Senior Applied AI/ML Engineer (TS/SCI)

Vantor is forging the new frontier of spatial intelligence, helping decision makers and operators navigate what’s happening now and shape what’s coming next. Vantor is a place for problem solvers, changemakers, and go-getters—where people are working together to help our customers see the world differently, and in doing so, be seen differently. Come be part of a mission, not just a job, where you can: Shape your own future, build the next big thing, and change the world.

To be eligible for this position, you must be a U.S. Citizen. This position requires an active U.S. Government security clearance, applicants who do not currently hold the required clearance will not be eligible for consideration. Employment for cleared roles is contingent upon verification of clearance status. Export Control/ITAR: Certain roles may be subject to U.S. export control laws, requiring U.S. person status as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).

Please review the job details below.

Vantor is seeking a Senior Applied AI/ML Engineer to work in an agile and fast-paced customer environment supporting users whose mission is to solve unique and challenging problems for Special Operations. The selected candidate will be part of a small, multi-disciplinary team responsible for building end-to-end data and machine learning capabilities. This includes developing scalable data pipelines, applying advanced analytics and machine learning, deploying models and services into production, and delivering analyst-facing applications and tools.

The ideal candidate combines strong data engineering fundamentals with applied data science and software development experience. This role requires someone who can work across the full lifecycle of a solution—from ingesting and transforming large datasets to developing models, exposing capabilities through APIs, and delivering reliable tools directly to mission users.

Minimum Requirements:

• Must have a current/active TS/SCI and a CI polygraph.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Information Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Engineering, or a related field.
• At least 8 years of related experience in data engineering, data science, machine learning engineering, software engineering, or a combination thereof.
• Strong programming experience with Python, PySpark, and SQL.
• Experience designing, developing, and optimizing production data pipelines that process large-scale or complex datasets.
• Experience developing and deploying analytics, machine learning, or data-intensive applications and services.
• Experience with data modeling, ETL/ELT, data quality, transformation logic, and analytical or search-oriented data stores.
• Ability to translate ambiguous mission or customer problems into practical data, analytics, and software solutions.
• Must be a highly motivated, self-driven team player who can collaborate effectively with customers, analysts, software engineers, and technical leadership.
• Must be willing to work at a customer site in Northern VA.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with distributed data engineering using Apache Spark/PySpark, HDFS, Delta Lake, Elasticsearch, or similar technologies across large-scale datasets.
• Experience deploying and operating machine learning models and inference services at scale across GPU/CPU clusters or containerized environments.
• Experience applying advanced analytics, including geospatial analysis, H3 indexing, graph analytics, computer vision, OCR, natural language processing, or large language models.
• Experience developing analyst-facing data and machine learning applications using FastAPI, Django, React, TypeScript, or similar technologies.
• Experience with cloud, DevOps, and orchestration tools such as AWS, Azure, OpenStack, Docker, Nomad, Kubernetes, GitLab, CI/CD, or Ansible.
• Experience building APIs or production services using technologies such as FastAPI, Django, Java, or equivalent frameworks.

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Pay Transparency: To support pay transparency, Vantor includes salary ranges in all U.S. job postings. Starting pay for this role will fall within the listed range and will be based on factors such as experience, qualifications, skills, location, and market conditions. Candidates who meet the minimum requirements for the role should not expect to receive compensation at the top of the range. The listed range reflects the expected pay for this position, and final offers will be determined based on each candidate’s experience, expertise, and alignment with the role.

• The base pay for this position within the Washington, DC metropolitan area is: $140,000.00 - $187,000.00 - $205,700.00 annually.

For all other states, we use geographic cost of labor as an input to develop market-driven ranges for our roles, and as such, each location where we hire may have a different range.

Benefits: Vantor offers a competitive total rewards package that goes beyond the standard, including a robust 401(k) with company match, mental health resources, and unique perks like student loan repayment assistance, adoption reimbursement and pet insurance to support all aspects of your life. You can find more information on our benefits at: https://www.Vantor.com/careers

The application window is three days from the date the job is posted and will remain posted until a qualified candidate has been identified for hire. If the job is reposted regardless of reason, it will remain posted three days from the date the job is reposted and will remain reposted until a qualified candidate has been identified for hire.

The date of posting can be found on Vantor's Career page at the top of each job posting.

To apply, submit your application via Vantor's Career page.

EEO Policy: Vantor is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive workplace. We believe in fostering an environment where all team members feel respected, valued, and encouraged to share their ideas. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.