Sr. AI Engineer Systems Architect

Overview

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE:
No relocation assistance available
CLEARANCE TYPE:
None
TRAVEL:
Yes, 10% of the Time

Northrop Grumman is hiring a Chief AI Architect within the Insights & Intelligence (i2) organization to define and drive our enterprise-standard AI architecture and roadmap. This Chief AI Architect will report to the AI Platforms and i2 Operations Director and be remote and/or hybrid supporting the Falls Church, VA office. Insights & Intelligence (i2) is reimagining decision making at Northrop Grumman and driving our data, analytics & AI transformation.

As part of our Chief Information & Digital Office (CIDO), i2 works with all enterprise domains and businesses.

As the Chief AI Architect, you will define and drive the AI architectural roadmap to include evaluation of emerging generative and agentic AI technologies, selection of open source & proprietary models and frameworks, and contribution to the end-to-end design and deployment of AI solutions across the enterprise. You will bring your deep understanding of AI capabilities and limitations, hands-on software engineering expertise, and knowledge of the aerospace and defense industry together into a comprehensive AI architectural vision.

You will be curious, innovative, and proactive, looking ahead to address the technical challenges and business needs of tomorrow. You will champion the adoption of AI by example, leveraging AI in your everyday work to boost your own productivity.

This role can be filled at the Staff (T05) or Senior Staff (T06) level depending on the qualifications below.

• Define the enterprise standard generative AI and agentic AI architecture through the analysis and selection of solutions and frameworks that are scalable, secure, adaptable and maintainable
• Enable a hybrid cloud/on-prem architecture that fulfills unclassified and classified AI needs balanced with affordability and flexibility
• Stay abreast of the latest research and technology in the AI market
• Advise technical teams on AI architecture and design within enterprise platforms
• Develop strong relationships with key CIDO and AI stakeholders to ensure that critical business needs are understood and addressed within the architectural roadmap
• Define standards and processes for AI architectural reviews, model evaluation, and solution testing
• Demonstrate thought leadership by advising senior executives and technical leadership on AI strategy, ROI, and risk

• Staff level:
  Must have at least 12 years of relevant experience with bachelor’s degree in computer science, Engineering, Data Science, or a related field; 10 years with Masters; or 8 years with PhD
• Senior Staff level:
  Must have at least 14 Years of relevant experience with bachelor’s degree in computer science, Engineering, Data Science, or a related field; 12 Years with Masters; or 10 Years with PhD
• Must have At least 3 years focused on generative and agentic AI
• Must have a proven track record of architecture, deployment, and operation of large‑scale AI systems
• Must have demonstrated experience with machine learning, NLP, RAG, and data platforms
• Must have demonstrated proficiency in relevant programming languages (e.g., Python, Java) and AI/ML frameworks
• Must have demonstrated ability to evaluate and integrate open-source AI projects (e.g., Lang Chain, Llama‑Index, Hugging Face, Ray, OpenAI SDKs)
• Must have hands-on experience with cloud native AI services (e.g., AWS Sagemaker, Azure OpenAI Service, etc.)
• Must have proven ability to translate complex AI concepts into clear opportunities, risks, and outcomes for non-technical audiences

• Active Top Secret/SCI Security Clearance
• Recognized cloud certifications (e.g., AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Azure Solutions Architect, etc.)
• Demonstrated technical knowledge of MCP servers and applications within Agentic AI use cases
• Familiarity with model development or MLOps frameworks and tools
• Familiarity with the latest GPU hardware for model development and hosting
• Awareness of cybersecurity considerations for Generative and Agentic AI deployments
• Demonstrated experience transitioning AI prototypes/pilots into production
• Proven…