AI/Machine Learning Engineer SME

Integration Innovation, Inc. (i3) supports mission-critical data and analytics work for the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) through the Enterprise Data Management & Analytics (EDMA) effort. In this hybrid role based in Washington, DC, you will act at the SME level to architect enterprise-ready AI/ML solutions, partner closely with government stakeholders, and help drive responsible-AI and governance aligned to IC and DoD directives.

Salary: USD 200,000 - 350,000 per year.

Security: Active Secret clearance is required, with the ability to obtain and maintain TS/SCI.

What you’ll do

• Architect enterprise-ready AI/ML solutions spanning model-training pipelines, inference services, feature stores, data-ingestion pathways, and MLOps frameworks aligned to requirements.
• Define and communicate a technical roadmap, translating mission needs into actionable architectures, workstreams, and implementation plans.
• Lead multi-disciplinary engineering efforts, providing technical direction across algorithms, model selection, data strategy, integration, and delivery cadence.
• Oversee sprint planning and technical execution to keep deliverables on track, remove blockers, and ensure engineering artifacts meet enterprise standards.
• Serve as the primary technical interface with government stakeholders, explaining architecture decisions, model behaviors, risk tradeoffs, and recommended solution pathways.
• Establish and enforce best practices for ML engineering, DevSecOps, coding standards, test automation, and model life-cycle governance.
• Run technical reviews and mentor engineers to strengthen capability and maintain alignment with mission outcomes.
• Guide evaluation and adoption of advanced ML tools and patterns, including PyTorch, TensorFlow, and JAX, distributed compute, MLOps platforms, generative-AI modernization patterns, and enterprise-scale data solutions.
• Lead integration of AI capabilities into cloud-native or hybrid architectures, ensuring security, accreditation, and enterprise data-management requirements are met.
• Provide SME-level support for strategic planning, including solution briefs, architecture diagrams, and CONOPS development to support government review panels.
• Champion responsible-AI and governance approaches aligned to IC and DoD directives.

What you bring

• U.S. citizenship.
• Active Secret clearance with the ability to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI security clearance.
• Bachelor’s degree (Master’s preferred) in Computer Science, Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Data Science, or a related field.
• Minimum 14 years of progressive experience in AI/ML, data engineering, or advanced analytics.
• Proven experience architecting and deploying enterprise AI/ML systems.
• Deep proficiency in Python and modern ML frameworks, including PyTorch, TensorFlow, and JAX.
• Experience leading technical teams, performing architecture trade studies, and guiding end-to-end ML lifecycle development.
• Strong understanding of secure software engineering, distributed systems, DevSecOps, and containerization.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to interface with senior government stakeholders.

Technologies

• Python
• PyTorch
• TensorFlow
• JAX
• MLOps
• DevSecOps

Preferred qualifications

• Experience supporting AI/ML projects in government, defense, or intelligence environments.
• Familiarity with Intelligence Community mission needs and data types.
• Exposure to cloud-native development (AWS, Azure, GovCloud).
• Experience building or supporting NLP, computer-vision, generative-AI, or anomaly-detection models.
• Knowledge of MLOps, CI/CD, container orchestration, or distributed training frameworks.