Senior AI/ML Engineer

Leidos Holding$107K — $195K *
Information Technology
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Machine Learning, or related field and 8+ years of experience
  • 5+ years of hands-on production experience with LLMs/VLMs
  • Proven experience managing agentic AI systems through their full lifecycle
  • Strong familiarity with agentic frameworks and patterns (MCP, tool/function calling, etc.)
  • Solid understanding of AI governance and model documentation practices

Responsibilities

  • Lead integration of LLMs, VLMs, and mLLMs into software products
  • Design and execute fine-tuning strategies for models
  • Architect and develop agentic AI solutions and workflows
  • Establish organizational standards for prompt engineering
  • Develop testing frameworks and conduct evaluation for agentic systems
  • Oversee end-to-end deployment and lifecycle management of AI systems
  • Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to meet product and compliance objectives

Benefits

  • Health, dental, and vision insurance
  • 401(k) retirement plan with company match
  • Paid time off and holiday pay
  • Education assistance and professional development opportunities
Full Job Description
Leidos' Defense Systems,Advanced Sensors and Protective Technologies Portfolio is seeking a talented Senior AI/ML Engineer to integrate generative AI and agentic AI systems into existing software products. Working within a multidisciplinary team, this role spans the evaluation and integration of large language models (LLMs), vision-language models (VLMs), and multimodal LLMs (mLLMs), as well as the design and governance of agentic AI solutions. The Advanced Sensors and Protective Technologies portfolio develops and evaluates EO/IR sensor systems and protective capabilities that enhance threat detection, survivability, and mission effectiveness. This includes safeguarding mission-critical systems through advanced microelectronic hardware assurance to ensure components remain trusted and secure. We advance sensor system technologies and hardware assurance through real-world testing, modeling and simulation, and performance analysis to support the transition of emerging capabilities into operational systems. Primary Responsibilities. - Lead the integration of LLMs, VLMs, and mLLMs into existing software products and platforms - Design and execute fine-tuning strategies for pretrained models (LoRA, QLoRA, RLHF/DPO) - Architect agentic AI solutions: agent/skill design, MCP tool/server integrations, and multi-agent orchestration workflows - Set organizational standards for prompt engineering to optimize agent reasoning and output quality - Lead the development of test harnesses, evaluation suites, and red-teaming/adversarial testing for agentic systems prior to production release - Own end-to-end deployment and operations of agentic AI systems - CI/CD, monitoring, versioning and rollback, and lifecycle management - Collaborate with software engineers, product owners, security, and data teams to align capabilities with product and compliance requirements - Present architectures and lifecycle strategies to technical leadership and stakeholders Basic Qualifications. - Must be able and willing to obtain and maintain a DoD Secret Clearance (U.S. Citizenship required) - Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Machine Learning, or related field and 8+ years of experience. - 5+ years of relevant experience working with AI/ML, including hands-on production integration of LLMs/VLMs - Proven track record managing agentic AI systems through a full lifecycle - Strong experience with agentic frameworks and patterns (MCP, tool/function calling, etc.) - Familiarity with model documentation practices (model cards, versioned model registries) and AI governance requirements in regulated environments - Proficiency with Python and ML frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, Hugging Face Transformers) - Experience with prompt engineering and evaluation methodologies for generative AI - Understanding of deployment practices (containerization, APIs, CI/CD, versioning for ML/agentic systems) - Ability to lead the development of technical solutions for AI/ML or agentic systems and mentor other team members - Strong written and verbal communication skills Preferred Qualifications. - Active DoD SECRET clearance or above. - Experience applying mLLMs and VLMs - Experience with MLOps/AgentOps tooling (MLflow, etc.) - Familiarity with vector databases and RAG architectures - Experience fine-tuning transformer-based models - Experience with cloud/government cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GovCloud, IL levels) - Experience presenting technical strategies to leadership or customers Original Posting: September 14, 2026 For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above. Pay Range: Pay Range $107,900.00 - $195,050.00 The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.

About Leidos Holding

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Joining Leidos Holding presents an unparalleled opportunity to advance one's career with a leader in innovation and technology. The company offers a plethora of job opportunities aimed at fostering professional growth and development in a diverse and inclusive environment.

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Leidos Holding is actively seeking skilled professionals who are passionate about leveraging their expertise to drive innovation and leadership in their fields. With a variety of open positions, Leidos Holding provides a platform for individuals to challenge themselves in a dynamic work environment.

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At Leidos Holding, innovation is at the core of everything they do. Employees are encouraged to think creatively and push boundaries. The company supports this drive for innovation through comprehensive professional development and diversity training programs that are designed to enhance skills and foster leadership.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

Leidos Holding is committed to creating a workplace where diversity is not only recognized but celebrated. With a culture that values and promotes diversity, Leidos Holding ensures that all team members have the opportunity to contribute, learn, and grow.

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For those starting their career, Leidos Holding offers internship programs that provide a robust foundation in the industry. Internships are a great way to develop essential skills, gain valuable work experience, and build professional networks.

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Employees at Leidos Holding enjoy a range of benefits designed to support their professional and personal lives. The company culture is built on a foundation of respect and integrity, providing a supportive and collaborative environment where every team member is valued.

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