Machine Learning Engineer

systemstechnologyresearch

Arlington, VA · Arlington · United States

Posted Jul 28, 2026

Full-time
On-site
Intelligence Tools & Applications (ITA)

Apply on company site

Job description

About the Team

STR’s Intelligence Division researches and develops advanced analytics and machine learning-based solutions to solve challenging problems related to national security. Our team consists of passionate and motivated engineers with advanced degrees in engineering, computer science, mathematics, and data science, who are seeking opportunities to use their deep technical knowledge and creativity to tackle some of the hardest problems that our customers face. Our projects span multiple different data modalities and incorporate advanced algorithms, deep learning, and statistical techniques to uncover patterns in social media, structured and unstructured text, time series, geospatial, and imagery data, and must operate under challenging constraints not typically found in the commercial world. The tools and technologies we develop have real world impact and US Government analysts and operators use them to enable intelligence activities around the globe.

The Role

As a Machine Learning Engineer, you will help develop and integrate cutting-edge AI/ML models into production systems that solve critical national security problems.

Working as part of a multidisciplinary team of researchers, engineers, and domain experts, you will analyze interesting and challenging datasets to develop, implement, and evaluate AI/ML models to discover trends and form valuable intelligence insights. You will help bridge the gap between prototype and product by hardening solutions, building scalable backend services, and creating polished user interfaces with intuitive workflows. You will build software with AI/ML at its core, ranging from classical statistical methods to frontier language models, deployed across a diverse set of platforms including cloud, on-prem, desktop, mobile, and edge devices. In addition, you will collaborate closely with customers to understand mission needs, rapidly prototype capabilities, and iterate based on user feedback.

This position can be based in Woburn, MA; or Arlington, VA. Applicants should expect to primarily work onsite.

What you will do:

Investigate and analyze large and interesting data sets to identify and expose hidden patterns and trends
Develop and apply novel AI/ML models to automatically derive valuable insights for defense and intelligence analysts
Collaborate with diverse teams to develop and deploy cutting-edge capabilities into production systems
Support the engineering of robust backend services, scalable APIs, and intuitive user interfaces

Who you are:

Active Secret Security Clearance with SCI Eligibility, for which U.S citizenship is needed by the U.S government
Hold a B.S. or M.S. in Statistics, Data Science, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or other related discipline
Experience in applying AI/ML methods to real-world data science problems, especially in settings where data is sparse, noisy, and/or high dimensional
Experience deploying AI/ML models and constructing analytics pipelines using modern Python-based frameworks
Familiarity with creating data visualizations and user interfaces or dashboards
Proficient with Python and the traditional data science and machine learning stack, namely NumPy, Pandas, scikit-learn, PyTorch, and matplotlib
Proficient with version control software (Git), JIRA, Confluence, or other common collaboration tools
Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively within cross-functional teams and communicate with customers and end users

Even better:

Active Top Secret (TS) Security Clearance
Solid understanding of software engineering principles, including testing, scalability, observability, maintainability, and performance optimization
Experience working with large datasets (> 100 GB) and familiarity with big data infrastructure and frameworks such as AWS, Hadoop, Spark, Dask, or MapReduce
Possession of an advanced degree in a scientific field and 2+ years of relevant experience after Bachelor’s degree (work or post-graduate)
Experience in intelligence and military-related mission areas

Pay Information
Full-Time Salary Range: $115,000 - $140,000

The salary range listed is based on external market data. Offers are based on factors, such as but not limited to, the candidate’s experience, education, training, key skills/critical skills, security clearances, and prevailing market and business conditions.

STR is a growing technology company with locations near Boston, MA, Arlington, VA, near Dayton, OH, Melbourne, FL, and Carlsbad, CA. We specialize in advanced research and development for defense, intelligence, and national security in: cyber; next generation sensors, radar, sonar, communications, and electronic warfare; and artificial intelligence algorithms and analytics to make sense of the complexity that is exploding around us.

STR is committed to creating a collaborative learning environment that supports deep technical understanding and recognizes the contributions and achievements of all team members. Our work is challenging, and we go home at night knowing that we pushed the envelope of technology and made the world safer.

STR is not just any company. Our people, culture, and attitude along with their unique set of skills, experiences, and perspectives put us on a trajectory to change the world. We can't do it alone, though - we need fellow trailblazers. If you are one, join our team and help to keep our society safe! Visit us at www.str.us for more info.

STR is an equal opportunity employer. We are fully dedicated to hiring the most qualified candidate regardless of race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

If you need a reasonable accommodation for any portion of the employment process, email us at appassist@str.us and provide your contact info.

Pursuant to applicable federal law and regulations, positions at STR require employees to obtain national security clearances and satisfy the requirements for compliance with export control and other applicable laws.