Lead AI/ML Engineer

Who we are:

Raft (https://TeamRaft.com) is a customer-obsessed non-traditional defense tech company dedicated to empowering U.S. military and government agencies with cutting-edge AI/ML and data solutions. We are a leader in autonomous data fusion and Agentic AI, with a purposeful focus on Distributed Data Systems, Platforms at Scale, and Complex Application Development. With headquarters in McLean, VA, our range of clients includes innovative federal and public agencies leveraging design thinking, cutting-edge tech stack, and cloud-native ecosystem. We build digital solutions that impact the lives of millions of Americans.

About the role: 

We are seeking a Lead AI/ML Engineer to drive the design, development, and deployment of machine learning and AI systems that operate in mission-critical environments. You will lead the end-to-end lifecycle of AI solutions, from data ingestion and model development to production deployment, while guiding a cross-functional team across engineering, data, and product.

This role sits at the intersection of advanced AI capabilities and real-world operational impact. You will work closely with customers and internal stakeholders to deliver scalable, secure, and high-performance systems across cloud and edge environments.

What You’ll Do

• Lead the architecture and development of AI/ML systems integrated into production-grade data platforms
• Design and implement scalable ML pipelines including training, inference, and evaluation in distributed environments
• Drive adoption of modern AI approaches including LLMs, retrieval augmented generation, and agentic workflows
• Design, train, fine-tune, and deploy purpose-built Small Language Models (SLMs) optimized for domain-specific tasks, including quantization, distillation, and optimization techniques that enable low-latency inference in resource-constrained, edge, and air-gapped environments
• Partner with Data Engineers and DevSecOps to operationalize models in secure, containerized environments including Kubernetes and CI/CD pipelines
• Translate mission needs into technical solutions while working directly with customers and stakeholders
• Mentor and guide engineers while setting technical direction and best practices for AI/ML development
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