Principal AI/ML Data Scientist - AI, Vector Search & Agentic AI Platforms
Red Arch Solutions3 days ago
Reston, VA, USAStaff+
Base Salary
$255k - $325k/yr
Responsibilities
- Architect, build, and maintain enterprise-scale data platforms supporting vector databases, semantic search, RAG, Agentic AI systems, and LLM applications.
- Establish controls for data quality, lineage, source attribution, prompt and context traceability, explainability, and evaluation of AI outputs.
- Lead architectural decisions for AI-supporting data infrastructure while balancing performance, scalability, security, reliability, maintainability, and cost.
- Partner with data scientists, machine learning engineers, architects, cybersecurity teams, and software engineers to deliver production-grade capabilities.
- Translate AI, machine learning, and data architecture concepts into operational impacts, risks, opportunities, and implementation considerations for senior leaders.
- Coordinate stakeholders across organizations to align AI initiatives, maximize reuse, and eliminate duplicated effort.
- Implement monitoring, observability, and alerting for reliable and continuously improving AI-supporting data platforms.
- Provide technical leadership and mentorship while promoting engineering best practices and innovation.
- Evaluate emerging AI technologies, vector database platforms, retrieval frameworks, and engineering approaches.
Requirements
- Active, current Top Secret/SCI clearance with polygraph is mandatory.
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, mathematics, data science, or a related quantitative discipline, with equivalent experience potentially considered.
- 20+ years of progressive experience in software engineering, data engineering, distributed systems, cloud architecture, or AI/ML platform development.
- Experience designing and delivering enterprise-scale AI, machine learning, generative AI, or Agentic AI solutions.
- Experience architecting and implementing production cloud-native data systems for advanced analytics and AI workloads.
- Experience with enterprise security, infrastructure, technology dependencies, governance requirements, and competing priorities.
- Extensive experience designing data pipelines for machine learning models, vector databases, semantic search, and generative AI applications.
- Experience delivering complex technical solutions from strategic requirements through operational deployment while balancing schedule, performance, capability, and cost.
- Expert proficiency in Python, SQL, and modern software engineering practices.
- Deep experience with Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud data and AI platforms, distributed systems, cloud-native architectures, MLOps, and AI platform engineering.
- Experience with vector databases, embedding pipelines, retrieval systems, RAG architectures, orchestration platforms, infrastructure automation, and observability tooling.
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain technical concepts and tradeoffs to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Preferred experience as a Principal Engineer, Lead Data Engineer, Solution Architect, or Technical Lead.
- Preferred experience operating enterprise-scale vector search, RAG, knowledge management, and LLM-based platforms.
- Preferred experience with large-scale distributed data processing frameworks, engineering-team leadership, mentoring, AI governance, model evaluation, explainability, and responsible AI practices.
- Experience supporting AI adoption in government, defense, intelligence, or highly regulated organizations is preferred.
Benefits
- 100% company-paid employee healthcare premiums and CareFirst Advantage benefits.
- HaloScripts concierge prescription medication service.
- Generous paid time off and 11 paid federal holidays.
- 401(k) contribution of 10%, including a 6% match vested from day one and up to 4% profit sharing.
- Annualized bonus compensation and spot bonuses.
- Tuition reimbursement, a 529 College Savings Plan, and a college loan payback program.
- Generous referral bonuses and annual training support.
- The posting describes a collaborative organization with work/life balance and individualized professional growth.
Categories
Data EngineeringML Engineering
About Red Arch Solutions
Red Arch Solutions is an IT and engineering services firm that builds software, cloud, cyber, data, and systems solutions for U.S. intelligence and national security customers. It operates as a government contractor, delivering mission systems integration, zero-trust architectures, and AI/ML-enabled analytics. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, the company is privately held and focuses on programs within the federal intelligence community.