AI/ML Engineer Technical Lead

Peraton Overview

Peraton is a next-generation national security company that drives missions of consequence spanning the globe and extending to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. As the world’s leading mission capability integrator and transformative enterprise IT provider, we deliver trusted, highly differentiated solutions and technologies to protect our nation and allies. Peraton operates at the critical nexus between traditional and nontraditional threats across all domains: land, sea, space, air, and cyberspace. The company serves as a valued partner to essential government agencies and supports every branch of the U.S. armed forces. Each day, our employees do the can’t be done by solving the most daunting challenges facing our customers. Visit peraton.com to learn how we’re keeping people around the world safe and secure.

Responsibilities

Position Overview

We are seeking a highly skilled AI/ML Engineer Technology Lead to design, development, and deployment of advanced Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning solutions supporting mission-critical enterprise initiatives. This role serves as the technical lead for enterprise AI/ML efforts, responsible for building, growing, and guiding a team of AI/ML engineering and practitioners. This individual collaborates with customer technical leadership to define and realize their AI/ML roadmap and is expected to bring both deep technical expertise and the business acumen necessary to develop strategy, manage stakeholder relationships, and scale a high-performing team.

The ideal candidate combines deep expertise in machine learning, software engineering, cloud-native technologies, and MLOps with strong leadership and customer engagement skills. This individual will help transform AI/ML prototypes into scalable, secure, production-ready enterprise solutions while mentoring technical teams and collaborating with customer leadership.

Key Responsibilities – AI/ML Technical Leadership

Technical Leadership & Strategy

• Serve as the primary point of contact (POC) for all AI/ML-related technical matters with customers and stakeholders
• Lead the design, development, testing, deployment, and productization of AI/ML technologies supporting mission-critical objectives
• Develop and communicate AI/ML strategies and technical roadmaps aligned with customer and mission requirements
• Advise leadership on emerging AI/ML technologies, research areas, and industry advancements
• Represent AI/ML capabilities during customer engagements, briefings, demonstrations, and technical reviews
• Provide technical leadership, mentorship, and guidance to AI/ML engineering teams
• Support workforce planning, staffing strategy, hiring, and professional development initiatives

AI/ML Engineering & Development

• Design, develop, and optimize scalable machine learning and deep learning models for structured and unstructured data
• Transform research prototypes into secure, scalable, production-ready enterprise solutions
• Support NLP, predictive analytics, anomaly detection, computer vision, and generative AI initiatives
• Evaluate and productize AI/ML models across commercial and government cloud architectures
• Integrate AI/ML solutions across enterprise systems, data platforms, and operational environments
• Ensure AI/ML solutions meet performance, scalability, reliability, and operational requirements

Cloud, MLOps & Enterprise Integration

• Develop production-grade AI/ML pipelines, CI/CD workflows, and MLOps capabilities
• Provide system integration oversight across AI/ML pipelines and enterprise platforms
• Collaborate with software engineers, cloud architects, cybersecurity teams, and customer stakeholders
• Support deployment and optimization of AI/ML solutions across cloud-native and distributed environments
• Evaluate emerging technologies and align technical solutions with operational and enterprise objectives

#ClearedRoyalty 

#MDFSP

#peratonroyalmove

Qualifications

Core Competencies

• AI/ML Technical Leadership
• Cloud & Enterprise Architecture
• MLOps & Production AI Systems
• Team Building & Mentorship
• Strategic Problem Solving
• Mission-Focused Innovation
• Cross-Functional Collaboration

Required Qualifications

• 17 years with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, Advanced Mathematics, or related technical field, or 10 years with a Master's Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, Advanced Mathematics, or related technical field, or 7 years with a Ph.D in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, Advanced Mathematics, or related technical field
• Strong proficiency with Python and AI/ML frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, Scikit-learn, or Keras
• Experience with cloud platforms including AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform
• Experience with MLOps, CI/CD pipelines, Docker, Kubernetes, and distributed systems
• Strong understanding of data pipelines, model lifecycle management, and scalable AI architectures
• Experience operating within Agile or DevSecOps environments
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills
• Active/current TS/SCI security clearance with a current polygraph is required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting Intelligence Community (IC), DoD, or federal government programs
• Experience with Large Language Models (LLMs), Generative AI, RAG architectures, and vector databases
• Familiarity with AI governance, explainable AI (XAI), and responsible AI practices
• Experience with Spark, Kafka, Hadoop, or GPU-enabled distributed computing platforms

Benefits: Peraton offers enhanced benefits to employees supporting this critical National Security program, which include heavily subsidized employee benefits coverage for you and your dependents, 25 days of PTO accrued annually up to a generous PTO cap, and eligibility to participate in an attractive bonus plan.

Investing in Your Growth: Selected candidates may be eligible for enhanced professional development opportunities, including training, certification programs, and skill-building experiences tailored to individual strengths, career goals, and role-specific requirements.

Target Salary Range

$229,000 - $366,000. This represents the typical salary range for this position. Salary is determined by various factors, including but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the individual’s experience, education, knowledge, skills, and competencies, as well as geographic location and business and contract considerations. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay.

Benefits Statement

Peraton offers eligible employees a variety of benefits including medical, dental, vision, life, health savings account, short/long term disability, EAP, parental leave, 401(k), paid time off (PTO) for vacation, and company paid holidays. A full listing of available benefits can be viewed at https://www.careers.peraton.com/benefits.

Application Statements

The application period for the job is estimated to be 30 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates. By applying to this job, you are expressing interest in the role and the Company. During the review of your application, you may be required to participate in an on-camera interview, as well as participate in a process to verify your identity. Use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools of any kind during Peraton interviews is strictly prohibited unless the candidate has obtained prior written authorization. All interview responses must be the candidate’s own.

EEO

EEO: Equal opportunity employer, including disability and protected veterans, or other characteristics protected by law.