Applied AI Scientist

Valiant Harbor International is a CVE Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business that specializes in technical, programmatic, acquisition, compliance, and financial services for Government science and technology, research and development, and technological programs. At Valiant Harbor International, we emphasize our intense focus on helping federal government agencies identify and address organizational challenges to tailor and integrate specific solutions to solve their most difficult problems. Success is defined by our ability to meet our customers’ needs quickly, efficiently, and effectively.

Valiant Harbor International is seeking a detail-oriented Applied AI Scientist with deep expertise in artificial intelligence and machine learning to support a program advancing AI diagnostics for rare diseases supporting the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), Proactive Health Office (PHO). This is a Science and Engineering and Technical Advisor (SETA) role, focused on providing technical guidance and oversight.

The Applied Scientist will contribute expertise across the full lifecycle of AI system development: data aggregation and curation, model training and benchmarking, and deployment/validation in real-world clinical settings. The role requires the ability to critically assess technical approaches, advise program leadership, and ensure that funded performers and partners are meeting the highest standards of rigor, reproducibility, and real-world applicability.

Key Responsibilities

• Review and evaluate AI/ML technical proposals and deliverables from external teams.
• Provide guidance on model development, training methods, and validation strategies.
• Advise on integration of multimodal health data (EHR, imaging, genomic, and patient-reported).
• Assess alignment of model architectures and approaches with program goals and clinical use cases.
• Evaluate benchmarking results and provide feedback on methodological soundness.
• Advise on deployment considerations, including interpretability, reliability, and safety in real-world settings.
• Collaborate with clinical SMEs to ensure AI outputs align with clinician expectations and workflows.
• Identify risks, gaps, or weaknesses in technical approaches and recommend corrective actions.
• Support program leadership with technical assessments, reports, and recommendations.
• Produce high-quality written reports and presentations that synthesize complex technical findings for diverse audiences.

This Position Is Suited For Candidates Who

• Operate with a high degree of ownership and accountability.
• Exhibit initiative and independence, and are effective under conditions of ambiguity.
• Perform with exceptional rigor and precision, maintaining exacting standards of quality.
• Thrive in an environment of high pace and intensity, delivering under demanding deadlines.
• Communicate clearly and professionally across written, verbal, and asynchronous channels.
• Bring ambition and a mission-oriented mindset, motivated by advancing AI systems that achieve real clinical and patient impact.

Required Qualifications

• Advanced degree (Master’s or PhD) in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Data Science, or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in related field
• Experience applying advanced ML methods (LLMs, deep learning, etc) to complex health datasets.
• Familiarity with clinical and biomedical data types, including EHR, genomic, and imaging data.
• Demonstrated ability to review, critique, and guide AI/ML technical work at a high level.
• Strong understanding of evaluation methods for AI/ML, including robustness, fairness, interpretability, and reproducibility.
• Strong written and visual communication skills, with ability to produce high-quality reports and presentations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in healthcare AI or biomedical applications.
• Strong preference for background in rare disease, data science or bioinformatics, and AI/ML
• Prior involvement in technical advisory, evaluation, or SETA-style roles.
• Experience working with interdisciplinary teams including clinicians and patient stakeholders.
• Experience working in an early-stage, fast-paced, startup environment
• Management or founder experience is highly desirable

Clearance Requirements: Ability to obtain a Public Trust.

Salary Range: Negotiable.

EEO Statement: Valiant Harbor International, LLC is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. Valiant Harbor International prohibits discrimination with respect to the hiring or promotion of individuals, conditions of employment, disciplinary and discharge practices, or any other aspect of employment on the basis of sex, race, color, age, national origin, religion, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, veteran status, or any other protected class. If you are an individual with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process, or are limited in the ability or unable to access or use this online application process and need an alternative method for applying, you may contact (202) 417-6705 for assistance.

This is a full time position