Principal Artificial Intelligence Engineer

Company Description Govini transforms Defense Acquisition from an outdated manual process to a software-driven strategic advantage for the United States.

Our flagship product, Ark, supports Supply Chain, Science and Technology, Production, Sustainment, and Modernization teams with AI-enabled Applications and best-in-class data to more rapidly imagine, develop, and field the capabilities we need.

Today, the national security community and every branch of the military rely on Govini to enable faster and more informed Acquisition decisions.

Job Description We are seeking an experienced, skilled developer with a proven track record of delivering modern AI solutions into production software applications.

The Principal AI Engineer will report to the Chief Data Officer and will spearhead the development of both generative AI and traditional machine learning systems that process, analyze, and derive insights from complex defense and national security data.

As a technical leader within our organization, you will help shape Govini's AI strategy to deliver actionable intelligence that supports critical defense decision-making and national security objectives.

In order to do this job well, you must be a curious and eager problem solver with a hunger for building well-designed, high-quality solutions.

You have a passion for great work and nothing less than your best will do.

You share our intolerance of mediocrity.

You’re uber-smart, challenged by figuring things out and producing simple solutions to complex problems.

Knowing there are always multiple answers to a problem, you know how to engage in a constructive dialogue to find the best path forward.

You’re scrappy.

We like scrappy.

This role is a full-time position located out of our office in Pittsburgh, PA.

This role may require up to 25% travel

Scope of Responsibilities

Architect and design scalable, production-grade AI/ML solutions within our AWS environment that address complex challenges in defense data analytics and intelligence

Contribute to and execute against Govini’s AI roadmap

Lead the implementation of advanced generative AI applications to transform unstructured and structured defense and security data into meaningful insights

Establish technical direction and best practices for AI/ML development, deployment, and operations across engineering and data science teams

Collaborate with data scientists, machine learning engineers, software engineers, product managers, and defense domain experts to translate business requirements into efficient technical solutions

Develop and implement AI governance frameworks that address the unique security, explainability, and ethics requirements of defense applications

Mentor and provide technical guidance to junior engineers while fostering a culture of innovation and technical excellence

Continuously evaluate emerging AI/ML technologies and methodologies for potential application to defense tech challenges

Craft clean, testable, and maintainable code

Qualifications

U.S. Citizenship is required

Required Skills:

Master's degree or higher in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, or related technical field

8+ years of experience in data science or software engineering with at least 5 years focused on AI/ML systems development

Extensive experience building and deploying production ML systems within Kubernetes-based AWS environments

Extensive experience building and deploying production generative AI solutions into software products

Strong programming skills in Python and proficiency with modern AI/ML frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch, Hugging Face)

Deep understanding of large language models (LLMs), transformer architectures, and generative AI techniques

Experience with ML Ops tools and practices to support the full lifecycle of AI systems

Proven track record implementing data processing pipelines that handle large-scale, complex datasets

Strong system design skills with experience in distributed systems and microservices architecture

Demonstrated expertise in implementing AI solutions that meet stringent security requirements

Excellent communication skills with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to diverse stakeholders, including non-technical defense professionals

Desired Skills:

Current possession of a U.S. security clearance, or the ability to obtain one with our sponsorship

Experience in or exposure to the nuances of a startup or other entrepreneurial environment

Experience working with defense, intelligence, or national security data and applications

Knowledge of federal security compliance requirements (NIST, FedRAMP, IL4/IL5/IL6)

Familiarity with graph-based analytics and knowledge representation for complex relationship modeling

Experience with advanced NLP techniques for document analysis, entity extraction, and knowledge mining

Experience with advanced time-series analysis and forecasting techniques

Background working with classified information or in secure environments

Understanding of ethical considerations and responsible AI development for national security applications

Full-Time

We firmly believe that past performance is the best indicator of future performance. If you thrive while building solutions to complex problems, are a self-starter, and are passionate about making an impact in global security, we’re eager to hear from you. Govini is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability and protected veterans status or any other characteristic protected by law.