Principal AI/ML Engineering Leader

Overview

Our client is seeking an experienced engineering leader to drive the design, development, and deployment of advanced AI and machine learning solutions supporting complex, mission-focused programs.

This individual will provide technical leadership across the full AI/ML lifecycle while partnering with engineering, product, data, and customer stakeholders to build scalable, secure, and production-ready systems.

Location: Hybrid in the Northern Virginia/Washington, DC metro area

Compensation: $225,000–$250,000

Clearance: Active Secret Clearance required

Responsibilities

• Lead the architecture and delivery of enterprise AI and machine learning solutions.
• Design scalable machine learning pipelines from data preparation through production deployment.
• Guide the development and operationalization of modern AI capabilities, including generative AI and intelligent automation.
• Collaborate with software, infrastructure, and platform engineering teams to deploy secure, cloud-based solutions.
• Establish technical standards, engineering best practices, and architectural direction across AI initiatives.
• Mentor engineers and provide technical leadership across multiple development teams.
• Partner directly with customers and stakeholders to translate operational requirements into technical solutions.
• Improve system reliability, scalability, performance, and observability across production environments.
• Contribute to long-term technology strategy and AI roadmap planning.
• Support research, evaluation, and adoption of emerging artificial intelligence technologies.

Qualifications

• Master's degree or higher in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Engineering, or a related technical discipline preferred.
• 8+ years of experience in software engineering, machine learning, or artificial intelligence.
• Experience building and deploying production machine learning solutions.
• Strong programming skills in Python and experience with modern ML frameworks.
• Experience designing APIs, distributed applications, and cloud-native software.
• Familiarity with Kubernetes, containerization, CI/CD, and modern software delivery practices.
• Strong communication skills with experience leading cross-functional engineering initiatives.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor technical teams and influence engineering direction.

Preferred Experience

• Experience with large language models, retrieval-augmented AI, or intelligent automation platforms.
• Knowledge of MLOps, model lifecycle management, and production monitoring.
• Experience developing secure AI solutions within regulated or government environments.
• Familiarity with streaming data architectures and distributed systems.
• Contributions to open-source software, technical publications, or research initiatives are a plus.

Security Requirements

• Active Secret security clearance required.
• Ability to obtain additional clearance if required by future program needs.

What You'll Find

• Opportunity to lead high-impact AI initiatives.
• Collaborative engineering culture with significant technical ownership.
• Challenging, mission-focused work utilizing modern technologies.
• Competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, retirement plan, generous paid time off, and professional development support.