Al/ML Engineer (SME)

Peraton is seeking an AI/ML Engineer (SME) to support the MODES III program supporting Military Community and Family Policy (MC&FP). In this role, the selected candidate will provide program‑level leadership for AI/ML strategy, defining the technical roadmap, data governance, and model lifecycle management across the program data and analytics initiatives. This position is remote and requires an active Secret clearance. 

JOB DESCRIPTION 

• Provides program‑level leadership for AI/ML strategy, defining the technical roadmap, data governance, and model lifecycle management across MODES III data and analytics initiatives. 
• Directs architecture and integration of AI/ML capabilities into the MODES III data lake, API layers, dashboards, and operational tooling to enable predictive and automated troubleshooting and optimization. 
• Establishes enterprise model governance, ethical AI principles, and production standards (validation, explainability, drift detection) and approves high‑impact pilots for scale‑up. 
• Leads RMF/ATO strategy for ML infrastructure in authorized enclaves, coordinates eMASS artifact generation, and ensures ML deployments comply with DoD/MODES III security mandates. 
• Advises program leadership on resource allocation, tooling, and research priorities; engages stakeholders to align AI/ML outcomes with operational objectives and quality management plan requirements. 
• Familiar with: PyTorch/TensorFlow/Keras, Hugging Face transformers, LangChain, RAG toolkits, FAISS/Pinecone, SageMaker/Vertex AI, MLflow/Kubeflow, Terraform/CloudFormation, EKS/GPU EC2, Prometheus/Grafana, ELK/OpenSearch, AWS Lake Formation/Feature Store, QuickSight/Tableau, Secrets Manager/KMS, eMASS/RMF. 

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS 

• Active Secret clearance required. 
• Experience / Education: 12 years relevant experience with BS/BA degree or 10 with MS/MA or 8 years with PhD or 16 years w/o a degree or 14 years with AS/AA
• Certifications: This role requires a demonstration of capability within the Cyberspace IT workforce. Successful applicants must satisfy Foundational Qualification standards via an approved industry certification (e.g., A+ or Network+) or documented equivalent military/educational training as defined in the DoD 8140 Qualification Matrix. 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS 

• Eligible for Top Secret/SCI clearance. 
• Prior experience working in DoD or Federal government IT environments. 
• Experience with cloud-native data pipelines, analytics platforms, or data lake architectures. 
• Familiarity with NIST RMF, ATO processes, and DoD security compliance frameworks. 
• Experience with machine learning model deployment, MLOps pipelines, or AI/ML frameworks in production environments. 
• CompTIA Security+ 

Worklocation: remote with the ability to travel to the NCR if required