Human Language Technology Developer

Leidos•Reston, VA

About The Position

Leidos is seeking a Human Language Technology (HLT) Developer to implement strategic objectives and ensure HLT work aligns with program, corporate, and customer technical requirements and goals. The developer will plan horizontal integration with other functional areas and ensure HLT testing, solutions, and schedules are delivered in a timely manner. The role is responsible for executing initiatives to refresh and expand HLT solutions. The developer will build and maintain applications and source code, apply software-release frameworks, develop APIs, and integrate new resources into existing HLT and AI tools. The role includes designing technical solutions for challenging or unfamiliar data, recommending and integrating HLT capabilities, leading cross-functional AI and HLT work, and prototyping solutions based on operational priorities. The developer will evaluate technologies against mission data and workflow needs, communicate complex ideas to technical and non-technical audiences, mentor new program employees, and collaborate with the customer and program teams to maintain consistent, high-quality translation, interpretation, and transcription support. This position requires an active TS/SCI with Polygraph, substantial relevant experience, and expertise spanning software development, machine learning, databases, and human language technology.

Requirements

Active TS/SCI with Polygraph.
Bachelor's degree and at least 12 years of relevant experience, or a master's degree and at least 10 years of relevant experience; a doctorate in a technical domain may be held.
At least 3 years of demonstrated knowledge of community translation fundamentals and standard operating procedures.
Recent experience deploying and training machine-learning models.
Ability to work independently and make sound decisions with minimal direction.
Experience working with large, complex data sets.
Experience with deep-learning tools such as PyTorch or TensorFlow.
Proficiency with modern programming languages and tools such as Reactjs, Nodejs, JavaScript/TypeScript, Python, and bash command-line tools.
Proficiency with PostgreSQL and SQL database migrations, schema design, indexing, and query optimization.
Knowledge of machine-learning methodologies and frameworks such as NLTK or SpaCy.
Solid understanding of linguistics, grammar, syntax, and the nuances of human language.
Ability to analyze complex linguistic challenges and develop creative technical solutions.
Knowledge of and experience prototyping or developing human language technology components or systems.
Ability to apply state-of-the-art machine-learning techniques to human language technology processing challenges.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills to explain challenging technical concepts to both lay and expert audiences.
Strong interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills for collaboration with diverse teams and users.
Ability to develop highly innovative solutions through research and integration of best practices.

Nice To Haves

Basic proficiency in one or more foreign languages.
Experience in greenfield software development and building APIs, including FastAPI for AI services.
Experience training machine translation engineers and/or OCR language models.
Experience modifying open-source code for specific use cases.
Experience training and fine-tuning AI models.
Experience gathering or creating AI training data sets.
Knowledge of containerization for distributing software across diverse system environments.
Experience working with Agile Scrum Development.
Experience supporting and optimizing AI production applications, RAG pipelines, and LangChain/LangGraph for agentic workflows.
Experience working with AWS cloud computing solutions.

Responsibilities

Develop applications, write and maintain source code, apply frameworks involved in software releases, and develop APIs to improve workflows and integrate resources into existing HLT and AI tools.
Design bespoke technical solutions for processing challenging or unfamiliar data types.
Recommend, develop, evaluate, and integrate Human Language Technology capabilities.
Provide technical leadership to cross-functional teams developing AI and HLT solutions.
Analyze language-processing needs and recommend innovative solutions to improve cost and labor efficiency.
Innovate and prototype HLT systems or components based on priority workflows and operational mission needs.
Recommend and develop technical solutions, products, and standards in support of program strategy and operations.
Evaluate technology solutions in the context of mission data and workflow needs and provide actionable recommendations.
Communicate complex ideas to non-technical audiences through briefings or white papers.
Serve as a leading HLT voice within the customer and Leidos organizations.
Mentor new program employees in HLT.
Integrate Leidos technology into program HLT efforts as appropriate.
Work across the program and with the customer to ensure consistent, quality translation, interpretation, and transcription support through HLT initiatives.