SCI + Polygraph

Aperio Global•McLean, VA

10h

About The Position

We believe the highest-impact work in national security and technology is a team sport. At Aperio Global, we operate as a single, cohesive force aligned on a handful of mission-critical efforts where our work truly moves the needle. We don't chase small wins. We solve for next. We view the intersection of cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and data analytics as an empirical discipline as rigorous and consequential as any field in science or engineering. That means we bring intellectual honesty, accountability, and transparency to every problem we take on. Our team includes tech innovators, Intelligence Community veterans, and security professionals who know that the best solutions come from diverse minds working toward a common mission. We value our people, those working quietly behind the scenes, doing the hard work that keeps our nation secure. The best way to understand how we think is to see what we've built. From full-spectrum cyber operations and de-biased AI platforms to quantum networking and cloud-native software systems, our work speaks for itself. Come solve with us We offer competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package — including medical, dental, and vision coverage, a 401(k) retirement plan, life insurance, generous paid time off, short and long-term disability, professional development, and much more. We invest in our people because they are our most important asset — and because the mission demands the best. Aperio Global is looking for a Senior AI/ML Developer to join an R&D team in McLean, VA focused on prototyping and evaluating emerging AI technologies. This is a hands-on engineering role in a fast-paced, experimentation-driven environment where you'll design, build, and iterate on cutting-edge solutions using Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), large language models (LLMs), and modern data infrastructure. You won't be maintaining legacy systems or sitting in status meetings. You'll be figuring out what works, documenting what doesn't, and helping shape how the team approaches complex technical challenges with AI.

Requirements

Active TS/SCI clearance with polygraph (required at time of application)
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics, or a related field; equivalent professional experience may substitute
8+ years of relevant technical experience in software engineering and AI/ML development
Expert-level Python programming skills applied to machine learning and NLP systems
Hands-on experience designing and implementing RAG pipelines and LLM-based solutions
Demonstrated experience with large language models (LLMs), including prompt engineering, model evaluation, and transformer architectures
Experience designing and integrating RESTful APIs for data exchange and system integration
Deep expertise with PostgreSQL including schema design, complex querying, and performance tuning
Cloud infrastructure experience on AWS, GCP, or Azure including deploying and testing AI prototypes.

Nice To Haves

Experience with vector databases such as pgvector, Pinecone, Weaviate, or Chroma to support semantic search and AI/ML workflows
Familiarity with LLM orchestration frameworks such as LangChain, LlamaIndex, or Haystack
Background or interest in geospatial data, systems, or analytic tools (e.g., PostGIS, GDAL)
Experience developing or maintaining data pipelines, ETL workflows, or orchestration tools such as Airflow or Prefect
Familiarity with MLOps practices including model deployment, versioning, and monitoring
Background or interest in working with geospatial data, systems, or analytic tools.
Experience developing or maintaining data pipelines and utilizing vector databases to support AI/ML workflows.

Responsibilities

Design, develop, and prototype solutions leveraging RAG architectures, LLMs, and emerging AI/ML technologies
Build and iterate on proof-of-concept applications to evaluate and demonstrate new AI capabilities
Design, develop, and integrate RESTful APIs to enable data retrieval and exchange across systems
Own data modeling, querying, and performance optimization in PostgreSQL for AI/ML contexts
Collaborate with researchers and engineers to evaluate approaches, document results, and recommend technical next steps
Share insights and findings to support team-wide knowledge growth in AI/ML advancements