Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Engineer 1

Design, build, and deploy AI and machine learning solutions, with an emphasis on language models and production-ready cloud systems.

Responsibilities

• Design, create, test, and productize AI/ML algorithms to address business challenges and customer requirements
• Work across model architecture, data pipeline interactions, and metrics for application, interpretation, and presentation
• Develop scalable solutions using training, retraining, deploying, scheduling, monitoring, and iterative improvement
• Support AI-related technical leadership as a primary point of contact for matters tied to AI
• Build, train, and fine-tune machine learning models, particularly language models
• Apply best practices for model training, tuning, and optimization
• Design and implement approaches to improve model performance
• Run rigorous model evaluation, including performance analysis and benchmarking
• Perform error analysis, debugging, and model diagnostics to support quality and reliability
• Deploy and scale models using cloud-based AI platforms, especially AWS SageMaker
• Integrate ML models into production environments and ensure compatibility with other systems
• Contribute to full-stack development for AI model-based applications (front-end and back-end)
• Collaborate with software engineers on scalable and efficient deployment pipelines
• Work with data scientists, product teams, and engineers to translate business requirements into technical solutions
• Document workflows, model design processes, and technical specifications
• Select appropriate datasets and perform statistical analysis
• Run machine learning algorithms and use results to improve models, including training and retraining when needed
• Execute standard test and evaluation protocols
• Provide system integration oversight

Requirements

• Knowledge and experience with language models, including Marian and multi-lingual model development
• Knowledge of computational linguistics
• Experience with open-source model libraries
• Hands-on experience with Deep Learning Containers (DLC) and GPU technologies
• Optimization and tuning experience
• Strong programming experience in Java, C, and C++
• Strong proficiency with AI/ML frameworks: TensorFlow, PyTorch, or Hugging Face
• Hands-on experience with AWS SageMaker, AWS Lambda, AWS EC2, and AWS S3
• Experience developing full-stack software applications using languages such as JavaScript, Python, and Java
• Strong understanding of data structures, algorithms, and system design
• Extensive experience in machine learning model development, including NLP
• Experience with model evaluation, optimization, and performance monitoring
• Experience with model versioning and management using tools such as MLFlow or Git
• Familiarity with containerization tools such as Kubernetes
• Two (2) years of applied machine learning experience in programs and contracts of similar scope, type, and complexity is required
• B.S. degree in advanced math (e.g., calculus, linear algebra, or Bayesian statistics), computer science, or related STEM discipline from an accredited college or university is required
• Three (3) years of additional machine learning experience on projects with similar ML processes may be substituted for a bachelor’s degree

Technologies

• Marian
• TensorFlow
• PyTorch
• Hugging Face
• AWS SageMaker
• AWS Lambda
• AWS EC2
• AWS S3
• MLFlow
• Git
• Kubernetes
• Deep Learning Containers (DLC)
• GPU technologies
• Java
• C
• C++
• JavaScript
• Python
• NLP
• Large Language Models (LLMs)

Benefits

• 24 days PTO accrued annually
• 11 federal holidays
• 401k is 100% vested on your start date
• Company direct contribution worth 10% of your salary
• Akina covers 100% of healthcare costs for employees
• 50% toward dependents
• Educational assistance towards college classes
• Training and certification support for job-related training

Clearance

• TS/SCI - Polygraph required within 7 years

Additional Desired Skills

• Willingness to support occasional on-call duties
• Experience in a government or defense-related environment
• Experience with secure data handling and compliance requirements
• Experience working with Large Language Models (LLMs)

Location and Salary

• Location: Annapolis Junction, MD (onsite)
• Salary: USD 170,000 - 208,000 per yearly
• Salary range is a likely estimate and not a guarantee; compensation may vary based on experience, geographic location, and contractual requirements