Senior Force Operations Subject Matter Expert (SME)

ARA•Alexandria, VA

About The Position

The Mission Concepts and Capabilities (MCC) Division of Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA) is seeking a Senior Force Operations Subject Matter Expert (SME) with a background in or supporting the Government in the execution of large technology programs. This position will support the Office of the Secretary of War Research & Engineering’s Prototyping & Experimentation Office. This work requires a candidate with a background in highly classified technical program or project management, acquisition, or analytical support of government Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) and the DoW Acquisition environment.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited academic institution and 8 years’ of relevant experience or a master’s degree with 6 years’ experience (Command and General Staff College (or equivalent) education may be substituted for degree requirements)
Top Secret security clearance with SCI and SAP eligibility
8-10 years’ experience designing, constructing, and implementing sophisticated ML and deep learning models to solve complex analytical problems
Expertise in a wide range of algorithms, including supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning
Experience leading the continuous improvement, re-architecting, and updating of existing AI/ML system to create efficient, scalable, and self-learning applications.
Demonstrated experience in model performance tuning, feature engineering, and deploying models into production environments (MLOps)
Experience designing and implementing robust MLOps pipelines for automated training, validation, deployment, and monitoring of models at scale
Demonstrated experience with cloud-based AI/ML platforms and containerization technologies
experience in statistical analysis, experimental design, and data storytelling to extract actionable insights from large, complex datasets
experience in data governance, data quality, and ensuring the ethical use of data and algorithms
Possess excellent written and oral communication skills

Nice To Haves

Multidisciplinary IC experience and a broad understanding of the entire intelligence ecosystem
Counterintelligence experience
Senior Service School in residence
10+ years’ relevant experience
Master’s or Ph.D. degree from an accredited academic institution
Experience writing for a DoW audience
Experience supporting the Office of the Secretary of War supporting acquisition and R&D programs

Responsibilities

Demonstrate eight or more years’ experience as a supervisor or team/project lead working in the DoW
Possess 8+ years’ experience developing, implementing, and managing strategic planning that supports leadership priorities
Demonstrate experience identifying, prioritizing, and leading high-interest projects across cross-functional teams
Demonstrate experience serving as a key advisor to senior leadership and decisionmakers
Perform and deliver work with limited direction