AI/ML Operational Engineer SME - TS/SCI with Poly

Job Description Job Description AI/ML Operational Engineer SME Joint Base Anacostia, Arlington, VA, or Reston, VA Active TS/SCI with Poly Clearance required @Orchard is retained by a top geospatial technology company supporting important operations missions to U.S. Government customers. Our client is forging the new frontier of spatial intelligence, helping decision makers and operators navigate what’s happening now and shape what’s coming next. They are a place for problem solvers, changemakers, and go-getters—where people are working together to help our customers see the world differently, and in doing so, be seen differently. Come be part of a mission, not just a job, where you can: Shape your own future, build the next big thing, and change the world . This role helps design, build, integrate, and sustain secure technical capabilities that support high-volume analysis and mission operations. The position contributes to AI-enabled, data-driven solutions that help users work across complex datasets at scale, improve operational outcomes, and accelerate the delivery of mission-relevant applications and services. All work is performed in secure environments. Work location is Joint Base Anacostia, Arlington, VA, or Reston, VA. This position requires an active U.S. Government Security Clearance at the TS/SCI level with CI Polygraph. For this role we are seeking an AI/ML Operational Engineer SME with expert level knowledge and recognized as an authority in AI/ML. Responsibilities: Design and implementation of AI/ML operational environments. Defines, develops, and delivers machine learning models and AI solutions Tests, deploys, and maintains AI systems Optimizes Al models for performance, scalability, and efficiency, leveraging cloud-based resources and distributed computing frameworks Manages the data flow and infrastructure for effective AI deployment, including the preprocessing of data Ensures the quality and accuracy of data fed into models and deploys these models into production Conducts data analysis, preprocessing, and feature engineering to extract valuable insights from large datasets, improving model performance Applies machine learning algorithms to large sets of structured and unstructured data to solve a broad range of problems that include applications in pattern recognition, target detection and tracking, machine learning and decision systems May use system-of-systems and multi-agent approaches to architect and design AI software systems Minimum Qualifications: Active TS/SCI clearance with CI Polygraph. Master's degree or PhD with 13+ years of experience in AI/ML. Recognized authority in the field with expertise in designing novel algorithms for complex intelligence problems. Guides strategic AI implementation and represents capabilities to senior stakeholders. Preferred Qualifications: Experience with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, or GCP) Experience with system integration and database management Relevant technical or project management certifications Ability to stay current with industry trends and emerging technologies Established in 2010, @Orchard has an exceptional reputation, providing talent acquisition solutions to time-sensitive, talent scarcity issues to deliver better talent management ROI. Our specialty lies in the critical area of program talent acquisition and resource management, not in one narrow skillset, but across many areas of technical and functional delivery. To learn more about our other exciting opportunities, visit our Jobs Page at .