Senior AI/ML Engineer

Perks of Working at Ignite Digital:

• Competitive pay and benefits, including PTO
• Education stipends and referral bonuses
• Compelling work with the U.S. federal government
• Strong emphasis on volunteer and community engagement
• Opportunity to shape the future of our industry
• Supportive colleagues and management who invest in your growth

Ignite Digital is seeking a Senior AI/ML Engineer to support a U.S. Navy program in the Norfolk, VA area. The candidate will design, develop, and deploy secure AI/ML models and intelligent automation capabilities in support of Navy operational workloads, readiness analytics, enterprise data harmonization, training systems, and decision‑intelligence platforms.

This role is ideal for a seasoned engineer with deep technical expertise, strong mission orientation, and experience working in DoW classified environments.

Key Responsibilities:

• Architect, build, and deploy AI/ML models within DoW‑aligned environments (IL4/IL5).
• Execute end‑to‑end data science workflows—data ingestion, cleansing, feature engineering, model development, optimization, validation, and production deployment.
• Develop secure cloud‑native pipelines using Azure ML, Snowflake Cortex AI, Databricks, or similar platforms aligned with Navy standards.
• Implement model governance, versioning, lineage, and audit controls consistent with Navy security requirements.
• Work with Forward Deployed Engineers, data engineers, DevSecOps teams, and Navy mission stakeholders to operationalize AI/ML capabilities.
• Support automation of analytics workflows, dashboards, semantic layers, and predictive modeling functions for operational decision support.
• Collaborate with cybersecurity teams to ensure compliance with Navy security, classification, SCIF procedures, and DD254 requirements.
• Document technical artifacts and contribute to iterative prototyping cycles used across Navy portfolios.

Required Skills & Experience:

• 7+ years of hands‑on experience in AI/ML model development and data engineering.
• Proficiency with Python, SQL, cloud services (Azure, AWS GovCloud), and AI/ML frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, Scikit‑learn).
• Experience building and deploying ML models in secure DoD/IC environments.
• Experience supporting Navy, NAVWAR, NIWC, or related Defense organizations.
• Understanding of DevSecOps pipelines, CI/CD, security scanning, and automated deployment.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work with mission users and technical SMEs.
• Experience with Snowflake AI Data Cloud, Cortex AI, Databricks, or Advana/Jupiter platforms.
• Experience supporting Navy training systems, HR modernization pipelines, readiness analytics, or C4I environments.
• Familiarity with SCCA cloud environments, Flank Speed integration patterns, and role‑based access controls.
• Experience with semantic layer development, analytics pipelines, or operational decision‑support systems.

Education & Certifications:

• Bachelor’s degree (Master’s preferred) in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or related field.

Security Clearance:

• Active DoW SECRET clearance required.

Salary: $150k+ to align with education and experience.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled

For individuals who would like to request an accommodation, please visit https://bit.ly/2XqZoLM (CA) or https://bit.ly/3Eo922f (SC) or contact Human Resources. Ignite Digital Services will not make any posting or employment decision that does not comply with applicable laws relating to labor and employment, equal employment opportunity, employment eligibility requirements or related matters. Nor will Ignite Digital Services require, in a posting or otherwise, U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residency in the U.S. as a condition of employment except as necessary to comply with law, regulation, executive order, or federal, state, or local government contract.