This is a U.S. based position. All of the programs we support require U.S. citizenship to be eligible for employment. All work must be conducted within the continental U.S.About the role: We are seeking a Lead AI/ML Engineer to drive the design, development, and deployment of machine learning and AI systems that operate in mission-critical environments. You will lead the end-to-end lifecycle of AI solutions, from data ingestion and model development to production deployment, while guiding a cross-functional team across engineering, data, and product.
This role sits at the intersection of advanced AI capabilities and real-world operational impact. You will work closely with customers and internal stakeholders to deliver scalable, secure, and high-performance systems across cloud and edge environments.
What You'll Do- Lead the architecture and development of AI/ML systems integrated into production-grade data platforms
- Design and implement scalable ML pipelines including training, inference, and evaluation in distributed environments
- Drive adoption of modern AI approaches including LLMs, retrieval augmented generation, and agentic workflows
- Design, train, fine-tune, and deploy purpose-built Small Language Models (SLMs) optimized for domain-specific tasks, including quantization, distillation, and optimization techniques that enable low-latency inference in resource-constrained, edge, and air-gapped environments
- Partner with Data Engineers and DevSecOps to operationalize models in secure, containerized environments including Kubernetes and CI/CD pipelines
- Translate mission needs into technical solutions while working directly with customers and stakeholders
- Mentor and guide engineers while setting technical direction and best practices for AI/ML development
- Ensure models are reliable, observable, and performant in real-world operational conditions
- Own the enterprise-wide AI/ML strategy and multi-year technical roadmap, aligning research, engineering, and product investments with mission outcomes and commercial objectives
- Build, scale, and lead a multi-team AI/ML organization, including hiring, performance management, and developing senior technical leaders across applied research, ML engineering, and MLOps
- Establish and steward the technical vision for agentic systems, foundation models, and emerging AI paradigms, identifying strategic bets and guiding applied research investments that create long-term competitive advantage
What we are looking for: - Advanced degree (Master's or PhD) in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, or a related STEM field
- 8+ years of experience in AI/ML engineering, software engineering, or related field
- Strong background in building and deploying machine learning models in production environments
- Experience designing and maintaining ML pipelines and platforms including training, inference, and monitoring
- Proficiency in Python and modern ML frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, or Scikit-learn
- Strong software engineering fundamentals including APIs, microservices, testing, and version control
- Experience working in cloud-native environments such as AWS, Kubernetes, and containerization
- Ability to lead technical initiatives and collaborate across interdisciplinary teams
- Track record of setting multi-year technical strategy and delivering AI/ML capabilities that directly drove revenue growth, customer acquisition, or measurable mission impact
- Experience establishing AI governance, model risk management, and responsible AI practices at an enterprise scale
Highly preferred:- Experience with LLMs, RAG architectures, and agent-based systems
- Experience deploying AI systems in edge, air-gapped, or secure environments
- Familiarity with event-driven and data streaming architectures such as Kafka
- Experience with MLOps tooling and workflows including CI/CD for ML, model versioning, and observability
- Contributions to open-source projects, publications, or a strong GitHub portfolio
- Experience with TypeScript or full-stack integration of AI systems
Clearance Requirements:- Minimum Secret security clearance with ability to obtain and maintain an active TS SCI clearance
Salary Range: $175,000.00 - $225,000.00Work Type:- Hybrid role, must be local to NCR and come into Raft HQ in Tysons, VA or Chantilly 2-3 days per week.
- Foreign and domestic travel up to 35% to customer sites
What we will offer you: - Highly competitive salary
- Fully covered healthcare, dental, and vision coverage
- 401(k) and company match
- Take as you need PTO + 11 paid holidays
- Education & training benefits
- Generous Referral Bonuses
- And More!
