Remote - AI Engineer

POSITION: AI Engineer
PROGRAM NAME: Emerging Technologies
POSITION: AI Engineer (**this is an AI focused role)
LOCATION: Alexandria, VA 22314
- can be fully remote but must be available for scrum meetings on EST.
PLACEMENT TYPE: 6 Months contract to hire


CLEARANCE REQUIREMENT: Public Trust

ONBOARDING/ CLEARANCE PROCESS: USPTO does require fingerprinting, and it would be ideal if they could come onsite to do this but if they are outside of the DMV, fingerprint cards would be mailed to them. Mailed fingerprints delays clearance processing time and you are looking a 3 weeks for candidate to start from offer.


CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENT: All requirements were listed in Job Description

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT:
MA/MS degree and 8 years or more of experience in data analytics, data modeling, machine learning, natural language processing, security, and artificial intelligence technologies in cloud native environments (AWS, Azure, Google).

Description
We are seeking an innovative, hands-on development oriented, AI Engineer with eight years' experience in AI/ML/NLP and strong experience in prompt engineering to refine LLM responses. Candidate will develop prototypes of emerging technologies that solve business problems. The candidate must have cloud engineering experience to ensure integration of the AI/ML/NLP solutions in cloud native environments. This resource will join an energetic and versatile team responsible for addressing the customer challenges through the use of advancing technologies. This is a remote job that can be worked from any location in the continental U.S.

Responsibilities and Duties
Operate and maintain an innovation lab for the ideation, design, and engineering of cloud native product modernization and innovation using emerging technologies.
Develop end-to-end plans for cloud native AI/ML/NLP innovations that are compliant with cybersecurity policies.
Develop and engineer pilots, prototypes, and proof of concept solutions to validate emerging technology, modernization, and innovation opportunities.
Optimize LLM responses through iterative prompt engineering refinement.
Implement transparency, traceability, and appropriate security handling in line with best practices and applicable compliance standards including Authorization To Operate (ATO) certifications.
Implement predictive models, machine learning algorithms, and statistical analyses to solve complex business problems.
Develop low risk implementation plans and present business briefings, recommendations, and demonstrations to executives and technical stakeholders in a clear manner based on data architecture best practices
Collaborate with cross-functional teams including data engineering, product, and business stakeholders to translate requirements into data-driven solutions.
Conduct exploratory data analysis and generate actionable insights from large and complex datasets.
Support total experience initiatives including customer experience, user experience and human centered design through focus groups, metrics, wireframes, mockups, and information architecture development.
Develop reusable code libraries and best practices for modernization and innovation development and deployment.
Mentor more junior data scientists and guide the team in adopting the new technologies and techniques.
Stay current with advancements in data science, machine learning, AI research and cloud architectures.
Support Agile product teams in integrating and operationalizing emerging technologies and data strategies.
Analyze data and usage to find patterns and solutions to business challenges.

Education and Experience
MA/MS degree and 8 years or more of experience in data analytics, data modeling, machine learning, natural language processing, security, and artificial intelligence technologies in cloud native environments (AWS, Azure, Google).
Strong experience and track record of prompt engineering.
Additional experience may be substituted for educational requirements where appropriate.

Qualifications and Skills
Masters' degree or higher in Computer Science, Data Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Engineering, or a related field.
Minimum 8 years of relevant experience in data science, analytics, machine learning, artificial intelligence or a similar role.
Candidates must be able to obtain and maintain a Public Trust clearance based on USPTO regulations
Candidates must have lived in the United States continuously for the last 2 years
Track record of delivering impactful emerging technology value including AI/ML/NLP innovations and data-driven solutions in cloud native environments.
Strong communication and teamwork abilities.
Programming Languages: Python, R, SQL
AI, ML, NLP Frameworks, models, and tools
Terraform and Gitlab Pipelines
Machine Learning & Statistical Tools PyTorch
Experience with Frontier models
Experience with Databricks
Data Manipulation & Analysis
Visualization Tools Tableau, Power BI
Big Data & Cloud Platforms: Hadoop, Hive, AWS (S3, SageMaker, Redshift), Azure, and Google Cloud Platform
Version Control & Collaboration: Git, Docker
Suitable combination of education, training, or experience maybe substituted for education.

Desired Education, Qualifications, Skills, Certifications
Experience with MLOps, model monitoring, and deployment pipelines.
Experience with NLP, computer vision, or deep learning techniques.
Experience with automation of DevSecOps pipelines
Experience with Agile and the Rally Agile management tool.