Denver AI Research Lead & Principal Investigator

CACI; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 108,000 - 228,000; Full time

Job summary

CACI is seeking a staff-level Data Scientist/Principal Investigator to lead an AI/ML research portfolio in Denver, CO. The role blends hands-on experimentation with strategic leadership to deliver secure, scalable capabilities for mission-focused applications.

The candidate will guide cross-functional teams, shape research directions, and drive prototypes into production-ready solutions while maintaining rigorous evaluation and responsible-AI practices.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant technical or quantitative discipline or equivalent
• Minimum of 7 years of professional experience
• Demonstrated PI/technical lead experience with responsibility for scope, risk, and outcomes
• Strong practical ML experience with depth in two+ areas (e.g., generative AI, NLP, CV, information extraction)
• Proficient with modern AI/ML libraries and frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, scikit-learn, Hugging Face)

Responsibilities

• Serve as Principal Investigator and technical lead for a portfolio of applied AI research efforts; define research questions, approaches, milestones, evaluation plans, risks, and transition criteria
• Identify and shape new research opportunities with technical leaders, customers, and program teams; assist with white papers and funding briefs
• Remain hands-on: design experiments, build prototypes, review code, troubleshoot issues, establish baselines
• Architect end-to-end AI systems integrating models, data pipelines, APIs, and deployment infrastructure

Skills

Python

PyTorch

TensorFlow

scikit-learn

Hugging Face

Generative AI/LLMs

NLP

Computer Vision

Leadership in research

PI/Technical leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Data Science/Statistics/Math/Engineering

Tools

Job description

CACI is seeking a staff-level Data Scientist/Principal Investigator to lead an AI/ML research portfolio in Denver, CO. The role blends hands-on experimentation with strategic leadership to deliver secure, scalable capabilities for mission-focused applications.

The candidate will guide cross-functional teams, shape research directions, and drive prototypes into production-ready solutions while maintaining rigorous evaluation and responsible-AI practices.