Applied Machine Learning Engineer
About The Position
The Aerospace Corporation’s Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Department seeks a Machine Learning Engineer to help research, prototype, understand, and build AI- and data-enabled tools across the space enterprise. The position is in the Machine Learning Engineering section, which translates AI research into robust, scalable, production-ready machine learning solutions. The team optimizes and scales ML models, designs ML software architectures, applies modern compute hardware, and implements MLOps and Trusted AI practices. The role supports national security, civil, and commercial customers, as well as Aerospace enterprise capabilities and workforce development. This is a full-time position based in Chantilly, Virginia, requiring 100% onsite work. The posting describes qualifications for two levels: Senior Member of Technical Staff, requiring at least five years of relevant experience, and Engineering Specialist, requiring at least eight years plus enterprise-scale solution and MLOps/data-engineering experience. The successful candidate will work across multidisciplinary teams and maintain ongoing learning in relevant technical domains and government mission systems. The position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance; U.S. citizenship is required to obtain one.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or a related technical field.
- For Senior Member of Technical Staff: at least 5 years of experience as a Data Scientist, Machine Learning Engineer, or AI/ML Researcher in any domain.
- For Engineering Specialist: at least 8 years of experience as a Data Scientist, Machine Learning Engineer, or AI/ML Researcher in any domain.
- Strong proficiency in at least two programming languages, such as Python, R, or C/C++, and familiarity with machine learning and deep learning libraries in Python.
- Hands-on experience with container orchestration tools such as Docker or Kubernetes.
- Experience with and understanding of software engineering concepts with an AI focus, including MLOps/DevOps, the ML development lifecycle, and data structures.
- Working knowledge of Unix/Linux operating systems.
- For Engineering Specialist: demonstrated experience architecting, designing, or implementing enterprise-scale AI/ML solutions with multiple tenants and cloud integration.
- For Engineering Specialist: hands-on experience with MLOps and data engineering tools such as MLFlow, Kubeflow, Neptune, Airflow, or DVC.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance; U.S. citizenship is required to obtain a clearance.
Nice To Haves
- Advanced degree in Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or a related field.
- Experience designing or managing enterprise-level ML platforms and production-grade ML models at scale.
- Familiarity with high-performance computing hardware for ML, including GPUs and TPUs, CUDA programming, and advanced ML optimization techniques and architectures.
- Demonstrated judgment and critical thinking in a scientific discipline.
- Experience implementing software development best practices and guiding teams in their use.
- Experience with SQL, NoSQL, Cypher, or other big data querying languages.
- Experience with big data frameworks such as Hadoop, Spark, or Flink.
- Familiarity with data pipelining and streaming technologies such as Apache Kafka or Temporal.
- Demonstrated contributions to open-source software repositories such as GitHub or Kaggle.
- Experience deploying ML models on cloud platforms such as AWS or Azure.
- Domain expertise relevant to customer mission areas such as USSF or NRO.
- Active security clearance.
Responsibilities
- Evaluate technologies for scalable, resilient, mission-critical production applications.
- Coordinate the development and execution of AI/ML experiments.
- Coordinate the development of proof-of-concept infrastructure configurations and software prototypes.
- Collaborate with small, innovative teams to deliver features and products.
- Present results in writing and verbally to team members and stakeholders.
- Promote learning and progress among team members and others.
- Develop leadership competencies with an emphasis on accountability and innovation.
- Maintain ongoing learning in relevant technical domains and government missions.
Benefits
- Comprehensive health care and wellness plans.
- Paid holidays, sick time, and vacation.
- Standard and alternate work schedules, including telework options.
- 401(k) plan with company-paid contributions of 8%, 10%, or 12% of eligible compensation based on years of service, plus matching contributions; employees are immediately eligible and vested upon hire.
- Flexible spending accounts.
- Variable pay program for exceptional contributions.
- Relocation assistance.
- Professional growth and development programs.
- Education assistance programs.
- Inclusive work environment built on teamwork, flexibility, and respect.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
