Sr AI/ML Engineer

Sierra Nevada Corporation; Englewood (CO); Hybrid; USD 143,487 - 197,295; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical plan

Dental plan

Vision plan

401(k) match up to 150%

3 weeks PTO

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Sierra Nevada Corporation is seeking a Senior AI/ML Engineer to lead complex AI/ML system development for mission-critical aerospace and defense projects. You will architect, train, and optimize advanced models, including transformers and RL agents, and provide technical leadership across cross‑functional teams.

You will drive exploratory work, validation frameworks, and compliance with safety and cybersecurity standards while mentoring engineers and collaborating with stakeholders to meet

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, mathematics, applied statistics, or a related STEM discipline.
• 10+ years experience in a related field or a higher level degree may substitute for experience.
• Advanced skills in machine learning frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch) and modern AI/ML techniques, including supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning.
• Demonstrated ability to design and optimise generative AI models (transformers) and neural networks for complex applications.
• Extensive experience architecting, deploying, and optimizing AI/ML systems, including ANNs, CNNs, RNNs, in large‑scale or mission‑critical environments.
• Strong proficiency in Python, C++, C#, or Java, with experience building scalable AI/ML systems.
• Demonstrated experience leading teams or projects, including mentoring junior staff.
• Proven track record of deploying AI/ML models in production environments and optimizing them for real‑world use cases.
• Knowledge of regulatory and cybersecurity requirements for AI/ML systems in aerospace and defense applications.
• Experience designing and optimizing generative AI models including transformers and GANs.
• Experience building or integrating transformer‑based models for retrieval‑augmented or hybrid reasoning systems.
• Proficiency designing embedding, retrieval, or indexing pipelines for large, multi‑source datasets.
• Familiarity with explainable AI (XAI) techniques for safety‑critical environments.
• Hands‑on experience with reinforcement learning and real‑time systems applicable to MPC.

Responsibilities

• Exploration & Innovation: explore ideas and rapidly prototype feasibility with stakeholders.
• RAG‑Focused AI/ML Development: build retrieval augmented and transformer-based AI components.
• MPC & Real‑Time Decisioning Exploration: prototype MPC-aligned models and reinforcement‑learning control.
• Advanced AI/ML Modeling & Technical Leadership: design, train, optimize transformers, GANs, RL agents, and real‑time systems; mentor teams.
• Safety, Validation & Integration Support: create validation frameworks and assist integration teams.

Skills

Python

C++

C#

Java

Machine learning

TensorFlow

PyTorch

Transformers

Reinforcement learning

Explainable AI

Team leadership

Regulatory awareness

Cybersecurity

Education

Bachelor’s degree in CS/math/related STEM

Master’s degree or Ph.D. in AI/ML

Tools

CUDA

TensorRT

Job description

Job Overview

The Senior AI/ML Engineer is a highly skilled professional responsible for leading the development of complex AI/ML systems, driving innovation, and mentoring team members to deliver impactful solutions. In this role you will oversee the design, implementation, and deployment of scalable AI/ML models for mission‑critical aerospace and defense applications and act as a technical leader providing strategic guidance on AI/ML initiatives, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and collaborating with stakeholders to meet organizational objectives.

Responsibilities

• Exploration & Innovation
  Conduct continuous discovery and hypothesis‑driven experimentation, rapidly developing prototypes to assess feasibility and potential impact. Partner with business stakeholders to translate non‑technical requirements into actionable AI/ML exploration paths.
• RAG‑Focused AI/ML Development
  Develop and prototype RAG‑based architectures, including embedding pipelines, retrieval strategies, and transformer‑based generative components. Explore and validate new approaches for retrieval, indexing, and multimodal document understanding. Apply validation, safety, and explainability practices in support of aerospace/defense requirements.
• MPC & Real‑Time Decisioning Exploration
  Design and prototype MPC‑aligned models incorporating predictive modeling, optimisation, and reinforcement‑learning‑based control. Develop signal processing, perception, and planning pipelines supporting MPC control loops. Use GPU acceleration, simulation environments, and HPC resources to support MPC experimentation.
• Advanced AI/ML Modeling & Technical Leadership
  Architect, train, and optimise advanced models including transformers, GANs, RL agents, and real‑time systems. Provide technical leadership, mentor engineers, and guide cross‑functional teams.
• Safety, Validation & Integration Support
  Develop validation and testing frameworks ensuring compliance with safety and reliability standards. Support integration teams with prototypes, documentation, and technical insights as required.

Essential Functions

• Contribute to AI/ML innovation and prototyping projects from exploration through technical feasibility assessment.
• Support cross‑functional engineering teams and integration efforts as needed.
• Travel occasionally (10–20%) to customer sites, test facilities, or conferences.
• Work in a hybrid office environment, balancing hands‑on research with technical leadership.
• Ensure compliance with safety, regulatory, and cybersecurity standards for AI/ML systems.

Qualifications – Must Have

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, mathematics, applied statistics, or a related STEM discipline.
• 10+ years experience in a related field or a higher level degree may substitute for experience.
• Advanced skills in machine learning frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch) and modern AI/ML techniques, including supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning.
• Demonstrated ability to design and optimise generative AI models (transformers) and neural networks for complex applications.
• Extensive experience architecting, deploying, and optimizing AI/ML systems, including ANNs, CNNs, RNNs, in large‑scale or mission‑critical environments.
• Strong proficiency in Python, C++, C#, or Java, with experience building scalable AI/ML systems.
• Demonstrated experience leading teams or projects, including mentoring junior staff.
• Proven track record of deploying AI/ML models in production environments and optimizing them for real‑world use cases.
• Knowledge of regulatory and cybersecurity requirements for AI/ML systems in aerospace and defense applications.
• Experience designing and optimizing generative AI models including transformers and GANs.
• Experience building or integrating transformer‑based models for retrieval‑augmented or hybrid reasoning systems.
• Proficiency designing embedding, retrieval, or indexing pipelines for large, multi‑source datasets.
• Familiarity with explainable AI (XAI) techniques for safety‑critical environments.
• Hands‑on experience with reinforcement learning and real‑time systems applicable to MPC.

Qualifications – Prefer

• Master’s degree or Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, or a related field.
• Experience with hardware acceleration technologies (CUDA, TensorRT) and high‑performance computing systems.
• Background in autonomous systems, robotics, or sensor fusion.
• Familiarity with Agile/DevOps methodologies for software development.
• Certifications in AI/ML or related fields (e.g., AWS Certified Machine Learning Specialty).
• Deep understanding and practical application of Agile/DevOps in large‑scale AI/ML projects.
• Advanced proficiency in GPU programming, parallel/distributed computing, and optimizing ML workloads for performance.
• Expertise in designing and implementing complex ML pipelines, including clustering, dimensionality reduction, generative modeling, and reinforcement learning, aligned to mission objectives.
• Skilled in analyzing massive, multi‑source datasets and delivering end‑to‑end autonomy software solutions.
• Exposure to or interest in quantum computing for ML applications.

Security Clearance

This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a Secret U.S. Security Clearance. U.S. Citizenship is required for employment; non‑U.S. citizens may not be eligible to obtain a security clearance.

Salary & Benefits

Estimated Starting Salary Range: $143,487.14 - $197,294.82. Compensation varies depending on candidate skill, experience, education, and training. The disclosed range estimate may be adjusted for any applicable geographic differential.

SNC offers a generous benefit package, including medical, dental, and vision plans, a 401(k) with 150% match up to 6%, life insurance, 3 weeks paid time off, tuition reimbursement, and more.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

SNC is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to an environment free of discrimination. Employment decisions are made based on merit without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, or other protected characteristics.