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AI Machine Learning Developer Principal

SAIC

Reston, VA · HybridJob$220–260K/yrSeen 1w agoSeen in employer's feed 5 days ago

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At a glance

Compensation
$220–260K/yr
Location
Reston, VAHybrid
Work Authorization
US work authorization required

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Requirements

Credentials this posting asks for.

Top Secret clearance

Job overview

SAIC is building a team of AI/ML Developers to create, prototype, and operationalize proof-of-concept solutions for Intelligence Community missions. The role supports multiple programs as a shared technical subject matter expert, balancing competing priorities and timelines. Candidates must be in Northern Virginia and hold an active Top Secret clearance with eligibility to obtain SCI access. This is a hybrid opportunity.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

PythonSoftware EngineeringGitUnit TestingClean Code ArchitectureMachine LearningPyTorchTensorFlowStructured and Unstructured DataSecure Cloud DeploymentMLOpsMLflowKubeflowApache AirflowTriton Inference ServerStreamlitGradioIntelligence Community Missions

Qualifications

Bachelor's in Related Technical Discipline or Master's9+ Years Relevant Experience or 7 Years With Master'sU.S. CitizenshipActive Top Secret Clearance With SCI Eligibility

Full job description

Description

We are seeking to build a team of AI/ML Developers to join our Solutions and Technology Group, reporting to the Intel Space CTO. In this matrixed role, you will lead the creation, prototyping, and operationalization of cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) Proof of Concepts (PoCs) specifically tailored for Intelligence Community (IC) mission use cases.

This is a dynamic, high-impact set of positions supporting multiple programs. You will operate as a shared technical subject matter expert, balancing intermixed timelines, competing program priorities, and evolving delivery expectations. The ideal candidates excels at rapid prototyping, taking complex concepts and turning them into functional demonstrations. This is a hybrid opportunity and are open to candidates only in Northern VA area . Candidates must have an active Top Secret Clearance with the ability to get SCI access.

1. Rapid PoC & Demo Prototyping (40%)

  • Design & Build: Rapidly design, build, and deploy high-fidelity, visual AI/ML prototypes (GenAI/LLMs, NLP, computer vision, predictive analytics) to address complex IC mission needs. The PoCs can be either on the unclassified side or on-prem in a SCIF.

  • Mission Alignment: Collaborate with program leads and stakeholders to align prototypes with real-world user workflows and emerging technical requirements.

2. Operationalization & MLOps Integration (30%)

  • Secure Deployment: Transition sandboxed PoCs into secure, multi-tenant cloud environments (AWS C2S, Azure Secret) and air-gapped networks.

  • Pipeline Engineering: Build automated CI/CD pipelines, containerize applications, and ensure compliance with federal software assurance and security standards.

3. Matrixed Program Support & Timeline Management (20%)

  • Cross-Program Execution: Successfully divide technical execution across multiple active programs with distinct, overlapping deliverable timelines.

  • Priority Coordination: Proactively negotiate schedules with multiple Project Managers to ensure all high-priority milestones are met.

4. Technical Communication & Stakeholder Engagement (10%)

  • Demos & Docs: Conduct compelling live technical demonstrations for senior IC customers and maintain clean, reusable codebases and architectural documentation.

Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, or a related technical discipline with 9+ years of relevant experience; OR Master’s degree with 7 years of relevant experience.

  • Candidates must be U.S. Citizens.

  • Clearance: Active Top Secret Clearance with the eligibility to obtain SCI access

  • Programming Skills: Proficiency in Python and software engineering practices (version control with Git, unit testing, clean code architectures).

  • Foundational AI/ML Frameworks: Hands-on experience developing ML models using frameworks like PyTorch or TensorFlow, and handling structured/unstructured data.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Experience deploying AI/ML models in secure, multi-tenant cloud environments (e.g., AWS C2S / SC2S, Azure Government) or air-gapped networks.

  • Familiarity with MLOps and orchestration platforms (e.g., MLflow, Kubeflow, Apache Airflow, Triton Inference Server).

  • Experience using lightweight frontend tools (e.g., Streamlit, Gradio) to build functional, interactive user interfaces for demonstrations.

  • Familiarity with IC missions.

Target salary range: $220,001 - $260,000. The estimate displayed represents the typical salary range for this position based on experience and other factors.

REQNUMBER: 2618251

SAIC is a premier technology integrator, solving our nation's most complex modernization and systems engineering challenges across the defense, space, federal civilian, and intelligence markets. Our robust portfolio of offerings includes high-end solutions in systems engineering and integration; enterprise IT, including cloud services; cyber; software; advanced analytics and simulation; and training. We are a team of 23,000 strong driven by mission, united purpose, and inspired by opportunity. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, SAIC has annual revenues of approximately $6.5 billion. For more information, visit saic.com. For information on the benefits SAIC offers, see Working at SAIC. EOE AA M/F/Vet/Disability

How this job compares

Set against the 6,099 open Machine Learning Engineer jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 3, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$220–260K/yr
  • Virginia median$131–210K/yr227 salary ranges
  • US median$148–245K/yr4,859 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $240K, is 35% above the Virginia median midpoint ($178K) — in the top quarter of Machine Learning Engineer salary ranges in Virginia.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 267 open Machine Learning Engineer jobs in Virginia and 6,099 across the US. 8% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in Virginia
Experience
This posting asks for at least 7 years of experience; Machine Learning Engineer postings that state a minimum ask for 5 years at the median (4,881 postings).
Education
2,296 of the 6,099 open Machine Learning Engineer jobs (38%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 3, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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