Vice President of Research and Development

Machina Cognita Technologies; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Safe Harbor 401(k) with 4% employer-

Health, dental, and vision insurance (

Flexible work hours

Onsite gym

Professional development reimbursement

Job summary

Machina Cognita Technologies is seeking a Vice President of Research and Development to lead an engineering department and push the boundaries of new technologies for government, commercial, and educational applications.

The role partners with clients to understand pain points, conceptualize forward-thinking systems, and oversee end-to-end design, development, and deployment of emerging products. This is a full-time, onsite role based in Northern Virginia or Carlsbad, CA.

Qualifications

• Master’s or PhD in Computer Science, Engineering, Physics, or related field.
• 10+ years of industry experience.
• 5+ years hands-on R&D in Machine Learning, AI, or Autonomy.
• 5+ years of experience with Java or Python.
• 5+ years of government contracting, SBIR/STTR, or related contract management.
• Military experience is preferred.
• Strong communication, writing, and collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Supervise, mentor, and develop an engineering R&D team.
• Architect and deploy scalable machine learning solutions.
• Drive design discussions and technical direction.
• Build proof-of-concept prototypes and client demonstrations to win bids.
• Define engineering best practices and adoption of new methodologies.

Skills

Leadership

Research & Development

Communication

Collaboration

Java

Python

Government contracting

Education

Master’s or PhD in Computer Science, Engineering, Physics, or related field

Tools

SBIR/STTR

Proposal writing

Contract management

Job description

Machina Cognita Technologies is an R&D-driven company specializing in machine learning innovations for government, commercial, and educational applications. We embrace today’s most exciting machine learning challenges with technologies including uncrewed autonomous systems, large language models, realistic simulation environments, computer vision, and reinforcement learning.

We are looking for a Vice President of Research and Development to lead an engineering department in solving complex problems and pushing the boundaries of new technologies. In this role, you’ll partner closely with clients to understand their pain points, conceptualize forward-thinking systems, and lead end-to-end design, development, and deployment of emerging products. You’ll exercise creative freedom in bringing your strategic vision to life and make wide-ranging contributions to the organization’s technical capabilities and growth.

This is a full-time, onsite role located in Northern Virginia or Carlsbad, CA.

Who You Are

• Proactive leader energized by open-ended technical challenges in early-stage product development

• Turns failures into learning opportunities

• Master’s or PhD in Computer Science, Engineering, Physics, or related field

• 10+ years of industry experience

• 5+ years of hands-on research and development experience in Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, or Autonomy

• 5+ years of experience with Java or Python

• 5+ years of experience with government contracting, proposal writing, and contract management (SBIR/STTR, BAA Research and Development)

• Military experience is preferred

• Strong communication, writing, interpersonal, and collaboration skills

Responsibilities

• Supervise, mentor, and develop an engineering research and development team

• Architect and deploy scalable machine learning solutions

• Drive design discussions and technical direction

• Build proof-of-concept prototypes and client demonstrations to win contract bids

• Serve as subject matter expert, define engineering best practices, and drive adoption of new methodologies, concepts, and tools

• Collaborate with product managers and engineers to translate client needs into innovative solutions

• Travel to client destinations to facilitate product delivery and provide ongoing support and optimization

Compensation

Compensation is based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to relevant experience, ability, education, certifications, specialized skills, business needs, and scope and responsibilities of the position. The estimated range for this role is $180,000-$230,000.

Benefits

• Safe Harbor 401(k) with 4% employer match

• Health, dental, and vision insurance with 99% employer contribution towards employee premiums

• Flexible work hours + inclusive PTO policy to support work-life balance

• Onsite gym

• Professional development reimbursement for continual learning

Machina Cognita Technologies does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, or other non-merit factors. We recognize and appreciate the value of a diverse workforce and encourage all qualified individuals to apply.