AI Lead Engineer

Job Description Job Description AI Lead Engineer This is an ON-SITE POSITION in Charleston, SC Position Overview We are seeking an AI Lead Engineer who combines strong hands-on technical ability with emerging leadership and product instincts. This role is ideal for someone who has worked in a startup or fast-paced environment, understands how AI systems move from prototype to real-world deployment, and is ready to grow into a team leadership position. You will initially operate as a primary contributor, designing models, building training pipelines, and delivering AI-driven features, while helping shape the technical direction of our AI efforts. As products mature, you will take on increasing responsibility for mentoring junior engineers and building a small, high-performing team. Key Responsibilities Hands-On AI Development Design, build, and train machine learning and deep learning models (CNNs, transformers, RL, etc.) Develop scalable training pipelines and data processing workflows Work across the stack: data ingestion, model development, evaluation, and deployment Build and maintain AI systems (backend and, where applicable, user-facing interfaces) Applied Product Development Translate AI capabilities into deployable features aligned with business needs Balance model performance with real-world constraints (latency, cost, reliability) Collaborate with stakeholders to prioritize features and iterate quickly Contribute to system architecture decisions as products evolve Emerging Technical Leadership Provide guidance and informal mentorship to junior engineers Help establish coding standards, experimentation practices, and development workflows Participate in hiring as the team grows Gradually take ownership of technical direction for AI initiatives R&D and Innovation Explore and prototype new approaches, including novel neural network architectures Apply advanced statistical inference and predictive modeling techniques Support exploration of emerging domains such as remote sensing, autonomy, or SBIRS-like systems Stay current with advancements in deep learning and applied AI Collaboration & Execution Work within an Agile framework, contributing to sprint planning and regular updates Collaborate cross-functionally to support company growth through AI capabilities Maintain clear documentation of models, systems, and experiments Required Qualifications Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Mathematical Sciences, Data Analytics, or related field US Citizen with ability to obtain Secret Security Clearance 3–7 years of experience in AI/ML development (industry or applied research) Strong programming skills in Python (C++ / Rust / JavaScript a plus) Experience with deep learning frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow Solid foundation in: Machine learning and deep learning (CNNs, RNNs, transformers) Statistical inference (Frequentist and Bayesian methods) Data processing and normalization techniques Experience building and training models on real-world datasets (not just academic exercises) Familiarity with version control systems (e.g., Azure DevOps, Git) Preferred Qualifications Experience in a startup or fast-paced product environment Exposure to deploying models into production environments Familiarity with MLOps concepts (model versioning, monitoring, pipelines) Experience with image processing (OpenCV, Pillow) and structured/unstructured data Knowledge of: Advanced mathematics (e.g., tensor calculus, graph theory) Data storage systems (relational and non-relational databases) Interest or experience in defense, remote sensing, or space-based systems What We’re Looking For Someone who enjoys both building and leading Comfortable with ambiguity and wearing multiple hats Able to connect technical decisions to business outcomes Motivated by growth into a future leadership role Growth Path This role is designed to evolve into a formal leadership position. As our AI capabilities and product portfolio expand, you will have the opportunity to: Build and lead a small AI team Own major technical initiatives end-to-end Contribute to product and R&D strategy Company Description ORBIS is an ISO 9001 certified, Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB) with over 20 years of major Navy Program experience leading, delivering, and managing professional support services for NAVSEA, the Warfare centers and the Navy industrial enterprise. From our beginnings in the submarine program, we have grown to also support other DOD and Federal Government branches and a number of commercial customers. ORBIS provides capabilities encompassing the full DOD lifecycle of acquisition, program management, delivery, modernization, quality, audits and certification. Our CEO, Guy Mossman, has a long history with the submarine program and before starting ORBIS was the Executive Director for PEO SUBs. Unique for a small business and always part of the company vision, we operate a research and development laboratory in Charleston, SC, focused on Automated Test Equipment and related technologies. We leverage our extensive portfolio of engineering and technical support tasks to provide innovative, cost-effective, and on-time solutions that exceed the requirements of Government and Commercial customers. Company Description ORBIS is an ISO 9001 certified, Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB) with over 20 years of major Navy Program experience leading, delivering, and managing professional support services for NAVSEA, the Warfare centers and the Navy industrial enterprise. From our beginnings in the submarine program, we have grown to also support other DOD and Federal Government branches and a number of commercial customers. ORBIS provides capabilities encompassing the full DOD lifecycle of acquisition, program management, delivery, modernization, quality, audits and certification. Our CEO, Guy Mossman, has a long history with the submarine program and before starting ORBIS was the Executive Director for PEO SUBs. Unique for a small business and always part of the company vision, we operate a research and development laboratory in Charleston, SC, focused on Automated Test Equipment and related technologies. We leverage our extensive portfolio of engineering and technical support tasks to provide innovative, cost-effective, and on-time solutions that exceed the requirements of Government and Commercial customers.