Mission-Scale ML Engineer for Defense AI Systems

Software Engineering Institute | Carnegie Mellon University; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equal Opportunity Employer

Onsite work in Arlington/Pittsburgh

Job summary

The SEI AI Division at Carnegie Mellon University is seeking a Machine Learning Engineer to lead applied research projects for defense-focused missions, taking ideas from concept to prototype and delivering mission-scale AI capabilities.

You will work across data pipelines, model development, API services, and secure deployment, with onsite work five days a week at an SEI office in Arlington, VA or Pittsburgh, PA, collaborating with researchers and government customers while advancing DevSecOps

Qualifications

• B.S. in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Statistics, or related field with ≥10years of experience; OR M.S. with ≥8years; OR Ph.D. with ≥5years of relevant experience.
• Ability to obtain and maintain an active Department of War security clearance.
• Onsite 5 days/week at an SEI office in Pittsburgh, PA or Arlington, VA.
• Strong experience in Python, C/C++, and Java; capable of production-grade code and APIs.
• Solid understanding of ML theory, statistical learning, and common algorithms.
• Hands-on experience with TensorFlow, PyTorch, Torch, Caffe, or similar libraries.
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines, Docker/Kubernetes, model versioning, and security-focused tooling.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and evaluate state-of-the-art ML models (CV, NLP, planning) using frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, Torch, or Caffe.
• Build and maintain robust data pipelines, ETL processes, and backend services in Python, C/C++, and Java.
• Lead rapid-prototyping efforts, translate research results into operational prototypes, and test for performance, robustness, and security.
• Define and refine DevSecOps practices for ML (model registries, containerized deployment, CI/CD, security scanning).
• Mentor junior team members, collaborate with researchers, government customers, and other engineers, and contribute to technical strategy for the lab.

Skills

Python

C/C++

Java

TensorFlow

PyTorch

ML theory

DevSecOps

Education

Ph.D. in CS/EE/Statistics

M.S. in CS/EE/Statistics

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

CI/CD

Git

Job description

The SEI AI Division at Carnegie Mellon University is seeking a Machine Learning Engineer to lead applied research projects for defense-focused missions, taking ideas from concept to prototype and delivering mission-scale AI capabilities.

You will work across data pipelines, model development, API services, and secure deployment, with onsite work five days a week at an SEI office in Arlington, VA or Pittsburgh, PA, collaborating with researchers and government customers while advancing DevSecOps