AI Engineer

National Security Agency; Fort Meade (MD); On-site; USD 87,000 - 197,000; Full time

Job summary

NSA's Fort Meade, MD invites applications for an AI Engineer at entry to expert level. Design and implement mission-critical AI systems, spanning model training, deployment, and monitoring, with exposure to CV, NLP, audio, and multi-modal models.

Collaborate across teams to translate requirements into scalable AI solutions. Depending on experience, you may join a mission office or the Data Science Development Program, gaining hands-on project experience, rounds at internal tech forums, and

Job description

AI Engineer - Entry to Expert Level (Maryland)

AI Engineer - Entry to Expert Level (Maryland)

Fort George G. Meade Complex, MD
Pay Plan: GG , Grade: 07/1 to 15/10
Open: 2026-09-16, Close: 2026-09-30

Job Posting: 1262729

Responsibilities

AI Engineers will:- Lead or contribute to cross-functional teams to develop and operationalize AI solutions that help solve our most challenging problems.- Apply modern engineering techniques to design, develop, deploy and maintain end-to-end AI workflows spanning model training, inference and performance monitoring.- Adapt and integrate diverse AI model architectures, including computer vision systems, natural language processors, audio processors, large language models (LLMs) and multi-modal frameworks to address complex mission-critical challenges.- Monitor and maintain AI products through systematic identification of performance degradation and computational inefficiency and address these challenges through regular fine-tuning to ensure continued alignment with evolving mission needs and organizational goals.- Maintain knowledge of current AI research and adapt emerging techniques to intelligence applications.- Test and evaluate AI solutions against mission requirements and produce actionable recommendations.

Job Summary

As an AI Engineer at NSA, you will design and implement mission-critical AI systems that keep the agency at the cutting edge of intelligence collection, processing and reporting to keep the nation safe. You'll apply your expertise in data science, plus software, data and systems engineering to build, deploy and maintain AI systems at scale while addressing the entire AI life cycle, including infrastructure management, efficient model training, production deployment, performance monitoring and continuous optimization.Depending on your experience level, you will be assigned to a mission office or enrolled in the three-year Data Science Development Program, which will both broaden and specialize your AI engineering skills through courses and working in a variety of mission offices (each for several months). In either case, you will work with NSA experts in AI engineering, related technical domains and specialized subject areas. You'll have opportunities to participate in internal technical roundtables and attend technical conferences with experts from industry and academia.

Qualifications

The qualifications listed are the minimum acceptable to be considered for the position.For all of the Engineering degrees, if program is not ABET accredited, it must include specified coursework.**Specified coursework includes courses in differential and integral calculus and 5 of the following 18 areas: (a) statics or dynamics, (b) strength of materials/stress-strain relationships, (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics, (d) thermodynamics, (e) electromagnetic fields, (f) nature and properties of materials/relating particle and aggregate structure to properties, (g) solid state electronics, (h) microprocessor applications, (i), computer systems, (j) signal processing, (k) digital design, (l) systems and control theory, (m) circuits or generalized circuits, (n) communication systems, (o) power systems, (p) computer networks, (q) software development, (r) Any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, or soil mechanics.ENTRYNote that different degree fields have different requirements as described below.For degrees in Computer Science or Engineering, entry is with an Associate's degree plus 2 years of relevant experience, or a Bachelor's degree and no experience, or a Master's degree and no experience.For degrees in Information Systems, Information Technology, Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Statistics, Applied Statistics, Operations Research, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, or Physical or Biological Sciences, entry is with an Associate's degree plus 3 years of relevant experience, or a Bachelor's degree and 1 year of relevant experience.Relevant experience must be in one or more of the following: implementing production scale AI/ML (Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning) solutions, distributed model training, distributed AI/ML systems, AI/ML performance monitoring, platform engineering, cloud engineering, developing deep learning models, neural networks, sustaining/maintaining AI/ML models, implementing AI/ML algorithms, AI/ML model development and deployment, DevOps, MLOps, cloud infrastructure management, software engineering, automated testing, or containerization.FULL PERFORMANCENote that different degree fields have different requirements as described below.For degrees in Computer Science or Engineering, entry is with an Associate's degree plus 5 years of relevant experience, or a Bachelor's degree plus 3 years of relevant experience, or a Master's degree plus 1 year of relevant experience, or a Doctoral degree and no experience.For degrees in Information Systems, Information Technology, Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Statistics, Applied Statistics, Operations Research, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, or Physical or Biological Sciences, entry is with an Associate's degree plus 5 years of relevant experience, or a Bachelor's degree plus 3 years of relevant experience, or a Master's degree plus 1 year of relevant experience, or a Doctoral degree and 1 year of relevant experience.Relevant experience must be in one or more of the following: implementing production scale AI/ML solutions, distributed model training, distributed AI/ML systems, AI/ML performance monitoring, platform engineering, cloud engineering, developing deep learning models, sustaining/maintaining AI/ML models, implementing AI/ML algorithms, AI/ML model development and deployment, DevOps, MLOps, cloud infrastructure management, software engineering, automated testing, or containerization.SENIOREntry is with an Associate's degree plus 8 years of relevant experience, or a Bachelor's degree plus 6 years of relevant experience, or a Master's degree plus 4 years of relevant experience, or a Doctoral degree plus 2 years of relevant experience.Degree must be in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, Information Technology, Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Statistics, Applied Statistics, Operations Research, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, or Physical or Biological Sciences.Relevant experience must be in two or more of the following: implementing production scale AI/ML solutions, distributed model training, distributed AI/ML systems, AI/ML performance monitoring, platform engineering, cloud engineering, developing deep learning models, sustaining/maintaining AI/ML models, implementing AI/ML algorithms, AI/ML model development and deployment, DevOps, MLOps, cloud infrastructure management, software engineering, automated testing, or containerization.EXPERTEntry is with an Associate's degree plus 11 years of relevant experience, or a Bachelor's degree plus 9 years of relevant experience, or a Master's degree plus 7 years of relevant experience, or a Doctoral degree plus 5 years of relevant experience.Degree must be in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, Information Technology, Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Statistics, Applied Statistics, Operations Research, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, or Physical or Biological Sciences.Relevant experience must be in three or more of the following: implementing production scale AI/ML solutions, distributed model training, distributed AI/ML systems, AI/ML performance monitoring, platform engineering, cloud engineering, developing deep learning models, sustaining/maintaining AI/ML models, implementing AI/ML algorithms, AI/ML model development and deployment, DevOps, MLOps, cloud infrastructure management, software engineering, automated testing, or containerization. Additionally, you must have experience in serving as an AI Project Team Leader/model owner.

