A/AI Research Engineer - E2

Lockheed Martin Corporation; United States; On-site; USD 101,000 - 188,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

Flexible work arrangements

401(k) match

Paid time off

Holidays

Parental Leave

EAP

Education Assistance

Life Insurance

Short-Term Disability

Long-Term Disability

Job summary

Lockheed Martin Corporation focuses on AI/ML research and the development of autonomous systems for defense and commercial customers. You will drive prototype development, optimize AI algorithms, and collaborate across perception, mission, and planning teams to push state-of-the-art capabilities.

The role requires hands-on experience with AI/ML at scale, proficiency in Python/C++, and a track record in deploying AI solutions to production environments. A STEM bachelor’s degree is required.

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience developing and deploying AI/ML at scale.
• Experience with Python, C++ and ML/DL workflows.
• Experience deploying AI solutions into production.

Responsibilities

• Research and develop AI/ML algorithms for autonomous systems.
• Train and fine-tune large language models (≥ 10 B params).
• Collaborate with perception, mission, and planning teams.
• Prototype AI capabilities for LM products and platforms.

Skills

AI/ML programming languages

Python

C++

Large language models

Prompt engineering

Research experience

Education

Bachelor's in STEM

Tools

LangChain

LangGraph

AutoGen

LlamaIndex

AWS (EC2/S3)

Job description

Standard Job Description

Focuses on research & development of technologies that enable and advance semi and fully autonomous systems for both defense and commercial customers. Serves as the algorithm expert with up-to-date knowledge on modern AI research and may be involved in the inception of ideas and drive the development cycles from research to test of prototypes for a major project or component of a major project.Researches and discovers improvements to machine learning and robotic algorithms; Drives advancements in techniques used in signal processing, computer vision (CV), and control systems; Develops AI algorithms for mission systems; Applies latest research on AI algorithms and trains machine learning / deep learning models to solve a variety of problems; Investigates and applies the latest machine learning and deep learning techniques; Optimizes the performance of AI algorithms, applications, and platforms; Develops and documents algorithm and implementation requirements; Develops prototypes that will enable autonomous functionality in LM products and platforms; Interfaces with other teams involved the development lifecycle for perception, mission and motion planning, simulation and modeling, testing, etc.

Basic Qualifications

• Demonstrated years of hands-on experience developing and deploying AI/ML solutions at scale.
• Experience with AI/ML programming languages (Python, C++, etc.).
• Demonstrated hands‑on experience developing, fine‑tuning, or deploying large language models (≥ 10 B parameters).
• Demonstrated expertise in prompt/context engineering (designing, testing, and optimizing prompts for reliability, safety, and performance).
• Bachelor's degree in a STEM or related discipline (e.g. Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Data Science, etc.).
• Research experience in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Computer Vision, or Image Processing.
• Experience deploying/hosting AI solutions & applications into production

Desired Skills

• UI development using applications such as Streamlit
• Design and implementation of autonomous agents (hierarchical RL, planning‑as‑search, LLM‑driven agents).
• Experience with multi‑modal perception loops, self‑reflection, and tool‑use APIs (e.g., ReAct, LangChain Agents).
• Experience with AWS core services (EC2, S3, IAM, VPC, KMS, Lambda, API Gateway) to build and secure scalable infrastructure.
• Proficiency with frameworks that support autonomous reasoning and planning, such as LangGraph, CrewAI, AutoGen, and LlamaIndex.
• Ability to implement hybrid retrieval, semantic chunking, and GraphRAG (combining knowledge graphs with vector search).
• Proficiency in building both MCP Clients (to host models) and MCP Servers (to expose data/tools)

Pay Information

GeoZone Definition: GeoZones are geographic groupings created by Lockheed Martin to align compensation ranges with regional labor markets and cost-of-labor differences across the United States. Locations are assigned a Geo Zone based on the primary work location of the role.

• Full-time salary range (GEOZONE 1): $101400.00 - $188200.00
• Includes metropolitan areas such as Sunnyvale CA; Pal Alto, CA; New York City metropolitan area; Newark, New Jersey; etc.
• Full-time salary range (GEOZONE 2): $91200.00 - $169400.00
• Includes metropolitan areas such as Denver, CO; King of Prussia, PA; Stratford, CT; Moorestown, NJ; etc.
• Full-time salary range (GEOZONE 3): $81100.00 - $150500.00
• Includes metropolitan areas such as Dallas–Fort Worth, TX; Orlando, FL; Grand Prairie, TX; Marietta, GA; etc.
• Full-time salary range (GEOZONE 4): $72900.00 - $135500.00
• Includes metropolitan areas such as Camden, AR; Lexington, KY; Lufkin, TX; etc.

At Lockheed Martin, we know mission success starts with taking care of our people. Our Total Rewards program is designed to attract top talent, support your well-being, and help you grow—both professionally and personally.

The salary range for this position is as listed on the requisition. Please note that the salary information listed is a general guideline only.
Lockheed Martin considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience, education/ training, key skills as well as market(work location) and business considerations when extending an offer.

Benefits offered: Medical, Dental, Vision, Flexible work arrangements and schedules (e.g., 4x10), 401(k) match, Paid time off, Holidays, Parental Leave, EAP, Flexible Spending Accounts, Education Assistance, Life Insurance, Short-Term Disability, and Long-Term Disability.

• Annual short-term and/or long-term incentive compensation programs may be offered depending on the position. Payments under these annual programs are not guaranteed and can vary from year to year and are tied to a range of performance metrics.
• For (Washington state applicants only) Non-represented full-time employees: accrue at least 10 hours per month of Paid Time Off (PTO) to be used for incidental absences and other reasons; receive at least 90 hours for holidays. Represented full time employees accrue 6.67 hours of Vacation per month; accrue up to 52 hours of sick leave annually; receive at least 96 hours for holidays. PTO, Vacation, sick leave, and holiday hours are prorated based on start date during the calendar year.