Senior Staff AI/ML Engineer - Air Vehicle Systems

Job Description

What if the next leap in air dominance doesn't come from a single breakthrough, but from hundreds of smarter decisions, made faster, across engineering, testing, and operations?

At Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, our Aero AI team builds trusted artificial intelligence that strengthens deterrence, accelerates engineering insight, and directly supports the warfighter. We don't chase AI for its own sake. We apply it deliberately, where it meaningfully improves performance, survivability, and decision advantage.

This role is for a senior, self-directed AI professional who can operate with a high degree of autonomy. Someone who doesn't wait to be handed a problem, but instead seeks out opportunity, determines where AI adds value (and where it doesn't), and delivers end-to-end solutions with minimal oversight.

You'll work alongside air vehicle engineers to elevate how aircraft are designed, tested, sustained, and operated while also enabling intelligent onboard capabilities such as health management, autonomy support, and decision augmentation. If you're energized by ownership, trust, and real mission impact, and you're comfortable being given the reins and expected to run, this role was built for you.

This role supports the Air Vehicle Engineering function by independently identifying, scoping, and executing AI/ML solutions that streamline engineering workflows and enable intelligent onboard capabilities. The engineer is expected to operate with limited direction, framing problems, assessing AI suitability, and delivering results across the full lifecycle.

Key Responsibilities Include:
* Independently identify, scope, and execute AI opportunities across engineering workflows and onboard systems, including determining when AI is not the appropriate solution
* Design, develop, test, and deploy AI/ML models optimized for real-time or resource-constrained environments
* Collaborate with air vehicle engineering teams to understand problem spaces and identify opportunities for efficiency, insight, or automation
* Engage across line-of-business (LOB) teams to prototype and pilot AI-enhanced workflows
* Develop AI-based approaches for anomaly detection, decision support, or health management
* Work with embedded systems, vehicle software, and autonomy-focused teams to integrate AI solutions
* Conduct experiments using flight test data, onboard telemetry, simulation environments, and engineering datasets
* Ensure algorithmic performance meets constraints related to compute, power, latency, and reliability
* Communicate technical tradeoffs, risks, and outcomes clearly to engineering and AI leadership
* Contribute to IRAD efforts, capability roadmaps, and portfolio expansion through hands-on technical delivery
* Mentor other engineers as needed and serve as technical lead for small, project-focused teams

Basic Qualifications

* Proficiency in Python and C++ for AI/ML development
* Demonstrated experience developing and deploying AI/ML solutions end-to-end with minimal supervision
* Strong understanding of supervised and unsupervised learning techniques
* Experience with modern ML frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow, ONNX)
* Demonstrated ability to independently assess problem spaces and determine whether AI is an appropriate solution
* Bachelor's degree or higher in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field
* Active Secret clearance (minimum)
* Strong communication skills and ability to work directly with engineers across multiple disciplines

Desired skills

* Experience applying AI to complex engineered systems (aerospace, robotics, autonomy, or similar domains)
* Familiarity with perception systems, sensor fusion, or data-driven anomaly detection
* Experience deploying AI to embedded or operational environments
* Understanding of air vehicle engineering lifecycle, from design through test, integration, and sustainment
* Exposure to AI verification, explainability, or safety-critical considerations
* Experience collaborating across functional organizations and LOB teams
* Familiarity with human-systems integration (HSI) concepts
* Prior contribution to IRAD, technology roadmapping, or new capability incubation

EEO

Lockheed Martin is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified candidates will be considered without regard to legally protected characteristics.
The application window will close in 90 days; applicants are encouraged to apply within 5 - 30 days of the requisition posting date in order to receive optimal consideration.

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At Lockheed Martin, we use our passion for purposeful innovation to help keep people safe and solve the world's most complex challenges. Our people are some of the greatest minds in the industry and truly make Lockheed Martin a great place to work.

With our employees as our priority, we provide diverse career opportunities designed to propel, develop, and boost agility. Our flexible schedules, competitive pay, and comprehensive benefits enable our employees to live a healthy, fulfilling life at and outside of work. We place an emphasis on empowering our employees by fostering an inclusive environment built upon integrity and corporate responsibility.

If this sounds like a culture you connect with, you're invited to apply for this role. Or, if you are unsure whether your experience aligns with the requirements of this position, we encourage you to search on Lockheed Martin Jobs, and apply for roles that align with your qualifications.

Other Important Information

By applying to this job, you are expressing interest in this position and could be considered for other career opportunities where similar skills and requirements have been identified as a match. Should this match be identified you may be contacted for this and future openings.

Work Schedule Information

Lockheed Martin supports a variety of alternate work schedules that provide additional flexibility to our employees. Schedules range from standard 40 hours over a five day work week while others may be condensed. These condensed schedules provide employees with additional time away from the office and are in addition to our Paid Time off benefits.

National Pay Statement

Pay Rate: The annual base salary range for this position in California, Massachusetts, and New York (excluding most major metropolitan areas), Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, Vermont, Washington or Washington DC is $156,400 - $275,655. For states not referenced above, the salary range for this position will reflect the candidate's final work location. Please note that the salary information is a general guideline only. Lockheed Martin considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience, education/ training, key skills as well as market and business considerations when extending an offer.
Benefits offered: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, 401(k) match, Flexible Spending Accounts, EAP, Education Assistance, Parental Leave, Paid time off, and Holidays.
(Washington state applicants only) Non-represented full-time employees: accrue at least 10 hours per month of Paid Time Off (PTO) to be used for incidental absences and other reasons; receive at least 90 hours for holidays. Represented full time employees accrue 6.67 hours of Vacation per month; accrue up to 52 hours of sick leave annually; receive at least 96 hours for holidays. PTO, Vacation, sick leave, and holiday hours are prorated based on start date during the calendar year.
This position is incentive plan eligible.

Premium Pay Statement

Pay Rate: The annual base salary range for this position in most major metropolitan areas in California, Massachusetts, and New York is $179,800 - $311,650. For states not referenced above, the salary range for this position will reflect the candidate's final work location. Please note that the salary information is a general guideline only. Lockheed Martin considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience, education/ training, key skills as well as market and business considerations when extending an offer.
Benefits offered: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, 401(k) match, Flexible Spending Accounts, EAP, Education Assistance, Parental Leave, Paid time off, and Holidays.
This position is incentive plan eligible.