Lead ML Engineer — Vision & Defense Analytics

Aimlroles; Centreville (MD); On-site; USD 158,000 - 241,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

401K with company match

Paid holidays

Job summary

AeroVironment is seeking a Lead Machine Learning Engineer to drive computer vision and ML initiatives in the LEAP group within the MacCready Works division. You will mentor junior engineers and lead end-to-end development from requirements to validation across diverse sensor platforms.

The role requires 10–12 years of relevant experience, strong PyTorch/OpenCV/Linux skills, and familiarity with DoD/IC environments, with a focus on defense and commercial applications. U.S. Citizenship is required.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of ML/vision experience
• 10–12 years of relevant experience
• Proficiency with PyTorch and ML libraries (scikit-learn, pandas)
• Experience with OpenCV and Linux
• Familiarity with DoD/IC contexts and security requirements
• Ability to lead and mentor others

Responsibilities

• Lead design and development of CV and ML algorithms for detection, classification, localization, and tracking across sensor platforms
• Stay current with academic literature and commercial/open-source ML advances
• Advise on software infrastructure and DevOps for ML workloads
• Implement ML algorithms and validate designs via experiments
• Analyze model errors and improve performance
• Select datasets and oversee data acquisition when needed
• Coordinate resources and team activities to meet deadlines

Skills

C/C++ or Python

PyTorch

scikit-learn

pandas

OpenCV

Linux

ONNX

big data visualization

leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering/Math/Physics

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

ONNX

OpenCV

Linux

Job description

AeroVironment is seeking a Lead Machine Learning Engineer to drive computer vision and ML initiatives in the LEAP group within the MacCready Works division. You will mentor junior engineers and lead end-to-end development from requirements to validation across diverse sensor platforms.

The role requires 10–12 years of relevant experience, strong PyTorch/OpenCV/Linux skills, and familiarity with DoD/IC environments, with a focus on defense and commercial applications. U.S. Citizenship is required.