Principal AI Engineer

ECS Tech Inc•Fairfax, VA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking an accomplished AI/ML Engineer to provide technical leadership and strategic guidance on the integration of advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions to support mission-critical government and defense objectives. The ideal candidate is innovative with a track record of evaluating, experimenting with, and transitioning emerging technologies into operational use. This role requires exceptional communication skills, strong technical expertise, and experience collaborating across the Department of Defense (DoD) and other government agencies. The AI Engineer will design, train, implement, and maintain end-to-end machine learning algorithms and their pipelines, automating deployment and monitoring processes while ensuring performance, observability, and security. This role contributes to building scalable infrastructure, real‑time dashboards, and automated pipelines that enable secure, compliant, and efficient AI operations aligned with mission and business goals.

Requirements

Must be a US Citizen with an active Secret security clearance and the ability to obtain a TS/SCI + CI Poly security clearance.
Minimum Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field with 16+ years of experience in software engineering, data engineering, and cloud architecture; or Master’s degree with 14+ years of experience; or PhD with 10+ years of experience.
Proficiency with AI/ML frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch), programming languages (e.g., Python, C++, JavaScript), and data processing technologies.
Proficiency in Python, C++, and JavaScript.
Proficiency in Linux -- system administration, scripting in Bash, troubleshooting. Strong expertise in AWS cloud services (compute, storage, networking, IAM).
Strong foundation in AI/ML algorithms and ability to implement agentic workflow, and prompt engineering.
Experience in large language model (LLM) applications.
Strong understanding of model evaluation metrics (e.g., precision, recall, AUC) and statistical drift detection methods.
Expertise in containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes, OpenShift) and CI/CD automation (GitHub Actions, Jenkins).
Experience with time-series databases and relational databases.
Proficiency in building and managing ETL pipelines (e.g. AWS Glue, Apache Airflow).
Strong communication skills with the ability to interface and collaborate with project managers, stakeholders, vendors, and technical staff.

Responsibilities

Coordinate the planning, development, and execution of cutting-edge research programs designed to experimentally validate novel AI/ML concepts.
Evaluate emerging technologies from academia and industry for their potential impact on national security.
Serve as a subject matter expert, providing technical leadership and strategic recommendations to government decision-makers on AI/ML technology, adoption, and implementation.
Lead the development of AI prototypes and support the integration and transition of research outcomes into operational environments.
Set the technical direction for advanced computer vision and AI capabilities supporting exploitation of remote sensing data, including EO and hyperspectral imagery.
Identify critical technology gaps in mission use of AI for geospatial analysis and develop technical strategies to address them.
Conduct rapid feasibility studies and prototype implementations to evaluate emerging algorithms, model architectures, and data exploitation approaches.
Develop high-impact prototypes that demonstrate new analytical capabilities and provide evidence supporting future research investments.
Use prototype-driven demonstrations and technical studies to shape applied research programs and support proposal development for new AI initiatives.
Translate validated concepts into structured applied research programs with clear technical roadmaps, milestones, and evaluation strategies.
Advance the application of vision-language and multimodal foundation models for analysis, retrieval, and reasoning over large-scale EO and hyperspectral datasets.
Work closely with mission partners to refine problem definitions, evaluate prototype systems, and ensure developed capabilities transition rapidly into operational environments.
Prepare and deliver high-quality technical briefings, documentation, and presentations for both technical and non-technical audiences
Leading the design, training, and deployment of AI/ML algorithms in IL5/IL6 environments.
Utilizing data pipelines in Databricks, Apache Spark, and related ETL technologies (e.g., AWS Glue, Apache Airflow).
Ensuring compliance with DoD security and accreditation standards, including STIGs and Impact Level controls.
Providing architectural oversight on data ingestion, curation, and storage to produce reliable, high-quality datasets for AI/ML development.
Supporting DevSecOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, and automation to streamline delivery.