Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning Lead Verification and Validation Engineer

Gopsusports; State College (Centre County); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 266,000; Full time

Job summary

Penn State University in State College, PA or Reston, VA, is seeking an AI/ML Engineer to lead IV&V and the Data Curation Center of Excellence within ARL. You will guide labeling, data governance, and model evaluation, coordinating with researchers and program sponsors.

The role requires a strong background in AI/ML data workflows, Python/SQL, and experience with CVAT or Label Studio. This is an on-site position with DoD-related collaboration and data handling.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in CS, data science, information science, or engineering.
• Extensive experience managing AI/ML data curation or IV&V workflows.
• Proficiency in Python and SQL for data manipulation and pipelines.
• Experience with annotation tools like CVAT or Label Studio.

Responsibilities

• Lead IV&V and data curation efforts, setting acceptance criteria and standards.
• Mentor a team of engineers performing labeling, curation, and IV&V tasks.
• Design and oversee data pipelines for ingestion, transformation, and quality control.
• Lead data governance and metadata management for scalable datasets.
• Serve as liaison between data team, researchers, and sponsors; present findings.
• Evaluate tools and platforms and drive automation to improve efficiency.
• Maintain data catalogs and access-controlled repositories for discovery.
• Work within an Agile development environment on a large research team.

Skills

Python

SQL

Data annotation

IV&V workflows

Machine learning basics

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Data Science/Engineering

Tools

CVAT

Label Studio

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

## Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning Lead Verification and Validation EngineerApplylocations: Penn State University Parktime type: Full timeposted on: Posted Todayjob requisition id: REQ\_0000080876# **APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:*** ## CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student), please login to Workday to complete the internal application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.* ## CURRENT PENN STATE STUDENT (not employed previously at the university) and seeking employment with Penn State, please login to Workday to complete the student application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.* ## If you are NOT a current employee or student, please click “Apply” and complete the application process for external applicants.### **Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see Notice to Out of State Applicants.**### **POSITION SPECIFICS**We are searching for a talented, experienced, organized, and a highly motivated AI/ML Engineer to join the Research Artificial Intelligence Department of the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) at Penn State. You will lead our Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) and Data Curation Center of Excellence. This team serves as the foundation for effective machine learning—building, curating, and governing the data that directly determines whether AI/ML models succeed in operationally relevant environments. This position can be filled in **State College, PA** or **Reston, VA**.ARL is an authorized DoD SkillBridge partner and welcomes all transitioning military members to apply.**You will:*** Serve as the technical lead for the IV&V and Data Curation Center of Excellence, setting priorities, defining standards, and driving the team's technical direction* Mentor, guide, and coordinate a team of engineers performing data labeling, annotation, curation, and IV&V across multiple data modalities* Establish and evolve annotation standards, labeling guidelines, data governance frameworks, and quality assurance processes to ensure consistency and reproducibility at scale* Design and oversee data pipelines for ingestion, transformation, quality control, and cataloging of classified and open-source data* Lead IV&V efforts on datasets and model outputs, defining acceptance criteria and fitness-for-use standards* Serve as the primary point of contact between the data curation team and research scientists, algorithm developers, and program stakeholders to translate data needs into actionable plans* Present findings, status, and recommendations to leadership and sponsors through well-constructed briefings, papers, and technical artifacts* Evaluate and introduce tools, platforms, and best practices for annotation (e.g., CVAT, Label Studio), data versioning, and metadata management* Drive automation of manual data analysis and curation processes to improve efficiency and scalability* Architect and maintain data catalogs, metadata schemas, and access-controlled repositories that make curated datasets discoverable and accessible to the broader research team* Work within an Agile development environment within a large research team**Required Skills/Experience areas include:*** Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Information Science, Engineering, or a related technical field* Extensive experience designing and managing data curation, annotation, or IV&V workflows for AI/ML systems* Deep understanding of machine learning fundamentals, including how data quality, labeling strategies, and dataset composition impact model training, evaluation, and deployment* Strong proficiency in Python and SQL for data manipulation, pipeline development, and analysis* Experience with data annotation tools and platforms (e.g., CVAT, Label Studio, or equivalent)* Success in environments where various forms of communication and organizational skills were crucial to be effective**Preferred Skills/Experience areas include:*** Prior experience leading or managing a technical team* Experience working with DoD or Intelligence Community data, workflows, or operational environments* Familiarity with geospatial data formats (shapefiles, GeoJSON, AIS), imagery/FMV exploitation, or signals data processing* Experience with data versioning tools (e.g., DVC, LakeFS) or data catalog platforms* Knowledge of IV&V methodologies and test and evaluation practices for data-driven systems* Experience with containerized development environments (Docker, Kubernetes) and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure)* Master's degree or higher in a relevant field* Current eligibility to access classified information at the Top Secret/ SCI level or higher and may be subject to a government background investigation to updated clearance eligibility, if requiredYour working location will be fully-on site located in either State College, PA or Reston, VA. Questions related to flexible work should be directed to the hiring manager during the interview process. **MINIMUM EDUCATION, WORK EXPERIENCE & REQUIRED CERTIFICATIONS**If filled as R&D Engineer - Artificial Intelligence (ARL) - Principal Professional, this position requires:Bachelor's Degree - Engineering or Science19+ years of relevant experienceRequired Certifications:NoneIf filled as R&D Engineer - Artificial Intelligence (ARL) - Senior Professional, this position requires:Bachelor's Degree - Engineering or Science14+ years of relevant experienceRequired Certifications:None### ARL’s purpose is to research and develop innovative solutions to challenging scientific, engineering, and technology problems in support of the Navy, the Intel Community (IC), and other federal government customers.FOR FURTHER INFORMATION on ARL, visit our website at www.arl.psu.edu. **BACKGROUND CHECKS/CLEARANCES**Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies.### Notice regarding employment at the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL):Employees must be eligible to obtain a government security clearance, participate in the ARL drug testing program, and comply with electronic and physical monitoring requirements applicable to federal contractors. ARL operates in a secure information environment involving Unclassified, Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), and Classified information. Personal electronic devices brought onsite must be registered and may be restricted from certain areas. You must be a U.S. citizen to apply. **SALARY & BENEFITS**The salary range for this position, including all possible grades, is $140,004.00 - $265,704.00.