40 – AI Ops Engineer SME

Defense Engineering Inc.; Fort Belvoir (VA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Defense Engineering, Inc. seeks an AIOps Engineer SME to drive DoW ITSM modernization, leading Splunk, ServiceNow, and SolarWinds initiatives in Fort Belvoir or Albuquerque. You will design, deploy, and manage AIOps to improve mission-critical reliability and security across DoW networks and systems.

You will lead cross-functional teams, develop ML-driven insights with Splunk MLTK, and ensure secure data integration and compliant operations in both unclassified and classified environments.

Qualifications

• BS degree with 12–15 years of experience or MS with 10–13 years of experience.
• Active TS/SCI clearance required at time of hire.
• US citizenship required.
• 7+ years with Splunk Enterprise (architectural design, cluster mgmt, SPL).
• 3+ years implementing AIOps workflows with ServiceNow for automation.

Responsibilities

• Lead the AIOps platform initiative across Network Engineering, ServiceNow, and SolarWinds teams.
• Architect closed-loop remediation by integrating Splunk ITSI with ServiceNow modules.
• Maintain Splunk AIOps across unclassified and classified enclaves for real-time visibility.
• Integrate SolarWinds telemetry with server and application logs for holistic view.
• Deploy ML models via Splunk MLTK to identify anomalies and threats.
• Engineer secure data ingestion pipelines from cross-domain and edge devices.
• Leverage ITSI to correlate events and prioritize mission alerts.
• Collaborate with CSSP to align AIOps with defensive cyber operations.

Skills

Cross-Functional Leadership

AIOps

ITSM Automation

Observability

Telemetry Integration

Machine Learning (MLTK)

Scripting (Python)

DoD/NOC/SOC Ops

Leadership

Security & Compliance

Education

Bachelor's degree in a technical field

Active TS/SCI clearance

Tools

Splunk Enterprise

Splunk ITSI

ServiceNow

SolarWinds

VMware vCenter

Job description

Job Description

Defense Engineering, Inc. (Dei) is seeking a AIOps Engineer SME to support critical mission operations within a secure environment and lead the transformation of our IT Service Management (ITSM) capabilities in Fort Belvoir or Albuquerque, New Mexico. This role is responsible for the design, deployment, and management of AIOps solutions that enhance the reliability and security of Department of War (DoW) networks and systems.

Acting as the technical lead for this initiative, you will orchestrate integrations across existing Network Engineering, ServiceNow, and SolarWinds teams. You will utilize Splunk and the Machine Learning Toolkit (MLTK) to provide descriptive and predictive analytics and establish closed-loop automated incident response, ensuring the high availability of mission-essential infrastructure.

Clearance: Active Top Secret / Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) required at time of hire.

Primary Responsibilities

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Lead the AIOps platform initiative by acting as the primary technical liaison to existing Network Engineering, ServiceNow, and SolarWinds administration teams to establish unified telemetry pipelines.
• ITSM Orchestration & Automation: Architect closed-loop remediation workflows by deeply integrating Splunk ITSI alerts with ServiceNow Event Management and Incident Management modules.
• Mission-Critical Observability: Architect and maintain Splunk AIOps solutions across unclassified and classified enclaves to provide real-time situational awareness.
• Infrastructure Telemetry Integration: Normalize and correlate network performance and fault data from SolarWinds with server and application logs to provide a holistic view of enterprise health.
• Advanced ML Development: Deploy custom machine learning models via Splunk MLTK to identify anomalous behavior, potential cyber threats, and infrastructure degradations.
• Secure Data Integration: Engineer secure data ingestion pipelines for telemetry data from cross-domain solutions and tactical edge devices.
• Incident Reduction: Utilize IT Service Intelligence (ITSI) to correlate multi-source events, reducing noise and prioritizing high-impact mission alerts.
• Cyber Defense Support: Collaborate with the Cyber Security Service Provider (CSSP) to integrate AIOps insights into defensive cyber operations (DCO).
• Compliance & Documentation: Ensure all observability tools comply with DoW STIGs and IL5/IL6 protocols; develop and maintain architectural documentation and compliance traceability.
• Mission Alignment: Stay current on AIOps and related capabilities relevant to DoD, federal, and intelligence mission systems.

Required Qualifications

• Education: BS degree and 12 – 15 years of prior relevant experience or Masters with 10 – 13 years of prior relevant experience. May possess a Doctorate in technical domain. Specific experience, education and training may be considered in lieu of degree.
• Security Clearance:Secret Clearance
• Certification:Active IAT Level II certification (e.g., Security+ CE, CySA+, GSEC, or SSCP) required.
• Citizenship:United States Citizenship is required.
• Platform Experience:7+ years of experience with Splunk Enterprise, including architectural design, cluster management, and advanced Search Processing Language (SPL).
• AIOps & ITSM:3+ years of experience implementing AIOps workflows, including integration with enterprise ITSM solutions (ServiceNow) for automated root cause analysis and remediation.
• Machine Learning:Proven track record of building, testing, and tuning supervised and unsupervised models within the Splunk MLTK.
• Scripting & Automation:Advanced scripting skills for developing custom search commands, API integrations, and automating remediation tasks (e.g., Python).
• Leadership:Experience leading technical working groups and directing the efforts of adjacent infrastructure and development teams.
• Operational Experience:Prior experience working within a DoW/DoD Operations Center (NOC/SOC) or supporting mission-critical systems and networks.
• Communication:Must be able to present designs, plans, and analyses of alternatives to technical leadership boards for approvals.

Desired Qualifications

• Enterprise Aggregation:Experience aggregating and correlating telemetry from diverse tools, specifically SolarWinds, ServiceNow, and VMware vCenter.
• Expert Certification:Splunk Enterprise Certified Architect or Splunk ITSI Certified Admin.
• Cloud Observability:Experience with Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) observability tools in secure hybrid multi-cloud environments (Azure/AWS).
• RMF/ATO Knowledge:Understanding of the Risk Management Framework (RMF) and the Authorization to Operate (ATO) process for AI/ML workloads.