Senior AI & Machine Learning Engineer

Location Bethesda, MD (Hybrid) Clearance Public Trust (Role may require additional background investigations) Employment Type Full-Time US Citizenship Required Position Overview Praescient Analytics is seeking a highly experienced Senior AI/ML Engineer to support a mission-critical federal analytics and artificial intelligence modernization program. This role is responsible for designing, engineering, deploying, and operating production-grade AI and machine learning systems that support real-time decision-making, advanced analytics, and public safety outcomes. The Senior AI/ML Engineer owns the end-to-end machine learning lifecycle, from data ingestion and model development through deployment, monitoring, and governance. This position plays a key role in operationalizing advanced analytics, building scalable MLOps pipelines, and integrating AI capabilities into cloud-native systems within a highly regulated federal environment. Key Responsibilities • Design, develop, train, and optimize machine learning and deep learning models supporting predictive analytics, classification, anomaly detection, NLP, and AI-assisted decision support. • Apply advanced ML techniques using supervised, unsupervised, and semi-supervised learning approaches. • Design and implement end-to-end MLOps pipelines supporting model training, validation, versioning, deployment, and rollback. • Deploy models into production environments using Microsoft Azure ML, containerization, and CI/CD pipelines. • Implement model monitoring, performance tracking, and drift detection to ensure long-term reliability and accuracy. • Build and maintain AI solutions leveraging Microsoft Azure services, including Azure Machine Learning, Azure Data Lake Storage, and Azure Synapse Analytics. • Integrate AI/ML solutions with existing data platforms, APIs, and analytics services. • Optimize AI workloads for cost, performance, and reliability in cloud environments. • Ensure AI systems adhere to federal standards for responsible AI, transparency, explainability, and auditability. • Support model documentation, validation artifacts, and compliance reporting. • Collaborate with governance and stakeholder teams to ensure models are suitable for high-impact decision-making. • Work closely with data scientists, data engineers, analysts, architects, and Agile project managers in a fast-paced Agile delivery environment. • Mentor junior engineers and contribute to shared engineering standards and best practices. Required Qualifications • Minimum of 5+ years of experience designing, deploying, and operating production AI/ML systems. • Demonstrated experience moving models from research or prototype stages into production environments. • Proven experience supporting AI systems in mission-critical or regulated settings. • Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Data Science, Engineering, or a related field — or equivalent professional experience. • Experience supporting federal, public-sector, or other regulated environments. • Expert proficiency in Python and AI/ML frameworks such as PyTorch and/or TensorFlow. • Strong experience with machine learning libraries including Scikit-learn, NumPy, and Pandas. • Hands‑on experience with Microsoft Azure AI/ML services, particularly Azure Machine Learning. • Experience building CI/CD pipelines for ML workflows. • Familiarity with containerization (Docker) and model deployment patterns. • Experience with SQL and data integration for ML workloads. • Proficiency with Git-based version control and collaborative development. • Strong written and verbal communication skills. • Ability to explain complex AI/ML concepts to technical and non-technical stakeholders. • Proven ability to lead technical efforts and collaborate across multidisciplinary teams. Preferred Qualifications • Master’s or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Data Science, Engineering, or a related field — or equivalent professional experience. • Familiarity with AI agents, vector databases, large language models (LLMs), or Copilot-style architectures. • Azure certifications (AI Engineer, Data Scientist, or related). • Experience with streaming or near-real-time AI pipelines. Benefits • Very competitive salary based on qualifications and experience. • Comprehensive, company-paid healthcare for you (We pay your premiums and deductibles). • 401(k) with company match. • Travel & performance incentives. • 3 weeks paid time off (plus Federal Holidays). • $5K annual training allowance. • $500 book allowance. What you can expect from us • Real opportunity for career growth in an environment where your achievements will be celebrated. • Constant collaboration with numerous teams to ensure client success. • A team that respects and embraces your ideas and expertise. • Coworkers that are motivated by pursuing excellence, rather than the prospect of personal gain. • A workplace dedicated to supporting and bettering public safety and government agencies