Machine Learning Engineer (TS/SCI)
Builds and deploys computer-vision ML pipelines for geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) data at Vantor — including synthetic data generation with generative AI, data engineering, and production model serving on cloud infrastructure with Kubernetes. Requires US citizenship and an active TS/SCI clearance; onsite in Herndon.
- Compensation
- $165K–$215K / yr
- Location
- Herndon, United States
- Work setup
- Onsite
- Seniority
- Not specified
- Employment
- Not specified
- Experience
- 2+ years
- Category
- Ml / AI
- Posted
Skills
Must have
- US citizenship and current TS/SCI clearance (willingness to get CI Polygraph)
- 5+ years programming experience in at least one general purpose language (Python, TypeScript, Java, C/C++)
- 2+ years leading design or architecture (design patterns, reliability, scaling) of systems
- 2+ years in machine learning engineering, data engineering, backend software engineering, or related role
- Hands-on experience training, fine-tuning, or adapting ML/AI models with a modern ML framework
- Experience deploying ML models to production, incl. batch or real-time inference pipelines and model versioning
- Hands-on experience building and operating services on a major cloud platform (compute, databases, storage, IAM)
- Experience building and operating workflow orchestration with Kubernetes for data or ML pipelines
- Experience owning containers, container orchestration, CI/CD pipelines, and infrastructure-as-code
- Proven ability to support production systems: debugging, observability, secure configuration, incident response
- Bachelor's degree in CS, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Machine Learning, or related (or equivalent experience)
Nice to have
- Hands-on experience with LLMs, AI agents, or agentic workflows
- Experience with satellite/aerial imagery: raster formats (GeoTIFF), coordinate reference systems, GDAL, Rasterio, Shapely, Fiona, GeoPandas
- Experience developing CV models (object detection, semantic/instance segmentation, change detection), ideally on overhead imagery
Full description
Vantor is forging the new frontier of spatial intelligence, helping decision makers and operators navigate what’s happening now and shape what’s coming next. Vantor is 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.
To be eligible for this position, you must be a U.S. Citizen. This position requires an active U.S. Government security clearance, applicants who do not currently hold the required clearance will not be eligible for consideration. Employment for cleared roles is contingent upon verification of clearance status.
Export Control/ITAR: Certain roles may be subject to U.S. export control laws, requiring U.S. person status as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).
Please review the job details below.
This position requires an active U.S. Government Security Clearance at the TS/SCI level.
Do you have a head for numbers and enjoy being an integral part of solving mission-critical, real-world problems? Do you like working with geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) data? If so, you’ll love working with us! Our solutions require innovative approaches that integrate bespoke capabilities and tools to solve our customers most complex challenges.
Responsibilities:
- Design, develop, and deploy multiple CV pipeline components (e.g., image preprocessing, distributed training, inferencing engine, data store, etc.)
- Implement synthetic data generation capabilities using generative AI applied to commercial and government GEOINT data
- Data engineering to transform various data types to support various phases of the AI/ML workflow
- Staying updated on recent CV technical advances from industry and academia and applying them to customer mission problems
- Briefing internal Vantor teams on delivery progress, evaluation results and project challenges
Minimum Qualifications:
- US citizenship and a current TS/SCI clearance (with willingness to get a CI Polygraph)
- 5+ years of programming experience with at least one general purpose programming language (Python, Typescript, Java, C/C++)
- 2+ years of leading design or architecture (design patterns, reliability and scaling) of new and existing systems experience
- 2+ years of relevant experience in machine learning engineering, data engineering, backend software engineering, or a closely related technical role.
- Hands-on experience training, fine-tuning, or adapting machine learning, AI models using a modern ML framework.