Machine Learning Engineer - Defense

Overview As an AI / ML Engineer at Applied Intuition Defense, you will be pivotal in developing, integrating, and maintaining real-time AI / ML solutions deployed across a range of heterogeneous autonomous vehicles and domains (e.g., land, air, sea, and space). You will work with a team to continuously add capability and demonstrate the solution to customers in real-world scenarios on a variety of hardware platforms. You will rapidly design, develop, and integrate AI / ML models to interface across different platforms, processing data in real-time with real military operators in the loop. Your work will span the MLOps pipeline, improving ingestion and tooling, labeling and autolabeling, model architectures, training, evaluation and validation, inference-time optimization, and inference service deployment. You will have access to large training clusters with the latest GPUs, and collaborate with Applied Intuition's ML expertise.

Responsibilities Develop, integrate, and adapt cutting-edge AI / ML algorithms running on the perception / autonomy stack to process aerial imagery across platforms and sensor types (e.g. EO, IR).

Collaborate with Applied Intuition commercial product staff to leverage top AI talent and resources.

Scale datasets using data generation techniques including simulation, diffusion, and Gaussian splats.

Create inference software providing low-latency, real-time feedback to autonomy software on-board live platforms.

Coordinate with hardware, sensor, tracking, autonomy, and testing teams to ensure seamless deployment in on-site DoD testing and demonstration events.

Use software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop testing to collect performance data.

Engage with DoD customers to understand use cases, requirements, and triage needs during field events to deliver a superior customer experience.

Qualifications MS or PhD in Computer Engineering, Robotic Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent, OR 5+ years of relevant experience with simulation, machine learning, and ML infrastructure. Proficiency in training ML models in PyTorch on multi-machine, multi-GPU systems.

Experience in optimizing and deploying machine learning models to edge devices.

Strong Python proficiency and solid C++ capability.

Core understanding of sensor physics and sensor parameters.

Experience leveraging modern AI-powered development tools to accelerate the creation of robust, well-tested systems.

Adeptness with remote software development, handling large datasets, and ability to learn new software and algorithms with minimal supervision.

Travel Requirements Must be willing to travel as projects require, usually for SW / HW integration and / or demonstrations; estimated travel 2-5 days every other month (10-20%).

Relocation assistance available to Applied Intuition Defense facilities near Destin, FL, Washington, D.C., or San Diego, CA.

Security Requirements Must be a U.S. Citizen.

Must hold or be eligible for a U.S. Secret security clearance.

For more information about U.S. security clearances : click here.

Nice to have PhD in Computer Vision, Machine Learning, or related field with strong academic contributions.

5+ years of experience deploying perception models on real-world hardware.

Experience generating datasets using simulation engines (e.g., Unreal Engine, NVIDIA Omniverse, Blender).

Experience optimizing Transformer-based models for edge devices (e.g., NVIDIA Jetson).

Proficiency in modern C++ (2020 / 2023), CMake, Conan.

Familiarity with Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) testing, including integration with common COTS hardware (e.g., NVIDIA Jetson, Raspberry Pi 5).

Job details Seniority level : Mid-Senior level

Employment type : Full-time

Job function : Engineering and Information Technology

Industries : Software Development

Compensation and additional notes Compensation at Applied Intuition includes base salary, equity, and benefits. Base salary is USD 130,000 to 200,000 annually, with total compensation potentially including equity, health / dental / vision / life / disability insurance, 401k with employer match, and other benefits. Benefits may vary by jurisdiction and are subject to change.

Applied Intuition is an equal opportunity employer and a federal contractor or subcontractor. See the job posting for location details and pay transparency information. The base salary range listed here reflects the minimum and maximum target base salary for this role in the listed location. Actual offers consider experience, credentials, and other factors.

Note : If you do not meet every listed requirement, you are encouraged to apply anyway if you are excited about the role.

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