AI Engineer - Entry to Expert Level (Maryland)

Summary

As an AI Engineer at NSA, you will design & implement mission-critical AI systems that keep the agency at the cutting edge of intelligence collection, processing & reporting to keep the nation safe. You'll apply expertise in data science, plus software, data & systems engineering to build, deploy & maintain AI systems while addressing entire AI life cycle, including infrastructure management, efficient model training, production deployment, performance monitoring & continuous optimization.

Duties

AI Engineers will: - Lead or contribute to cross-functional teams to develop and operationalize AI solutions that help solve our most challenging problems. - Apply modern engineering techniques to design, develop, deploy and maintain end-to-end AI workflows spanning model training, inference and performance monitoring. - Adapt and integrate diverse AI model architectures, including computer vision systems, natural language processors, audio processors, large language models (LLMs) and multi-modal frameworks to address complex mission-critical challenges. - Monitor and maintain AI products through systematic identification of performance degradation and computational inefficiency and address these challenges through regular fine-tuning to ensure continued alignment with evolving mission needs and organizational goals. - Maintain knowledge of current AI research and adapt emerging techniques to intelligence applications. - Test and evaluate AI solutions against mission requirements and produce actionable recommendations.

Qualifications and evaluation

Specialized skills and experience in one or more of the following is desired: - Deep learning frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, JAX) - Model training, fine-tuning and optimization techniques - Computer vision, NLP, speech/audio processing and/or multi-modal AI systems - Large language models (LLMs) and transformer architectures - Model evaluation, validation and performance monitoring - Transfer learning and domain adaptation - Python programming and other relevant languages (C++, Java, Scala, TypeScript) - Version control (Git) and collaborative development - API design and microservices architecture - Software testing frameworks and CI/CD pipelines - Containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) - Data processing frameworks (Spark, Dask, Ray) - Feature engineering and data preprocessing - Production model deployment and serving infrastructure - Monitoring, logging and observability tools - Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and/or HPC systems - Distributed computing and parallel processing - GPU optimization and resource management - Database systems (SQL and NoSQL) - Cross-function collaboration and communication - Technical documentation and presentation - Ability to translate mission requirements into technical solutions

Education

The qualifications listed are the minimum acceptable to be considered for the position. For all of the Engineering degrees, if program is not ABET accredited, it must include specified coursework.* *Specified coursework includes courses in differential and integral calculus and 5 of the following 18 areas: (a) statics or dynamics, (b) strength of materials/stress-strain relationships, (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics, (d) thermodynamics, (e) electromagnetic fields, (f) nature and properties of materials/relating particle and aggregate structure to properties, (g) solid state electronics, (h) microprocessor applications, (i), computer systems, (j) signal processing, (k) digital design, (l) systems and control theory, (m) circuits or generalized circuits, (n) communication systems, (o) power systems, (p) computer networks, (q) software development, (r) Any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, or soil mechanics.

How to apply

https://apply.intelligencecareers.gov/job-description/1262729

Required documents

The National Security Agency (NSA) is part of the DoD Intelligence Community Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS). All positions in the NSA are in the Excepted Services under 10 United States Codes (USC) 1601 appointment authority. DoD Components with DCIPS positions apply Veterans' Preference to eligible candidates as defined by Section 2108 of Title 5 USC, in accordance with the procedures provided in DoD Instruction 1400.25, Volume 2005, DCIPS Employment and Placement. If you are a veteran claiming veterans' preference, as defined by Section 2108 of Title 5 U.S.C., you may be asked to submit documents verifying your eligibility.

Additional information

Pay: Salary offers are based on candidates' education level and years of experience relevant to the position and also take into account information provided by the hiring manager/organization regarding the work level for the position. Salary Range: $87,362 - $197,200 (Entry/Developmental, Full Performance, Senior, Expert) Salary range varies by location, work level, and relevant experience to the position. Training will be provided based on the selectee's needs and experience. Benefits: NSA offers a comprehensive benefits package. Work Schedule:This is a full-time position, Monday - Friday, with basic 8hr/day work requirement between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. (flexible).