AI Solutions Architect

Accenture Federal Services; Columbia (MD); On-site; USD 139,000 - 269,000; Full time

Job summary

Accenture Federal Services seeks a Senior AI/ML Leader in Maryland to guide a team of 3 engineers and full-stack developers. You will define roadmaps for LLM applications, align with business goals, and drive architecture, MLOps, and governance across projects.

You will oversee RAG, fine-tuning, and scalable microservices, with hands-on work in Python/TypeScript, React, FastAPI, and cloud platforms. Strong leadership and security posture are essential.

Qualifications

• 8 years in software engineering or data science with 3 years in leadership roles.
• 3 years hands-on experience with LLMs and/or generative AI applications.
• Experience deploying production AI/ML systems at scale.
• Experience managing cross-functional technical teams.
• Proficiency with ML frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, Hugging Face, LangChain, LlamaIndex).

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of 3 ML engineers and full-stack developers.
• Define technical roadmaps for LLM application development aligned with business objectives.
• Facilitate sprint planning, code reviews, and architecture design sessions.
• Manage resource allocation, project timelines, and stakeholder communications.
• Architect full-stack LLM solutions including frontend interfaces, API layers, vector databases, and model orchestration.
• Oversee engineering strategies, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) implementations, and fine-tuning initiatives.
• Design scalable microservices architectures integrating LLM APIs (OpenAI, Anthropic, AWS Bedrock, Azure OpenAI).
• Implement MLOps pipelines for model versioning, A/B testing, monitoring, and continuous deployment.
• Optimize inference performance, cost management, and latency reduction strategies.

Skills

Leadership

Team management

Strategic thinking

Communication skills

Agile/Scrum

LLM applications

AI governance

Cloud platforms

MLOps

Education

Bachelor’s degree in CS or related field

Master’s degree or PhD in CS/AI/ML

DoD 8140 Policy Framework

Certifications in prompt engineering / LLM development / AI ethics

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Hugging Face

LangChain

LlamaIndex

Pinecone

Weaviate

ChromaDB

AWS Bedrock

Azure OpenAI

Docker

Kubernetes

MLflow

Weights & Biases

Job description

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Team Management

• Lead and mentor a team of 3 ML engineers and full-stack developers
• Define technical roadmaps for LLM application development aligned with business objectives
• Facilitate sprint planning, code reviews, and architecture design sessions
• Manage resource allocation, project timelines, and stakeholder communications

Technical Execution

• Architect full-stack LLM solutions including frontend interfaces, API layers, vector databases, and model orchestration
• Oversee engineering strategies, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) implementations, and fine-tuning initiatives
• Design scalable microservices architectures integrating LLM APIs (OpenAI, Anthropic, AWS Bedrock, Azure OpenAI)
• Implement MLOps pipelines for model versioning, A/B testing, monitoring, and continuous deployment
• Optimize inference performance, cost management, and latency reduction strategies

Development & Innovation

• Build production applications using Python, TypeScript/JavaScript, and modern frameworks (React, Next.js, FastAPI)
• Develop evaluation frameworks for model performance, safety, and alignment
• Implement guardrails, content filtering, and responsible AI practices
• Prototype emerging capabilities including function calling, agents, and multi-modal applications

Collaboration & Governance

• Partner with product managers, external stakeholders, and security teams on requirements and compliance
• Present technical proposals and demos to executive leadership
• Establish coding standards, documentation practices, and knowledge-sharing initiatives
• Manage vendor relationships and evaluate emerging LLM technologies

Here's What You Need

• 8 years in software engineering or data science with 3 years in leadership roles
• 3 years hands-on experience with LLMs and/or generative AI applications
• Experience deploying production AI/ML systems at scale
• Experience managing cross-functional technical teams
• Proficiency with ML frameworks (e.g.: PyTorch, TensorFlow, Hugging Face, LangChain, LlamaIndex)
• Experience with vector databases (e.g.: Pinecone, Weaviate, ChromaDB), embeddings, and/or semantic search
• Experience with cloud platforms (e.g.: AWS, Azure, GCP) and containerization (e.g.: Docker, Kubernetes)
• Familiarity with CI/CD, infrastructure-as-code, and/or MLOps tools (MLflow, Weights & Biases)

Bonus Points

• If you have Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (required)
• Master's degree or PhD in Computer Science, AI/ML, or related discipline (strongly preferred)
• DoD 8140 Policy Framework
• Relevant certifications in prompt engineering, LLM development, or AI ethics

Core Competencies

• Deep knowledge of LLM architectures, transformer models, and prompt engineering techniques
• Strategic thinking with ability to translate business needs into technical solutions
• Strong communication skills for technical and non-technical audiences
• Experience with Agile/Scrum methodologies and project management
• Understanding of data privacy, security, and AI governance frameworks
• Passion for staying current with rapidly evolving AI/ML landscape

Security Requirements

Must have an active TS/SCI with polygraph

What We Believe

As a company wholly dedicated to serving the US federal government, we bring together the best talent to help reinvent how federal agencies operate and deliver greater value for their mission and the American people.

We have an unwavering commitment to creating a culture in which all our people are respected, feel a sense of belonging, and have equal opportunity.

As a business imperative, every person at Accenture Federal Services has the responsibility to create and sustain a culture where everyone feels welcomed and included.

This is grounded in our core values and our experience that hiring and developing great people who reflect differen

We accept applications on an on-going basis and there is no fixed deadline to apply.

Compensation

As required by local law, Accenture Federal Services provides reasonable ranges of compensation for hired roles based on labor costs in the states of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and the District of Columbia. The base pay range for this position in these locations is shown below.

Accenture Federal Services offers a wide variety of benefits. You can find more information on benefits here.

The pay range for the states of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and the District of Columbia is: $139,300 - $269,000 USD