Machine Learning Engineer /Development Team Lead

Development Team Lead / Machine Learning Engineer

Position Summary: The Development Team Lead and Machine Learning Engineer will lead technical execution across AHR’s AI-driven defense and intelligence portfolio. This portfolio focuses on building operational AI solutions on AHR’s DarkStax™ platform, bringing together machine learning, secure software development, and mission-focused engineering. The lead will help translate customer and internal objectives into practical development plans, guide technical decisions, and ensure teams deliver integrated capabilities that can progress from prototype and demonstration to program use.

This role will lead development teams supporting AHR customer programs, internal research and development projects, and technical demonstrations. The lead will manage and track team activities across efforts such as the Cognitive Cyber Mission Planner, AI-enabled Help Desk, etc. Responsibilities will include organizing and prioritizing the team’s work, maintaining visibility into schedules and technical progress, coordinating dependencies, identifying delivery risks, and communicating status to program leadership and other stakeholders.

The role combines team leadership with hands-on AI /ML engineering. In addition to guiding the development team, this person will contribute directly to the design, development, integration, and evaluation of AI/ML capabilities. The ideal candidate enjoys leading people and projects while remaining close to the technology, solving difficult technical problems, and helping AHR turn emerging AI concepts into working defense and intelligence solutions.

Key Responsibilities

· Lead the day-to-day technical execution of a multidisciplinary development team, including work planning, technical decisions, code and model reviews, risk management, and delivery commitments.

· Serve as a Scrum Master / Product Owner by facilitating Agile ceremonies, maintaining and prioritizing the backlog, refining acceptance criteria, removing impediments, and keeping stakeholders informed of delivery progress.

· Design, train, evaluate, and improve machine learning models using reinforcement learning, neural networks, deep learning, and computer vision techniques.

· Define experiment plans, performance measures, validation methods, and data requirements that connect model results to operational needs.

· Guide the development of reproducible ML pipelines for data preparation, training, testing, versioning, deployment, and monitoring.

· Integrate models into secure software applications, services, APIs, and mission systems while maintaining reliability, scalability, and traceability.

· Assess model robustness, failure modes, and vulnerability to adversarial conditions, especially for cyber, adversarial AI, or communications use cases.

· Mentor engineers and data scientists, establish practical development standards, and improve the team's technical and Agile practices.

· Collaborate with systems engineers and mission stakeholders to align technical designs, interfaces, demonstrations, and releases with program objectives.

· Present technical approaches, tradeoffs, results, and risks clearly to engineering teams, program leadership, and government customers.

Required Qualifications

Education and Experience

· Bachelor's degree in computer science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, electrical engineering, software engineering, applied mathematics, or a related technical field.

· Seven to ten years of relevant experience in ML and software engineering, including experience leading technical teams or workstreams.

· Experience serving as a Scrum Master and/or Product Owner on an Agile development team.

· Hands-on experience developing and evaluating machine learning solutions using reinforcement learning, neural networks, deep learning, computer vision, etc.

· Experience working in at least one of the following domains: cyber, adversarial AI, or communication systems.

· Software development experience sufficient to build, test, integrate, and maintain production-quality ML capabilities.

· Must be able to obtain a TS clearance.

Technical Knowledge and Leadership

· Strong Python development skills and working knowledge of common machine learning frameworks and scientific computing tools.

· Understanding of data preparation, model training, evaluation, experiment tracking, configuration management, and reproducible development practices.

· Ability to design and review software interfaces, APIs, modular services, and integration approaches for ML-enabled systems.

· Experience with MLOps, DevSecOps, automated model testing, model monitoring, or data and model governance.

· Knowledge of software development, automated testing, CI / CD practices, containers, and deployment workflows.

· Ability to translate mission and user needs into a prioritized backlog, measurable technical objectives, and incremental releases.

· Ability to lead technical discussions, make sound tradeoffs, mentor team members, and resolve delivery or integration issues.

· Clear written and verbal communication with technical teams, program leadership, and government stakeholders.

Desired Qualifications

· Active Top Secret (TS) or Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) security clearance.

· Prior experience supporting defense or intelligence community customers, including the United States Air Force, United States Space Force, National Reconnaissance Office, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, or Defense Intelligence Agency.

· Experience applying model-based systems engineering (MBSE) methods and tools to define requirements, architecture, interfaces, verification, or digital engineering artifacts.

· Experience deploying ML solutions in cloud, edge, constrained, or classified environments.

Work Location

This position may be based in Chantilly, VA / Washington, DC metro region, or Plano, TX.

Some travel is required.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: From $150,000.00 per year

Education:

• Bachelor's (Preferred)

Security clearance:

• Top Secret (Required)

Ability to Commute:

• Chantilly, VA 20153 (Required)

Work Location: In person