Senior AI / Data Engineer: Data Platforms, Machine Learning & Applied AI

Intertwine Associates is hiring a Senior AI / Data Engineer to support federal agencies and other clients through end-to-end data engineering and applied AI delivery. In this role, you will lead the architecture and implementation of Azure-based data platforms and machine learning systems, while setting engineering standards and partnering directly with client teams.

Based in Mount Pleasant, SC, this position is remote with occasional travel. Compensation is competitive, with an anticipated base salary range of USD 130,000 to 175,000 per year.

What you’ll do

• Architect and lead the delivery of enterprise data platforms and pipelines on Azure using services such as Data Lake Storage, Azure SQL, Azure Data Factory, and Microsoft Fabric / Foundry (or equivalent cloud services).
• Set and enforce standards for ETL design, schema enforcement, data validation, quality checks, and data lineage, and review other engineers’ work against those expectations.
• Design, build, and deploy machine learning and AI solutions, including applications using large language models such as retrieval-augmented generation, document understanding, and agentic workflows, with evaluation and guardrails.
• Build secure API endpoints and microservices to make data and models available to analytics and ML platforms.
• Establish MLOps practices including experiment tracking, model registries, CI/CD, containers, monitoring, and cost and performance tuning.
• Apply data and AI governance for compliance, reproducibility, auditability, and responsible AI, including the NIST AI Risk Management Framework and related federal expectations.
• Translate mission and business needs into technical roadmaps, estimates, and briefings for client leadership.
• Mentor engineers and data scientists and lead technical work across multidisciplinary teams.

What you bring

• 7+ years of experience building production data pipelines, machine learning systems, or AI applications, including 2+ years leading technical work.
• Expert Python (including Pandas and NumPy) and advanced SQL, with experience integrating relational and unstructured sources.
• Deep, hands-on experience with Azure data services, or equivalent depth with AWS or Google Cloud.
• Production experience with ML frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, or scikit-learn.
• Experience with data validation, schema enforcement, quality assurance, and governance in regulated environments.
• Experience designing APIs and microservices for analytics and ML platforms.
• Strong written and verbal communication, including the ability to brief senior, non-technical audiences.
• U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residency may be required per contract.
• Ability to obtain a federal government Public Trust or security clearance where required by the assignment.

Technologies you may work with

• Azure, Data Lake Storage, Azure SQL, Azure Data Factory, Microsoft Fabric, Foundry
• Python, Pandas, NumPy, SQL, AWS, Google Cloud
• PyTorch, TensorFlow, scikit-learn
• Retrieval-augmented generation, document understanding, agentic workflows, large language models
• APIs, microservices, MLOps, CI/CD, containers
• NIST AI Risk Management Framework, Databricks, Snowflake, FedRAMP, FISMA

Additional qualifications

• Bachelor’s or advanced degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Statistics, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Experience building applications on large language models including retrieval-augmented generation, embeddings and vector databases, evaluation, and guardrails.
• Microsoft certifications such as Azure Data Engineer, Azure AI Engineer, Fabric Data Engineer, or Azure Solutions Architect, or equivalent AWS or Google Cloud certifications.
• Experience with Databricks, Snowflake, Microsoft Fabric, or similar modern data platforms at enterprise scale.
• Familiarity with FedRAMP and FISMA and federal data security requirements.
• Experience supporting a federal agency, or health, scientific, or research data.
• An active federal Public Trust or security clearance.

Compensation and incentives

• Competitive compensation package with an anticipated base salary range of $130,000-$175,000 per year.
• May be eligible for discretionary bonuses, signing or retention incentives, or other variable compensation (not guaranteed).