve problems across production planning allocation sourcing inventory scheduling and manufacturing network optimization.
- Choose the right approach Use mathematical optimization heuristics simulation statistics or simpler methods based on the problem and the decisions the user needs to make.
- Build models that work in production Prototype against real data establish baselines test solution quality and performance and work with software engineers to ship models inside Crucible.
- Model real-world uncertainty Account for incomplete data changing demand variable lead times supplier performance and other conditions that make a mathematically perfect plan operationally wrong.
- Work directly with users Spend time with manufacturing supply chain and program teams to understand how decisions are actually made and translate those constraints into the product.
- Set the direction for decision science Establish how Crucible formulates problems evaluates model quality explains recommendations and determines when additional model complexity is actually worthwhile.
- Build the foundation for the team Establish the tools methods and technical standards that future data scientists will build on and raise the modeling fluency of the broader Crucible team.
Required Qualifications
- U.S. Citizenship and ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance
- 8 years (or 6 w/ PhD) building optimization operations research or data science solutions for complex operational problems
- Demonstrated technical leadership on ambiguous problems including setting modeling direction and influencing product or engineering decisions
- Strong background in mathematical optimization including linear or mixed-integer programming network optimization scheduling or related methods
- Hands-on experience with optimization tools such as Gurobi CPLEX OR-Tools Pyomo or equivalent
- Strong Python and SQL with experience writing code that is tested maintained and used in production
- Strong statistical fundamentals and experience working with incomplete noisy or uncertain data
- Demonstrated ability to take an ambiguous operational problem from formulation through validation and deployment
- Strong written and verbal communication across technical and operational teams
- Willingness to spend real time with the people using the models you build
- U.S. person status (ITAR)
Preferred Qualifications
- MS or PhD in Operations Research Industrial Engineering Applied Mathematics Statistics Computer Science or a related quantitative field
- Experience with production planning supply chain logistics inventory optimization or manufacturing systems
- Experience with simulation stochastic optimization robust optimization or decomposition methods
- Aerospace defense UAS automotive or other complex manufacturing experience
Work Environment
- This role is based in San Diego CA.
- We welcome candidates who are local or open to relocating; relocation assistance is available and may be included in the offer package where appropriate.
Compensation
US Salary Range: $175000 $220000 USD
The posted salary range reflects an estimate based on a variety of compensation factors including but not limited to relevant experience education certifications specialized skills geographic location and business needs. Actual compensation may vary and this range is subject to change as our compensation structure or market conditions evolve.
Benefits & Perks
Our culture fosters collaboration respect and trust empowering passionate people to do their best work. We offer a competitive salary comprehensive benefits and opportunities for career addition to an opportunity to take part in an innovative collaborative and fast-growing business with a highly motivated and skilled team we also take pride in taking care of our employees. Here are just a few ways that we show our appreciation:
- We offer comprehensive medical dental and visions plans
- 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan to invest in your long-term retirement goals
- Equity grants for new hires
- Unlimited PTO
- Extremely generous company holiday calendar including a holiday hiatus in July & December.
- Generous Parental Leave
- Lifestyle Spending Account
- FSA
- DCFSA
- HSA
- Hospital Indemnity insurance
- Critical Illness insurance
- Accident insurance
- Basic Life/AD&D short-term and long-term disability insurance 100% covered by Firestorm. Plus the option to purchase additional life insurance for you and your family.
- Mental Health Resources: We provide free mental health resources 24/7 including therapy and more. Additional work-life services such as free legal and financial support are available to you as well.
Export Control Compliance
To conform to U.S. government export control regulations including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR) you must be a U.S. citizen lawful permanent resident of the U.S. protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) or otherwise eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State or U.S. Department of Commerce.
Equal Opportunity Statement
Firestorm is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace and upholding equitable hiring practices. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race color religion sex sexual orientation gender identity national origin disability protected veteran status or any other characteristic under federal state or local law including those with a criminal history in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws including the CA Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. We actively encourage members of recognized minorities women Veterans and those with disabilities to apply and we work to create a welcoming and supportive environment for all applicants throughout the interview process.
Firestorm is committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible work environment. If you require accommodations or assistance during the application process please dont hesitate to reach out to us at so we can provide the support you need.
Required Experience:
Staff IC
