Director of Machine Learning

Virtualitics; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 250,000 - 350,000; Full time

Job summary

Virtualitics, a defense-tech company in the DMV region, seeks a Director of Machine Learning Engineering. You will lead the ML engineering team, architect production AI/agentic systems, and optimize GPU-backed data pipelines while collaborating across Product, Customer Success, DevOps, and QA to meet strategic commitments.

The role requires a strong software engineering foundation (8+ years), a CS-related degree, and a U.S. Secret clearance, with travel to customer locations as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in CS or related field and 8+ years of software engineering experience.
• Experience deploying AI/agentic systems to production environments.
• Willingness to travel to customer locations as needed and collaborate across teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Machine Learning Engineering team and set technical hiring bar.
• Architect robust, scalable applications from data acquisition to model inference and postprocessing.
• Tackle runtime performance and optimize data access for responsive apps.
• Collaborate with Product, Customer Success, DevOps, and QA to align engineering with commitments.
• Flag pain points to influence roadmap and ensure delivery excellence.
• Communicate progress, risks, and ROI clearly to stakeholders.

Skills

Python

Production AI

GPU computing

DevSecOps

Pandas/NumPy

PyTorch

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Git

Job description

Director of Machine Learning Engineering (Secret Cleared, DMV)

About Virtualitics:

Virtualitics is a fast-growing, Caltech-born defense tech company (:120 people) dedicated to reversing the decline in military readiness. Virtualitics builds AI-native readiness intelligence for the US and allied nations’ defense sector. Virtualitics Iris transforms how defense organizations act on maintenance, logistics, personnel, and global force management data. Our team is actively refining agentic workflows, composable AI agents, and generative interfaces to replace static dashboards with dynamic, conversational intelligence.

What You Will Do:

• Lead the Machine Learning Engineering team
• Provide guidance on how to architect robust, scalable applications using sound engineering principles, managing the complete data lifecycle from acquisition to model inference and postprocessing
• Tackle runtime performance and optimize data access patterns for highly responsive applications
• Collaborate across the delivery team (e.g. Product, Customer Success, DevOps, and QA) to align engineering deliverables with strategic customer commitments
• Tackle key issues across Delivery and Platform teams and flag pain points to help influence the roadmap
• Set the technical hiring bar and mentor engineers, ensuring teams are well-staffed and capable
• Clearly communicate technical progress, risks, and ROI, directly linking AI team output to revenue, mission impact both up and down as well as internally and externally

Core Requirements:

• Clearance & Location: Must hold at least a U.S. Secret security clearance and be willing to upgrade to a TS/SCI if needed. Must be willing to travel to customer locations as needed
• Engineering Fundamentals: A degree in Computer Science or related field and 8+ years of software engineering experience. We target candidates with a strong background in software engineering and production deployment, rather than strictly research-oriented backgrounds
• AI & Systems: A proven track record of deploying software into production environments. Has shipped production-grade AI / agentic systems
• GPU Fluency: Has experience with offloading compute for AI systems to GPUs and is comfortable with designing training and inference pipelines
• Full Stack & DevSecOps: Understands full stack software development, DevSecOps, and AI systems holistically. Familiarity with Docker, Kubernetes, and Git
• Data Ecosystem: Proficiency in Python with a solid understanding of the Python Data Stack (pandas, NumPy, scikit-learn, PyTorch, Matplotlib, etc.). Experience working with a wide variety of data (both structured and unstructured) from different sources
• Culture & Values: Embody Virtualitics core values by bringing a positive attitude, fostering a highly collaborative environment, and always being ready to "lean in" to tackle complex challenges alongside the team

Preferred Qualifications (Pluses):

• Has built and cultivated a high functioning Machine Learning Engineering team before
• Has contributed to building engineering excellence and has top-tier engineering experience
• Experience with big data technologies and frameworks (Spark, Databricks, Snowflake, etc.)

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.