Description

This role requires not only advanced machine learning expertise, but also the ability to operate with high autonomy, set technical direction and develop technical requirements to meet high-level objectives, and mentor JTF engineers who are developing and growing their own AI/ML skillsets.

This role will bridge the gap between high-level vision provided by senior technology directors and help set & accomplish day-to-day execution performed alongside software, systems, and other subject matter experts. You will ensure that AI/ML efforts are technically sound, aligned with mission objectives, and deliverable within rapid R&D timelines.

Role Expectations Specific to This Team: (JTF)
*Serve as primary day-to-day AI/ML expert & performer - other team members are AI/ML learners or strategic-level advisors
*Rapidly define architecture, technical direction, and technical requirements for new AI/ML initiatives and prototypes without regular direct technical oversight
*Help Program Manager/Project Engineer identify staffing, tooling, and data required to accomplish new *AI/ML prototypes, help advise and manage technical risks during execution
*Play a key role in shaping the entire organization"s growing AI/ML capability over the next several years

Skills:
*Lead the design and development of advanced machine learning models, including deep neural networks, reinforcement learning systems, and generative AI algorithms, to solve complex problems.
*Architect scalable AI/ML systems that can integrate seamlessly with existing software and hardware platforms.
*Provide guidance on the selection of tools, frameworks, and infrastructure.
*Translate high-level conceptual guidance from leadership into actionable requirements, designs, roadmaps, and technical approaches.
*Collaborate with other engineer functions, hardware teams, product subject matter experts, and data scientists to align AI/ML solutions with mission-specific requirements and constraints.
*Shape system-level behavior and technical tradeoffs for AI/ML prototypes when requirements are evolving or ambiguous.
*Architect and build end-to-end AI/ML prototypes quickly, including data ingestion, feature engineering, training pipelines, model deployment and evaluation.
*Work with Project Engineer/Project Manager to identify and manage technical risks, develop mitigation paths, and scope prototype schedule and manpower requirements.
*Coordinate with existing product engineering teams to integrate AI/ML prototype components into existing SNC products and/or larger autonomous systems and platforms.
*Develop and oversee robust validation and testing frameworks to ensure that AI/ML models meet performance, safety, and compliance standards in real-world scenarios.
*Coach engineering peers, providing technical guidance and fostering a collaborative, innovative team environment.
*Stay current with emerging AI/ML technologies and propose innovative solutions to address new and existing challenges in the aerospace and defense domain.
*Communicate technical concepts, project progress, and outcomes to stakeholders, including leadership and external partners, in a clear and concise manner.
*Independently train, fine-tune, and optimize advanced AI architectures (including transformers) for complex applications.
*Apply a broad range of AI/ML techniques (supervised, unsupervised, reinforcement, generative) to solve domain-specific challenges.
*Lead the development and integration of signal processing, computer vision, and planning algorithms to advance autonomous system functionality.
*Design and execute large-scale simulations and modeling of AI/ML systems, ensuring scalability, performance, and robustness on CPU/GPU platforms.
*Preparing & executing demonstration plans, technical briefings, and trade studies/case studies for leadership and program stakeholders


Education:
*Ability to mentor and 'upskill' engineers with limited or developing AI/ML backgrounds.
*Experience delivering rapid prototypes or research models under tight schedule pressure.
*Comfort working with incomplete information and shaping requirements through experimentation.
*Strong communication skills for translating complex AI concepts to non‑AI specialists.
*Bachelor"s degree in computer science, mathematics, applied statistics, various engineering disciplines, or related STEM discipline
*6+ years of experience in a related field.
*Relevant experience can be considered as a substitute for the required educational qualifications.
*In the absence of a degree, a minimum of 9 years of related experience is required.
*Higher level relevant degree may substitute for experience.
*Proficient in machine learning frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch) and skilled in implementing advanced AI/ML techniques, such as supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning (e.g., PPO, Actor/Critic), as well as working with generative AI models (e.g., transformers).
*Proficient in developing, deploying, and optimizing AI/ML models, including ANNs, CNNs, and RNNs, for production applications.
*Contributed to the design and scaling of systems for larger datasets or environments with moderate complexity.
*Strong proficiency in programming languages such as Python, C++, C# or Java, with experience in building scalable AI/ML systems.
*Demonstrated experience leading teams or projects, including mentoring junior staff.
*Proven track record of deploying AI/ML models in production environments and optimizing them for real-world use cases.
*Knowledge of regulatory and cybersecurity requirements for AI/ML systems in aerospace and defense applications


Qualifications We Prefer:
*Experience building the AI/ML technical function of a small or maturing team.
*Familiarity with early-stage autonomy R&D efforts or multimodal sensor fusion research.
*Experience integrating ML models into embedded, real-time, or autonomous platforms.
*Demonstrated ability to establish ML engineering practices (MLOps, data versioning, model validation frameworks).
*Master"s degree in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, or related field.
*Experience leading teams or projects in aerospace and defense industries.
*Familiarity with cybersecurity and regulatory requirements.
*Proficient in Agile or DevOps workflows; active participant in iterative ML software development.
*Practical experience designing and implementing advanced ML techniques, such as clustering, dimensionality reduction, or generative modeling.
*Hands-on experience with GPU programming and using high-performance computing systems for ML workloads.
*Experience with at least one reinforcement learning or generative AI model (e.g., implementing GANs or Transformers).
*Able to analyze large-scale, heterogeneous datasets and apply advanced statistical and ML methods to real-world problems.
*Experience translating mission objectives into actionable system requirements, including HMI scenarios.
*Familiarity with hardware acceleration (e.g., CUDA, TensorRT) and introductory knowledge of edge AI or XAI

Key Skills

Education

Any Graduate