Specialized skills and experience

Specialized skills and experience in one or more of the following is desired:- Deep learning frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, JAX)- Model training, fine-tuning and optimization techniques- Computer vision, NLP, speech/audio processing and/or multi-modal AI systems- Large language models (LLMs) and transformer architectures- Model evaluation, validation and performance monitoring- Transfer learning and domain adaptation- Python programming and other relevant languages (C++, Java, Scala, TypeScript)- Version control (Git) and collaborative development- API design and microservices architecture- Software testing frameworks and CI/CD pipelines- Containerization (Docker, Kubernetes)- Data processing frameworks (Spark, Dask, Ray)- Feature engineering and data preprocessing- Production model deployment and serving infrastructure- Monitoring, logging and observability tools- Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and/or HPC systems- Distributed computing and parallel processing- GPU optimization and resource management- Database systems (SQL and NoSQL)- Cross-function collaboration and communication- Technical documentation and presentation- Ability to translate mission requirements into technical solutions

Pay

Pay: Salary offers are based on candidates' education level and years of experience relevant to the position and also take into account information provided by the hiring manager/organization regarding the work level for the position.Salary Range: $87,362 - $197,200 (Entry/Developmental, Full Performance, Senior, Expert)Salary range varies by location, work level, and relevant experience to the position.Training will be provided based on the selectee's needs and experience.

Benefits

Benefits: NSA offers a comprehensive benefits package.Work Schedule: This is a full-time position, Monday - Friday, with basic 8hr/day work requirement between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. (flexible).DCIPS Trial Period:If selected for this position, you will be required to serve a two-year DCIPS trial period, unless you are a veterans' preference-eligible employee, in which case you are required to serve a one-year trial period. This trial period runs concurrently with your commitment to the position, if applicable. Before finalizing your appointment at the conclusion of your trial period, NSA will determine whether your continued employment advances the public interest. This decision will be based on factors such as your performance and conduct; the Agency's needs and interests; whether your continued employment would advance the Agency's organizational goals; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.If you do not receive certification for continued employment, you should receive written notice prior to the end of your trial period that your employment will be terminated and the effective date of such termination.

Equal Opportunity & Compliance

U.S. Citizenship is required for all applicants. NSA is an equal opportunity employer and abides by applicable employment laws and regulations. All applicants and employees are subject to random drug testing in accordance with Executive Order 12564. Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a security background investigation and polygraph. Reasonable accommodations may be provided to applicants with disabilities during the application and hiring process where appropriate.

Application Narrative Questions

1. How has your commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles of the United States inspired you to pursue this role within the Federal government? Provide a concrete example from professional, academic, or personal experience.
2. In this role, how would you use your skills and experience to improve government efficiency and effectiveness? Provide specific examples where you improved processes, reduced costs, or improved outcomes.
3. How would you help advance the President's Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role? Identify one or two relevant Executive Orders or policy initiatives that are significant to you, and explain how you would help implement them if hired.
4. How has a strong work ethic contributed to your professional, academic or personal achievements? Provide one or two specific examples, and explain how those qualities would enable you to serve effectively in this position.

DCIPS Disclaimer

If you are claiming veterans' preference, in accordance with the procedures provided in DoD Instruction 1400.25, Volume 2005, "DoD Civilian Personnel Management System: Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System Employment and Placement," NSA applies veterans' preference, as defined by Section 2108 of Title 5, U.S.C., to eligible candidates. If you are claiming veterans' preference, you are required to provide acceptable documentation of your preference eligibility upon application. Acceptable documentation includes:- DD-214: "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty," which shows dates of service and discharge under honorable conditions (Copy 4); OR- Certification of Service:A written document on letterhead from the appropriate branch of the armed forces that certifies the service member is expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is signed. The certification should include the military service dates, including the expected discharge or release date; AND- Standard Form 15 (SF-15)Application for 10-point Veteran Preference (http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf15.pdf).If you are claiming a service-connected disability of 30 percent or more, the documentation you provide must