Lead AI / ML Engineer (TS/SCI)
About The Position
Praescient Analytics is seeking a highly skilled and visionary Lead AI/ML Engineer to support a critical need with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). This critical role provides top-tier technical leadership for advanced Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Agentic AI development efforts under the agency's Digital Modernization Accelerator (DMA) and CIO Enterprise Services Division (CIO7) initiatives. The ideal candidate will bridge the gap between breakthrough AI experimentation and robust operationalization, ensuring that all deployed models conform to rigorous Intelligence Community standards while driving the deployment of next-generation human-machine teaming capabilities.
Requirements
- Must possess an active federal TS/SCI clearance.
- An advanced degree (Master’s or PhD preferred) in Computer Science, Data Science, Mathematics, or a highly related technical field.
- Demonstrated senior-level experience leading end-to-end AI/ML implementation projects and engineering robust, secure AI operations (MLOps) infrastructure in federal or secure environments.
- US Citizenship is Required
Nice To Haves
- 13+ years of specialized experience designing, developing, and embedding advanced neural networks or predictive statistical modeling into production software.
- Proven experience with state-of-the-art transformer architectures, large language models (LLMs), reinforcement learning, and building complex agentic systems.
- Deep familiarity with DIA QAF compliance, model security verification, and the transition of pipelines into cloud-native Platform as a Service (PaaS) or containerized architectures (Kubernetes/OpenShift).
- Demonstrated experience implementing zero-trust concepts within data architectures and engineering defenses against model poisoning, membership inference, data exfiltration, or adversarial manipulation.
- Published peer-reviewed research or widely recognized technical contributions to the broader defense/intelligence AI/ML community.
Responsibilities
- Lead the design, prototyping, development, and operationalization of enterprise-wide AI/ML capabilities, with a particular focus on advanced generative AI and agentic artificial intelligence systems.
- Establish and maintain a secure, scalable, and standardized AI/ML Operations environment that handles the entire lifecycle from data curation and preparation through automated deployment and continuous model retraining.
- Ensure all AI/ML models, training pipelines, and algorithms strictly meet the accreditation criteria mandated by the DIA Quality Assurance Framework (QAF) and relevant ethical AI directives (e.g., Memo U-23-0491/DI).
- Lead model validation, adversarial robustness testing, explainability evaluations, and bias detection analysis to safeguard the integrity of intelligence capabilities.
- Serve as the primary technical interface between data scientists, software engineers, DevSecOps teams, and mission analysts to translate complex technical architectures into analytic tradecraft solutions.
- Stay at the forefront of emerging AI breakthroughs (such as transformer architectures and complex reasoning agents) and formulate proactive recommendations to address complex national security challenges.
Benefits
- Very competitive salary based on qualifications and experience
- Comprehensive, Company paid healthcare for you (We pay your premiums and deductibles)
- 401(k) with company match
- Travel & performance incentives
- 3 weeks paid time off (plus Federal Holidays)
- $5K annual training allowance
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
