Sr. AI Technical Lead & Data Developer (REMOTE)

Koniag Government Services•Albuquerque, NM

2d•Remote

About The Position

Koniag Professional Services, LLC, a Koniag Government Services company, is hiring a Sr. AI Technical Lead & Data Developer to support a federal modernization initiative for the Department of the Interior (DOI). The role supports KPS and its government customer and is remote. The successful candidate must be able to obtain a DOI Public Trust. This dual-focused, hands-on role bridges AI implementation and data engineering. The developer will lead the technical direction of AI initiatives while writing Python code, optimizing SQL databases, and integrating data pipelines in a Microsoft Azure and Power Platform ecosystem. The work is part of a team supporting a federal client’s business and IT modernization project.

Requirements

At least 8–10 years of experience in data development, software engineering, or data engineering.
At least 3 years of experience leading technical AI/ML projects.
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Information Systems, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
Expert-level Python programming skills focused on data manipulation, including Pandas and NumPy, and AI frameworks.
Strong database engineering background, including advanced SQL, data modeling, and performance tuning.
Hands-on experience developing in Microsoft Azure, including Azure SQL, Azure Synapse, or Azure OpenAI services.
Proven experience integrating backend data structures and APIs with Microsoft Power Apps and Power Automate.
Ability to clear a federal background investigation and obtain a DOI Public Trust clearance.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience supporting the Department of the Interior or other federal agencies as a government contractor.
Relevant certifications, such as Azure Data Engineer Associate or Azure AI Engineer Associate.
Experience implementing Generative AI, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), or LLM orchestration frameworks such as LangChain or Semantic Kernel.

Responsibilities

Lead AI initiatives from conception through deployment and serve as the primary technical point of contact for the DOI customer.
Build and deploy practical AI/ML solutions using Python, Azure Cognitive Services, the OpenAI API, or open-source frameworks.
Translate DOI stakeholders’ business requirements into scalable technical AI and data solutions.
Design, build, and maintain data pipelines, ETL/ELT processes, and database schemas.
Write production-ready Python code for data manipulation, automation, and AI integration.
Develop and optimize SQL queries, stored procedures, and relational database structures.
Architect data environments in Microsoft Azure, including Azure SQL, Data Factory, and Blob Storage.
Integrate data backends with Power Apps and Power Automate workflows to deliver user-facing AI tools.