AI Engineer - Entry to Expert Level

At the U.S. National Security Agency/Central Security Service in Fort Meade, you will help design and operationalize mission-critical AI systems that support intelligence collection, processing, and reporting. The role spans the AI lifecycle, from building and deploying models to managing infrastructure, tracking performance, and continuously optimizing solutions to meet evolving mission needs.

This full-time position is onsite at Fort Meade, MD, with a Monday through Friday schedule and basic 8 hours per day between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. (flexible). The salary range is USD 87,362 - 197,200 per year, with pay based on education level and relevant years of experience, as well as the work level information provided by the hiring organization.

What you will do

• Lead or contribute to cross-functional teams to develop and operationalize AI solutions for challenging problems.
• Use modern engineering practices to build end-to-end AI workflows covering model training, inference, and performance monitoring.
• Adapt and integrate AI model architectures including computer vision systems, natural language processors, audio processors, large language models (LLMs), and multi-modal frameworks.
• Monitor and maintain AI products by identifying performance degradation and computational inefficiency, then addressing issues through regular fine-tuning to maintain alignment with mission requirements and organizational goals.
• Stay current with AI research and apply emerging techniques to intelligence applications.
• Test and evaluate AI solutions against mission requirements and produce actionable recommendations.

Technologies you may use

• Deep learning and AI frameworks: PyTorch, TensorFlow, JAX
• Programming and tooling: Python, C++, Java, Scala, TypeScript, Git
• Containers and orchestration: Docker, Kubernetes
• Data and distributed processing: Spark, Dask, Ray
• Cloud platforms: AWS, Azure, GCP
• Data storage: SQL, NoSQL

Compensation and work details

• Salary range: $87,362 - $197,200 per year (Entry/Developmental, Full Performance, Senior, Expert)
• Work site: Onsite (Telework eligible: No; Remote job: No)
• Travel: Occasional travel may be required.
• Appointment type: Permanent
• Relocation: Relocation expenses may be reimbursed in accordance with agency policy.

Education

Degree level varies by qualifications tier. Acceptable degrees may include Computer Science or Engineering, or Information Systems, Information Technology, Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Statistics, Applied Statistics, Operations Research, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, or Physical or Biological Sciences. Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited toward qualifications.

Experience and qualification tiers

• Entry (Computer Science or Engineering): Associate’s degree plus 2 years relevant experience, or Bachelor’s degree with no experience, or Master’s degree with no experience.
• Entry (Information systems and related fields): Associate’s degree plus 3 years relevant experience, or Bachelor’s degree with 1 year relevant experience.
• Full Performance (Computer Science or Engineering): Associate’s plus 5 years, Bachelor’s plus 3 years, Master’s plus 1 year, or Doctoral degree with no experience.
• Full Performance (Information systems and related fields): Associate’s plus 5 years, Bachelor’s plus 3 years, Master’s plus 1 year, or Doctoral plus 1 year.
• Senior: Associate’s plus 8 years, Bachelor’s plus 6 years, Master’s plus 4 years, or Doctoral plus 2 years (degree must be in the listed disciplines).
• Expert: Associate’s plus 11 years, Bachelor’s plus 9 years, Master’s plus 7 years, or Doctoral plus 5 years (degree must be in the listed disciplines).
• Expert additional requirement: Relevant experience must be in three or more areas including production scale AI/ML solutions, distributed model training, AI/ML performance monitoring, platform or cloud engineering, deep learning model development, sustaining models, implementing AI/ML algorithms, AI/ML model development and deployment, DevOps, MLOps, cloud infrastructure management, software engineering, automated testing, and containerization.
• Expert additional leadership requirement: Experience serving as an AI Project Team Leader and/or model owner.

Security and eligibility

• Security clearance: Top Secret
• Position sensitivity and risk: Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk
• Background check: National security
• Drug testing: All applicants and employees are subject to random drug testing in accordance with Executive Order 12564.
• Financial disclosure required: Yes

How you will be evaluated

• Specialized skills in deep learning frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, JAX), model training/fine-tuning/optimization, and model evaluation/performance monitoring.
• Experience with computer vision, NLP, speech/audio processing, and/or multi-modal AI systems.
• Experience with large language models (LLMs) and transformer architectures.
• Skills related to transfer learning and domain adaptation.
• Proficiency with Python and other relevant languages (C++, Java, Scala, TypeScript).
• Experience with version control (Git) and collaborative development.
• Experience with API design, microservices architecture, software testing frameworks, CI/CD pipelines, and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes).
• Experience with data processing frameworks (Spark, Dask, Ray) and feature engineering/data preprocessing.
• Experience with production model deployment and serving infrastructure, monitoring/logging/observability tools, and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and/or HPC systems.
• Experience with distributed computing and parallel processing, GPU optimization and resource management, and database systems (SQL and NoSQL).
• Cross-function collaboration and communication, technical documentation and presentation, and ability to translate mission requirements into technical solutions.

Benefits and additional information

• Benefits: NSA offers a comprehensive benefits package.
• Training: Training will be provided based on the selectee’s needs and experience.

Application details

• Open to: The public; U.S. Citizens, Nationals, or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
• Occupations and job series: 0132 Intelligence
• Pay scale & grade: GG 7 - 15
• Work schedule: Full-time
• Travel required: Occasional
• Excepted Service: This job is in the Excepted Service and positions are under 10 United States Codes (USC) 1601 appointment authority.

To apply: https://apply.intelligencecareers.gov/job-description/1262729

NSA POC: 1-844-424-4737 | [email protected]