Lead AI/ML Engineer

Req ID: 323683 

NTT DATA strives to hire exceptional, innovative and passionate individuals who want to grow with us. If you want to be part of an inclusive, adaptable, and forward-thinking organization, apply now.

We are currently seeking a Lead AI/ML Engineer to join our team in Ashburn, Virginia (US-VA), United States (US).

NTT DATA strives to hire exceptional, innovative and passionate individuals who want to grow with us. If you want to be part of an inclusive, adaptable, and forward-thinking organization, apply now.

We are seeking a visionary and hands-on Lead AI/ML Engineer to drive innovation and delivery across AI, GenAI, and ML Ops solutions for enterprise and government sectors. This role blends full-stack development with advanced machine learning engineering, operational excellence, and leadership in AI solution architecture. The ideal candidate is a technical leader with deep expertise in building scalable AI systems, mentoring engineers, and deploying impactful solutions in complex, high-stakes environments.

Job Responsibilities Include:

Model Development & Implementation

• Evaluate, fine-tune, and implement machine learning models, including large language models (LLMs), focusing on adapting existing models to meet specific business needs.
• Build and train ML models, including defining preprocessing, feature engineering, validation strategies, and hyperparameter tuning.
• Analyze ML algorithms for suitability, assess error patterns, and develop strategies for continuous model improvement.
• Identify opportunities for transfer learning and relevant training datasets.

Data Engineering & Infrastructure

• Build data ingestion and transformation pipelines to support model training and deployment.
• Verify data quality, perform data cleaning, and oversee data acquisition processes as needed.
• Design and implement enterprise ML platforms, feature stores, and SDKs to support reproducible, scalable ML applications.
• Author and maintain Python packages for data science and engineering teams.

Deployment & Integration

• Deploy models to production and create APIs to integrate AI models into business operations.
• Support the migration and monitoring of cloud-based NLP environments.
• Drive cybersecurity practices in AI platform deployments.

Research & Innovation

• Lead R&D of GenAI tools, including staffing and coding assistants for federal agencies.
• Develop and evaluate AI-driven tools such as pull request classifiers and coding support tools.
• Architect and operationalize vectorization pipelines for structured and unstructured data.

Technical Leadership & Strategy

• Provide technical leadership in AI technologies, including GenAI, machine learning, deep learning, and natural language processing (NLP).
• Ensure the technical quality of AI solutions, including architecture, design, implementation, and deployment.
• Scope, plan, and manage complex AI projects from inception to delivery.
• Help AI product managers and business stakeholders understand the potential, limitations, and results of AI models.

Collaboration & Client Engagement

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including engineers, data scientists, business analysts, and client partners.
• Build strong relationships with clients, understand their challenges, and propose tailored AI/ML solutions.

 Basic Qualifications:

• Minimum 7 years of experience in AI/ML engineering, software development, or related fields.
• Minimum 4 years of experience delivering GenAI solutions and scalable ML Ops platforms in enterprise and federal agency contexts.
• Minimum 4 years of software engineering foundation experience in Python.
• Minimum 4 years of experience in ML/AI platforms including Databricks, SageMaker, Snowflake, and Vertex AI.
• Minimum 3 years of experience with AI frameworks (such as TensorFlow, PyTorch) and building and deploying AI models​.
• Minimum 1 year of experience managing engineering teams and mentoring junior talent.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen with the ability to obtain a Putblic Trust clearance.

Preferred Qualifications:

• AI / ML certification(s) from any of the MAAG Clouds / renowned 3rd party platforms
• Experience developing SDKs, CLI tools, and automation scripts.
• Exposure working with LLM Architecture / fine-tuning LLM’s
• Knowledge of generative models, GAN’s and transformer-based models
• Knowledge of ethical standards related to AI
• Proficiency in programming languages  
• Strong communicator with the ability to engage technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Active contributor to the broader AI/ML community.

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About NTT DATA

NTT DATA is a $30 billion trusted global innovator of business and technology services. We serve 75% of the Fortune Global 100 and are committed to helping clients innovate, optimize and transform for long term success. As a Global Top Employer, we have diverse experts in more than 50 countries and a robust partner ecosystem of established and start-up companies. Our services include business and technology consulting, data and artificial intelligence, industry solutions, as well as the development, implementation and management of applications, infrastructure and connectivity. We are one of the leading providers of digital and AI infrastructure in the world. NTT DATA is a part of NTT Group, which invests over $3.6 billion each year in R&D to help organizations and society move confidently and sustainably into the digital future. Visit us at us.nttdata.com

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