POSITION SPECIFICSWe are searching for a talented, experienced, organized, and a highly motivated AI/ML Engineer to join the Visualization and Decision Support Division within the All-Domain Analytics and Signatures Office (A2SO) at the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) at Penn State. You will lead our Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) and Data Curation Center of Excellence. This team serves as the foundation for effective machine learning-building, curating, and governing the data that directly determines whether AI/ML models succeed in operationally relevant environments. This position can be filled in
State College, PA or
Reston, VA.
ARL is an authorized DoD SkillBridge partner and welcomes all transitioning military members to apply.
You will:- Serve as the technical lead for the IV&V and Data Curation Center of Excellence, setting priorities, defining standards, and driving the team's technical direction
- Mentor, guide, and coordinate a team of engineers performing data labeling, annotation, curation, and IV&V across multiple data modalities
- Establish and evolve annotation standards, labeling guidelines, data governance frameworks, and quality assurance processes to ensure consistency and reproducibility at scale
- Design and oversee data pipelines for ingestion, transformation, quality control, and cataloging of classified and open-source data
- Lead IV&V efforts on datasets and model outputs, defining acceptance criteria and fitness-for-use standards
- Serve as the primary point of contact between the data curation team and research scientists, algorithm developers, and program stakeholders to translate data needs into actionable plans
- Present findings, status, and recommendations to leadership and sponsors through well-constructed briefings, papers, and technical artifacts
- Evaluate and introduce tools, platforms, and best practices for annotation (e.g., CVAT, Label Studio), data versioning, and metadata management
- Drive automation of manual data analysis and curation processes to improve efficiency and scalability
- Architect and maintain data catalogs, metadata schemas, and access-controlled repositories that make curated datasets discoverable and accessible to the broader research team
- Work within an Agile development environment within a large research team
Required Skills/Experience areas include:- Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Information Science, Engineering, or a related technical field
- Extensive experience designing and managing data curation, annotation, or IV&V workflows for AI/ML systems
- Deep understanding of machine learning fundamentals, including how data quality, labeling strategies, and dataset composition impact model training, evaluation, and deployment
- Strong proficiency in Python and SQL for data manipulation, pipeline development, and analysis
- Experience with data annotation tools and platforms (e.g., CVAT, Label Studio, or equivalent)
- Success in environments where various forms of communication and organizational skills were crucial to be effective
Preferred Skills/Experience areas include:- Prior experience leading or managing a technical team
- Experience working with DoD or Intelligence Community data, workflows, or operational environments
- Familiarity with geospatial data formats (shapefiles, GeoJSON, AIS), imagery/FMV exploitation, or signals data processing
- Experience with data versioning tools (e.g., DVC, LakeFS) or data catalog platforms
- Knowledge of IV&V methodologies and test and evaluation practices for data-driven systems
- Experience with containerized development environments (Docker, Kubernetes) and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure)
- Master's degree or higher in a relevant field
- Current eligibility to access classified information at the Top Secret/ SCI level or higher and may be subject to a government background investigation to updated clearance eligibility, if required
Your working location will be fully-on site located in either State College, PA or Reston, VA.
MINIMUM EDUCATION, WORK EXPERIENCE & REQUIRED CERTIFICATIONSIf filled as R&D Engineer - Artificial Intelligence (ARL) - Principal Professional, this position requires:Bachelor's Degree - Engineering or Science19+ years of relevant experienceRequired Certifications:NoneIf filled as R&D Engineer - Artificial Intelligence (ARL) - Senior Professional, this position requires:Bachelor's Degree - Engineering or Science14+ years of relevant experienceRequired Certifications:None
ARL's purpose is to research and develop innovative solutions to challenging scientific, engineering, and technology problems in support of the Navy, the Intel Community (IC), and other federal government customers.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION on ARL, visit our website at www.arl.psu.edu.
SALARY & BENEFITSThe salary range for this position, including all possible grades, is $140,004.00 - $265,704.00.
Salary Structure - Information on Penn State's salary structure
Penn State provides a competitive benefits package for full-time employees designed to support both personal and professional well-being. In addition to comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, employees enjoy robust retirement plans and substantial paid time off which includes holidays, vacation and sick time. One of the standout benefits is the generous 75% tuition discount, available to employees as well as eligible spouses and children. For more detailed information, please visit our Benefits Page.
CAMPUS SECURITY CRIME STATISTICSPursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Pennsylvania Act of 1988, Penn State publishes a combined Annual Security and Annual Fire Safety Report (ASR). The ASR includes crime statistics and institutional policies concerning campus security, such as those concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. The ASR is available for review here.
