Principal AI/ML Engineer

Company Overview

Pantheon Data (a Kenific Holding company) is a private, small business based in the Washington, DC, area. Pantheon Data was founded in 2011, initially providing acquisition and supply chain management services to the US Coast Guard. Our service offerings have grown in the past ten years, including infrastructure resiliency, contact center operations, information technology, software engineering, program management, strategic communications, engineering, and cybersecurity. We have also grown our customer base to include commercial clients. The company has used this experience to expand our service offerings to other agencies within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Defense (DoD), and other Federal Civilian Agencies.

Position Overview
We are seeking a Principal AI/ML Engineer to serve as a technical leader and architect for advanced Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) and Generative AI solutions. This role goes beyond hands-on model development and focuses on setting technical vision, establishing best practices, and leading the design of scalable, production-grade AI systems. The ideal candidate is a recognized expert in Optical Character Recognition (OCR), Natural Language Processing (NLP), Large Language Models (LLMs), and deep learning, with proven experience integrating these capabilities into end-to-end enterprise solutions that process and extract value from large volumes of unstructured data.

As a Principal Engineer, you will drive innovation, guide architecture decisions, mentor engineering teams, and work closely with product, leadership, and customers to translate complex business challenges into robust AI/ML solutions.

Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & Strategy

• Define and drive the technical vision and roadmap for AI/ML and IDP capabilities across products and programs.
• Establish architectural standards, design patterns, and best practices for scalable, secure, and maintainable AI systems.
• Evaluate emerging technologies, research advancements, and tooling in Generative AI, LLMs, OCR, and NLP, and recommend adoption where appropriate.
• Serve as the senior technical authority for AI/ML design decisions and solution trade-offs.

Solution Architecture & Development

• Architect end-to-end Intelligent Document Processing solutions combining OCR, NLP, LLMs, and other deep learning models.
• Design and oversee implementation of production-grade ML systems, including data pipelines, model training workflows, evaluation frameworks, and inference services.
• Lead the development of reusable AI/ML frameworks, services, and accelerators that can be leveraged across multiple projects.
• Ensure solutions meet requirements for performance, scalability, reliability, and security.

Generative AI & Advanced Modeling

• Guide the use of LLMs and other generative models for document understanding, information extraction, summarization, classification, and question answering.
• Define best practices for prompt engineering, fine-tuning, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and model evaluation.
• Oversee experimentation and model benchmarking to continuously improve solution accuracy and efficiency.

Data & MLOps Integration

• Collaborate with data engineering teams to design robust data ingestion, labeling, and feature engineering pipelines.
• Define and implement MLOps best practices, including versioning, model governance, monitoring, and automated deployment.
• Ensure responsible AI practices, including model explainability, bias mitigation, and auditability where applicable.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with product managers, customers, and business stakeholders to translate high-level requirements into technical AI/ML solution designs.
• Communicate complex AI/ML concepts clearly to non-technical audiences, including executives and clients.
• Work closely with engineering leaders to align AI/ML initiatives with overall platform architecture.

Mentorship & Team Development

• Mentor and guide senior and junior engineers, fostering technical growth and engineering excellence.
• Lead technical design reviews, code reviews, and architecture discussions.
• Promote a culture of innovation, knowledge sharing, and continuous learning within the engineering organization.

Required Skills and Experience

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related technical field (PhD a plus).
• 3+ years of experience designing and deploying Machine Learning and AI systems in production environments.
• 2+ years of experience leading or mentoring engineering teams in production environments
• Demonstrated experience in building, developing, and productionizing machine learning systems
• Deep expertise in Intelligent Document Processing, including OCR, NLP pipelines, and document understanding systems.
• Strong hands-on experience with Large Language Models and Generative AI techniques, including prompt design, fine-tuning, and RAG-based architectures.
• Proven experience designing and deploying scalable ML systems and services in cloud environments.
• Must have a disciplined, methodical, minimalist approach to designing and constructing layered software components that can be embedded within larger frameworks or applications.
• Advanced proficiency in Python and common ML/AI frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow, Hugging Face, spaCy, etc.).
• Experience with AWS, including AI/ML and data services (certifications a plus).
• Experience with system architecture, APIs, microservices, and distributed systems.
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex technical initiatives and influence architecture across multiple teams.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain technical concepts to diverse audiences.
• Ability to work effectively remotely in cross-functional teams.
• Ability to meet deadlines and produce quality work.
• Proficient in Microsoft Suite software including Outlook, Word, Excel, SharePoint, and PowerPoint.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Strong knowledge of MLOps tooling and practices (CI/CD for ML, model monitoring, feature stores, experiment tracking).
• Familiarity with containerization and orchestration technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes.
• Experience working in Agile/Scrum environments and using tools such as JIRA and Confluence.
• Knowledge of both relational and non-relational databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, MongoDB, etc.).
• Experience in regulated or security-conscious environments where data governance and compliance are critical.
• Track record of technical publications, patents, conference presentations, or open-source contributions in AI/ML (nice to have).

Key Attributes:

• Strategic thinker with the ability to balance long-term vision and near-term delivery.
• Strong sense of ownership and accountability for technical outcomes.
• Passion for solving complex problems with AI and delivering real-world impact.
• Collaborative leader who elevates team performance and drives engineering excellence.

Clearance Requirements

U.S. Citizenship with the ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Secret clearance.

Work Location: Fairfax, Virginia

• Our company prioritizes the benefits of flexibility and collaboration, whether that happens in person or remotely.
• If the position is remote or hybrid, you may periodically work from a Pantheon Data office location or client site.
• If this position is assigned to a Pantheon Data office location or client site, you'll work with colleagues and clients in person, as needed for specific client requirements.

Benefits Overview

We are always looking for good people! Pantheon Data is committed to providing its employees with competitive salaries and benefits in order to increase employee satisfaction and productivity.In addition to our benefits, we also offer SmartBenefits through the Washington Metro Area Transportation Authority, where you specify an amount of your pre-tax wages be paid directly to your SmarTrip account. In some cases, tuition assistance may be available for continuing education expenses and certifications related to their position. Additional details may be found at https://pantheon-data.com/careers/

Pantheon Data Important Information

All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, local, or international law.

As part of the application process, you are expected to be on camera during interviews and assessments. We reserve the right to take your picture to verify your identity and prevent fraud.

If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to our Talent Team at Recruiting@pantheon-data.com or by phone (571) 363-4020.

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